The Circus is back in town!

Friday March 12, 2010. The carnival that is the Indian Premier League returns to its spiritual home, and this year promises to be the biggest and most highly contested of the three years so far. To try and pick the wheat from the chaff, or the wides from the match winners, here is a run down of the eight teams vying for the Diamond, Ruby and Sapphire encrusted IPL Trophy.

Deccan Chargers

Owner; Deccan Chronicle
Kit; Blue
Captain; Adam Gilchrist
Coach; Darren Lehmann
Key players; Adam Gilchrist, RP Singh, Kemar Roach, Herschelle Gibbs, Chaminda Vaas, Andrew Symonds
Last Year; Winners
Odds; 6/1.

Defending champions Deccan go into the tournament on the back of a quite outstanding recovery from the first edition of the IPL. Their success has been attributed in no small part to the combination of captain Adam Gilchrist and coach Darren Lehmann. The two have instilled a winner’s attitude, something distinctly Australian, in a team that finished dead last in the inaugural tournament in 2008.
However, there are still questions looming over the home form of the Chargers. They are yet to win a game at home at the Rajiv Ghandi International Cricket Stadium as the tournament was held in South Africa last year, but this is an entirely new side with a great attitude and a great chance of retaining their title.
Adam Gilchrist, last year's player of the tournament, will lead the side with confidence and exuberance. The added experience of Gibbs, Symonds, VVS Layman and Vaas, and the raw talent and youth of Kemar Roach and local boys Harmed Singh and Bodipati Sumanth creates a team that must be feared by their opponents.

Prediction; Winners.



Kolkata Knight Riders

Owner; Shahrukh Khan, Juhi Chawla Mehta, Jay Mehta
Kit; Purple and Gold
Captain; Sourav Ganguly
Coach; Dav Whatmore
Key Players; Sourav Ganguly, Ishant Sharma, David Hussey, Brad Hodge, Owais Shah, Angelo Mathews, Ajantha Mendis, Chris Gayle
Last Year; 8th
Odds; 13/2

A team hounded by controversy, Kolkata has dropped from 5th in 2008 to dead last in 2009 amid claims of in-fighting, sacking of captain Sourav Ganguly and even suggestions of racism between staff and players. A good start last year saw the Knight Riders beat Kings XI Punjab in their second game, but then go on a run of 10 games without a win. Victories in their last two games showed what they can do, but a lot will rest on the shoulders of Brad Hodge, the big-hitting David Hussey and Chris Gayle, and Brendon McCullum when he returns from International duty with New Zealand.
Kolkata could be a force to be reckoned with, but their fate will depend on how they cope without their International stars. The pressure will be on their local boys like U-19 Harpreet Singh, and a top four place may be out of reach before the cavalry comes to their aide. The appointment of Dav Whatmore as coach can only be a positive, and his experience and ability to produce winning sides could prove to be the difference between success and yet more disappointment.

Prediction; 7th


Kings XI Punjab

Owner; Preity Zinta, Ness Wadia, Karan Paul and Mohit Burman
Kit; Light-Grey and Red
Captain; Kumar Sangakkara
Coach; Tom Moody
Key Players; Kumar Sangakkara, Brett Lee, Piyush Chawla, Ramesh Powar, Sri Sreesanth, Yuvraj Singh, Irfan Pathan, Mahale Jayawardene, Yusuf Abdulla
Last Year; 5th
Odds; 9/1

Just missing out on the semi-finals last year, Kings XI have an aura of glamour and royalty about them. Semi-finalists in the first year and fifth in South Africa has shown their inability to back up their high-profile billing, and a lack of new players or staff may make it unlikely that they can improve on their performance last year. The fitness and availability or Brett Lee could play a huge part in their success, but a team that comprises Sangakkara, find of the 2009 tournament Yusuf Abdulla and pin-up boy Yuvraj Singh cannot be ignored.
An inconsistent tournament last year saw Kings XI lose out on a semi-final place in their last league game with a loss to Chennai, but four wins and four losses in their previous eight games was not form worthy of a semi-final place.

Prediction; 6th


Chennai Superkings

Owner; India Cements Ltd
Kit; Yellow and Blue
Captain; MS Dhoni
Coach; Stephen Fleming
Key Players; MS Dhoni, M Muralidaran, Matt Hayden, Mike Hussey, Albie Morkel, Suresh Raina,
Last Year; 2nd, lost in semi-final to Bangalore Royal Chargers
Odds; 9/2

Beaten semi-finalists last year, and beaten finalists on the last ball of the inaugural IPL, Chennai are one of the most consistent teams in the league and are lead by the most expensive player from the first year of the tournament, Mahendra Singh Dhoni. They have explosive batting throughout their top and middle order, the charge being lead by Matt Hayden, who like Gilchrist seems to have taken rather well to international retirement. Combine that with the irrepressible Mike Hussey, the South African powerplay specialist Albie Morkel, the ever-improving Suresh Raina and the captain you have quite a formidable batting line-up.
The bowling is where Chennai might struggle. Makhaya Ntini has fallen out of favour in South Africa after losing his pace, and he has never been the most devastating of limited overs bowlers. Muralidaran will of course be miserly and prove extremely affective in the shortest form of the game, but a lack of powerplay bowlers may prove to be their downfall.

Prediction; 5th


Bangalore Royal Challengers

Owner; Dr. Vijay Mallya
Kit; Red and Golden Yellow
Captain; Anil Kumble
Coach; Ray Jennings
Key Players; Anil Kumble, Jacques Kallis, Mark Boucher, Rahul Dravid, Dale Steyn, Kevin Pietersen, RE van der Merwe, Cameron White, Eoin Morgan, Virat Kohli, Ross Taylor
Last Year; Runners up
Odds; 6/1

A poor first season was put firmly in the past last time out as Bangalore blazed a golden yellow trail to the semi-finals. An opening game win over the Rajasthan Royals was followed by four losses on the bounce under the leadership of top grossing player Kevin Pietersen, but when he left for international duty Anil Kumble took over and guided the team to seven wins in their next nine games, securing an unlikely semi-final place against Chennai Superkings. An unlikely victory over the strongly backed Kings set up a meeting with Deccan in the final, but Gilchrist's men were too strong for the Challengers, beating them by 6 runs.
The availability of previous captain Pietersen are unknown but judging by recent performances in Bangladesh he isn't in the greatest of form. One man who is certainly at the top of the one-day game at the moment is Eoin Morgan. Two devastating innings against Bangladesh earned him his place in IPL3.
Strength in depth is embodied perfectly in this squad. International star replaces international star, and with backup like India U-19 captain Ashok Menaria, it would take a brave man to bet against Bangalore being in at least the top four at the sharp end of the tournament.

Prediction; Runners up


Mumbai Indians

Owner; Reliance Industries Ltd
Kit; Blue and Dark Blue
Captain; Sachin Tendulkar
Coach; Robin Singh
Key Players; Sachin Tendulkar, Dwayne Bravo, Sanath Jayasuriya, Graham Napier, Kieron Pollard, JP Duminy, Zaheer Khan
Last Year; 7th
Odds; 5/1

Seventh last year was a poor return for the most expensive team in the IPL. Lead by the legendary Sachin Tendulkar, Mumbai lost their first four games, won their next six, lost the next three before winning their last. A record of seven wins seven losses was not anywhere near enough for a semi-final place, their inconsistency a real issue.
The purchase of Kieron Pollard is a huge bonus for Mumbai. The 6ft 5in West Indian has become one of the most destructive batsmen in world cricket, effortless sixes accompanied by maturity and intelligence make him a valuable acquisition for Mumbai, and one which could push them up the table. The talented duo of Harshal Patel and Abishek Nayar represent the local boys, so if Mumbai can tackle their inconsistency they could threaten the top four.

Prediction; Semi-finalists


Rajasthan Royals

Owner; Emerging Media, Shilpa Shetty, Raj Kundra
Kit; Blue and Gold
Captain; Shane Warne
Coach; Shane Warne
Key Players; Shane Warne, Graeme Smith, Morne Morkel, Munaf Patel, Michael Lumb, Damien Martyn, Shaun Tait
Last Year; 6th
Odds; 9/1

Inaugural champions, Rajasthan hail from the Princely state in India. They were unlikely winners in 2008 so much was expected in South Africa last year. Unfortunately they were also plagued by inconsistency. Shane Warne has bought in fellow Australians Damien Martyn and the electric Shaun Tait to bolster the squad for this year along with the powerful Graeme Smith and impressive Englishman Michael Lumb, it isn't inconceivable that Rajasthan could return to the top of the table, despite their long odds.
Rajasthan will be relying on their talismanic leader Warne to inspire them and instil that winning mentality, but the inclusion of Tait, Martyn and fellow Aussie Adam Voges will do wonders for the team strength. Local boy Swapnil Asnodkar was a revelation in 2008, and if he and fellow Indians Munaf Patel and Siddharth Trivedi
can provide support, Rajasthan could easily regain their title.

Prediction; Semi-finals


Delhi Daredevils

Owner; GMR Holdings
Kit; Dark Blue and Red
Captain; Gautam Gambhir
Coach; Greg Shipperd
Key Players; Gautam Gambhir, Dirk Nannes, David Warner, Tillakaratne Dilshan, Amit Mishra, Virinder Sehwag, AB de Villiers
Last Year; Semi-finalists
Odds; 7/2

Top of the league last year, Delhi were lead by AB de Villiers and Tillakaratne Dilshan with the bat, and the overseas talent of Glenn McGrath, Farveez Maharoof, Daniel Vettori and Mohammed Asif with the ball. The batting is still as strong, but the bowling is where Delhi may find life uncomfortable. Wayne Parnell is a vital acquisition, and when Daniel Vettori returns he could prove to be a miserly bowler, but the powerplay overs are vital in Twenty20 cricket, and Delhi may struggle to contain some of the powerful opening batsmen in this year's tournament.
Adam Gilchrist did just that in last years semi-finals. The Australian led his team to an unlikely victory over the league winners, hitting the fastest IPL half century, just 17 balls. Nannes bore the brunt of the attack from the Deccan captain, and Andrew Symonds continued the attack on Nannes when Gilchrist was removed. If Delhi can restrict their opponents in the first six overs, then their batting is as good as any in the league , but for me they don't have any bowlers who can run through a top order.

Prediction; 8th