Team Preview - Bangalore Royal Challengers

Performance in IPL 2008

The Royal Challengers, Bangalore had a miserable outing during the first season of the Indian Premier League, finishing a dismal seventh. 

Captained by Rahul Dravid, the team was touted as a Test side which was not capable of adapting to the swashbuckling cricket employed in the Twenty20 format.

After a torrid opening game against the Kolkata Knight Riders, the team from Bangalore was not able to settle down as a unit.

The Royal Challengers played 14 matches in their IPL endeavour and could only manage 4 wins.

The liquor baron's team lost some close games after being in a winning position:

A loss to Chennai Super Kings by 13 runs 

Losing to Delhi Dare Devils by 10 runs 

Defeat against Kolkata Knight Riders by 5 runs 

The four wins managed by the Royal Challengers came against:

Mumbai Indians at Mumbai

Home and away wins against the Deccan Chargers

Chennai Super Kings at Chennai 

Trade-ins and player acquisitions

At the start of 2009, Vijay Mallya acquired Robin Uthappa from the Mumbai Indians and had to let go of Zaheer Khan to them. This deal did not cost Mallya as it was a mutual exchange.

Bangalore also acquired Gaurav Dhiman from the Mumbai Indians and Rajasthan fast bowler Pankaj Singh from the Rajasthan Royals.

The second IPL auction witnessed an aggressive bid by all teams to get hold of the South African born English cricketer Kevin Pietersen. Eventually, Mallya bagged him for a record $ 1.55 Million. Kevin Pietersen also replaced Rahul Dravid as the new RCB captain.

The left handed New Zealand sensation Jesse Ryder was also included in the Bangalore team for a price of $ 160,000.

Players to watch out for

Kevin Pietersen: With a whopping $ 1.55 Million tag and the responsibilty of leading the team, Bangalore fans would look to Pietersen to revive the fortunes of the team.

Jesse Ryder: With a dream season against the Indians in all forms of the game, the Royal Challengers would expect the Ryder magic to continue in South Africa.

Rahul Dravid: The 'Wall' of Indian cricket had a successful test series at New Zealand. Being the most successful RCB batsman during the first season and with the burden of captaincy no longer there, the seasoned campaigner would look forward to an engaging stint.

Dale Steyn: This exciting South African pacer had won praises from cricketers all round the world. RCB would bank on this fast bowler to rattle the opposition in conditions well suited to him where he will be even more lethal.

Trivia

Kevin Pietersen, along with Andrew Flintoff (Chennai), was the most expensive player of IPL 2009 at USD 1.55 million.

Bangalore Royal Challengers roped in Washington Redskins - a world famous cheer-leading squad from the US for the IPL 2008.

Abdur Razzak of Bangalore Royal Challengers was the only Bangladeshi to feature in IPL 2008. He only played one game for his team.

Anil Kumble took 3 for 14 in the match against the Chennai Super Kings - it was his best performance in the twenty-over format of the game.

Five of the Bangalore batsmen were dismissed for a duck in the match against Punjab - a record for the most ducks in an innings in the IPL.

B Akhil of the RCB scored 27 runs at a strike rate of 385.71 against the Deccan Chargers, the highest strike rate for an innings

Misbah-ul-Haq hit the 1000th four of the IPL

Misbah-ul-Haq, who turned 34 on 28th May, will want to forget his 34th birthday in a hurry - he was dismissed for a first ball duck against Mumbai.

Current Squad

Kevin Pietersen (ENG), Ross Taylor (NZ), Wasim Jaffer, Rahul Dravid, Robin Uthappa, Manish Pandey, Jesse Ryder (NZ), Mark Boucher (RSA), Shreevats Goswami, Dillon du Preez (RSA) , Jacques Kallis (RSA), Roelof van der Merwe (RSA), Cameron White (AUS), Virat Kohli, Praveen Kumar, Balachandra Akhil, Dale Steyn (RSA), Nathan Bracken (AUS), Pankaj Singh, Anil Kumble, Tinu Yohannan, Vinay Kumar

Coaches

Head Coach: Ray Jennings (RSA)

Assistant Head Coach: Vijay Bharadwaj

Team Preview - Deccan Chargers

Performance in IPL 2008

Despite being termed as a team to win the cup, a string of poor performances and controversies taunted the Hyderabad team throughout the first season of the IPL. An injury to the team's captain VVS Laxman during the series had the former Australian wicket keeper Adam Gilchrist fill in as the captain. 

A massive storm struck the team when the Pakistani dasher Shahid Afridi pointed out that VVS Laxman's was incompetent to lead Hyderabad and was responsible for the team's poor show during the inaugural season of the IPL. A momentary ceasefire was called before the flames resurfaced. The team management stepped in and terminated the IPL contract of Afridi.

At the end of the season, Hyderabad could manage only two wins in the 14 matches played by them, finishing at the bottom of the table. Their victories came against the Mumbai Indians and the Chennai Super Kings thanks to powerful batting performances by Adam Gilchrist.

Who's in, who's out

Who's in?

After a miserable campaign last time around, some sweeping changes have been made.

Before the start of the second auction, the Queensland all-rounder Ryan Harris was signed by the management after a strong recommendation from the Hyderabad coach Darren Lehmann.

They also got hold of 6 new players from the domestic circuit - Jaskarandeep Singh, H.S. Bansal, T.Suman, Abhinav Kumar, S.M.Shoaib and M.S.Bisla.

The West Indian Fidel Edwards (USD 150,000) and Dwayne Smith (USD 100,000) were the international players bought at the auction.

Even the logo was not spared. The new logo has a silver background as opposed to the gold one which they had last year. They will also be sporting different kits on the field.

Who's out?

While the classy VVS Laxman was replaced by Adam Gilchrist as the captain, Shahid Afridi was shown the doors for speaking against Laxman. Herschelle Gibbs was up for sale due to his poor show but was not purchased by any of the teams.

Players to watch out for

Adam Gilchrist: While Gilchrist was good in patches during IPL-1, Hyderabad would want a more consistent performance from this dashing Australian wicket keeper to revive the team's prospects during the second season.

Herschelle Gibbs: After a forgettable campaign during 2008, Gibbs would bank on his powerful batting skills to fire during 2009. He is stil lightning quick on the field and batting on home turf would certainly work to his advantage.

Rohit Sharma: A consistent performance from Sharma during the first edition of IPL was perhaps the only saving grace for Hyderabad. He was the second-highest run-scorer for the Chargers last time around and remains a vital cog in the middle order.

Venugopal Rao: Venugopal Rao had a quiet tournament to begin with but came into his own during the second half of the tournament, taking his team to the brink of victory on many occassions. A heavy-scorer in domestic cricket, Venugopal will need to better his performance this time around.

Trivia

Andrew Symonds was the most expensive bowler for Deccan Chargers - he was hit for 30 in one over by Sehwag and 17 in the last over of a match by Warne.

Adam Gilchrist of Deccan Chargers scored the fastest century of IPL 2008, doing so in just 42 balls against Mumbai Indians.

Not only did the Deccan Chargers finish last, they disappointed their fans by not winning a single home game in the IPL 2008.

The highest partnership for any wicket in the IPL is 155 between Adam Gilchrist and VVS Laxman in the match between Hyderabad and Mumbai.

RP Singh of the Deccan Chargers gave away 59 runs in his 4 ovs against KKR thereby making him the bowler with the worst economy rate in a game.

Current Squad

Adam Gilchrist (AUS), Rohit Sharma(Vice-Captain), Chamara Silva (SL), Herschelle Gibbs (RSA), V.V.S.Laxman, Arjun Yadav, Venugopal Rao, D.B.Ravi Teja, T.Suman, Abhinav Kumar, Dwayne Smith (WI), Scott Styris (NZ), Andrew Symonds (AUS), Ryan Harris (AUS), Halhadar Das, M.S.Bisla, R. P. Singh, Fidel Edwards WI), Chaminda Vaas (SL), Nuwan Zoysa (SL), D.Kalyankrishna, Pragyan Ojha, M Sarveesh Kumar, H.S.Bansal, Jaskarandeep Singh, P. Vijay Kumar, S.M.Shoaib

Coaches

Head Coach: Darren Lehmann (AUS)

Assistant Coach: Kanwaljit Singh 

Team Preview - Kolkata Knight Riders

Performance in IPL 2008
Kolkatta were being touted as the best team after their first two wins but their performance nose-dived as the series progressed.
Kolkata's performance was as unpredictable as their speedster, Shoaib Akhtar at times.
At times they pulled off thrilling victories, like they did against Punjab, scoring 70 in the last four overs to seal victory.
Against Mumbai, they set the record for the lowest score in the tournament, being bundled out for 67. Against Delhi, they pulled off a remarkable victory, winning by 23 runs despite only scoring 133 runs - thanks to a blistering spell from Shoaib Akhtar. Ultimately, Kolkatta weren't consistent enough and had to settle for sixth place.
Financially, the Knight Riders were easily the most successful franchise in the IPL, achieving a profit of Rs. 13 crore.
Whos in, whos out
Kolkata Knight Riders was among the least active franchises during the off season, with no player trades. However, the team signed Mohnish Parmar during the off season and also re-signed Ajantha Mendis for a long term deal. The most notable personnel move for Knight Riders came during the 2009 IPL Auction, where the team signed Bangladesh all-rounder Mashrafe Mortaza. Kolkatta spent a massive 600,000 dollars at the auction for this Bangladeshi import and it will be interesting to see if Mortaza can live up to the expectations.
Kolkata will bemoan the loss of it's Pakistani players - Umar Gul and Salman Butt - both of whom performed notably last year. Ricky Ponting joined the list of Australians who pulled out of the IPL due to a hectic international schedule. Mohammad Asif will also be missing from action.
Players to watch out for
Sourav Ganguly: Ganguly might not have the agility demanded of a Twenty20 player but he proved why he is still among the best as he finished on top of the run-scoring charts for his team. He also chipped in with his gentle medium pace and ended up as the most economical bowler for his side. Still a force to reckon with.

Brendon McCullum: Nicknamed 'Baz', McCullum's game is perfectly suited to the Twenty20 format and his brutal innings of 158 not out against Bangalore last season is testimony to that. McCullum is coming of some good batting form in the recently concluded series against India, which will do his confidence a world of good.

Chris Gayle: Gayle exemplifies Caribbean flair and his nonchalant and no-fuss approach to batting is a treat to watch. On his day, Gayle can massacre the best of attacks, putting away even the good balls. Gayle and McCullum are potentially the most lethal opening pair in the tournament and if they can get going the crowd will be in for some real entertainment.

Ishant Sharma: Ishant had a very ordinary tournament last time around but batsmen could find him difficult to hit in conditions where the lanky seamer will be able to extract movement and bounce. He will be keen to prove his detractors wrong this time around.

Trivia
The duo of Vishal and Shekar, of 'Om Shanthi Om' and 'Jhankar Beats' fame composed the anthem song of the Kolkata Knight Riders.
Sourav Ganguly, captain of the Kolkata Knight Riders, was the first player to win back-to-back Man of the Match awards.
Chris Gayle did not play a single game for the Kolkata Knight Riders in the IPL 2008 as he had a groin injury.
Ishant Sharma, who was snapped up at USD 950,000 by Kolkata Knight Riders was the most expensive bowler at the IPL auction.
Umar Gul of KKR had the highest strike rate amongst the batsmen with 205.26. He scored just 39 runs in the tournament however.
The only match in the IPL which was abandoned without a ball being bowled was the match between Delhi and Kolkata at Delhi.
Kolkata have the record of scoring the least runs in an innings in the IPL doing so when they were dismissed 67 in the match against the Mumbai Indians.
Laxmi Ratan Shukla picked up 3 wickets in the only 5 balls he bowled against the Daredevils making him the bowler with the best strike rate in an innings.
Brendon McCullum scored 158 against the Bangalore Royal Challengers in the opening game of the IPL - the highest individual score in a Twenty20 match.
Brendon McCullum of KKR holds the record for the most number of sixes in an IPL innings with 13 against the Bangalore Royal Challengers
The highest margin of victory by runs is 140 happens achieved by the Kolkata Knight Riders in the opening match of the IPL against Bangalore

Current Squad:
Sourav Ganguly, Ajit Agarkar, Rohan Banerjee, Sanjay Bangar, Mark Cameron (AUS), Aakash Chopra, Gaurav Chabra, Debabrata Das, Ashok Dinda, Shatrunjay Gaekwad, Chris Gayle, Moises Henriques (AUS), Brad Hodge (AUS), David Hussey (AUS), VA Indulkar, Iqbal Abdulla, Murali Karthik, Saurasish Lahiri, Charl Langeveldt (SA), Brendon McCullum (NZ), Mashrafe Mortaza (Bang), Angelo Mathews (SL), Ajantha Mendis (SL), Mohnish Parmar, Cheteshwar Pujara, Wriddhiman Saha, Ishant Sharma, Laxmi Ratan Shukla

Coach - John Buchanan (AUS)
Assistant head coach - Matthew Mott (AUS)

Team Preview - Mumbai Indians

Performance in IPL 2008
Mumbai had a disastrous start, losing their first four games to Bangalore, Chennai, Punjab and Hyderabad but bounced back remarkably well before ultimately failing to make it to the semi-finals.
After four successive defeats, Mumbai won their next six games on the trot - the best streak of the tournament- as they appeared to peak at just the right time.
Mumbai will rue their 1-run defeat to Punjab since it not only ended their winning streak but also their hopes of a semi-final berth as the team seem to lose momentum. Two more defeats followed before Mumbai beat lowly Bangalore to finish in fifth position.
Who's in, who's out
Mumbai shopped for South African sensation Jean-Paul Duminy in this year's auction and splashed out an eye-popping USD 950,000 to acquire the stylish southpaw.
New Zealander Kyle Mills (USD 150,000) and Bangladesh captain Mohammad Ashraful (USD 75,000) were part of their signings.
Mumbai was also involved in two swaps, trading Robin Uthappa for Zaheer Khan with Bangalore and Shikhar Dhawan for Ashish Nehra with Delhi. Jaydev Shah was also added to the roster while Dwayne Smith, Dominic Thornely and Ashwell Prince were released from their contracts. Shaun Pollock will not return as a player after taking up the role of the coach.
Mumbai also signed Graham Napier and Ryan McLaren, both prolific all-rounders in the English Twenty20 competition.
Players to watch out for
Sachin Tendulkar: Sachin Tendulkar is loved the world over and will be cynosure of all eyes in South Africa as well. He missed the inital games last season but is expected to be available for the entire duration this time around. Not only has he been among the runs for India, he has amassed his runs in a manner which reminds us of the Tendulkar of the nineties. Tendulkar on song will be vital to Mumbai's success. 
Graham Napier: The cricket world stood up and took notice of Napier's talent after he blasted a 52-ball 158 for Essex in a Twenty20 game. He scored runs heavily and quickly last season and is a decent medium pacer, capable of bowling the yorkers in the death overs.
Zaheer Khan: Zaheer Khan has led the Indian attack superbly in all conditions in recent times. Zaheer will enjoy the conditions in South Africa and his recent form suggests that batsmen will find it difficult against him.
Shikhar Dhawan: Dhawan scored consistently for Delhi, notching up four fifties in last year's IPL and Mumbai will be hoping he picks up from where he left off. A batsman in the classical mould with shots all around the wicket, Dhawan is the ideal number three.
Trivia
Dhawal Kulkarni of Mumbai bowled 3 wides in a row in his last over against Chennai, thus becoming the first bowler to have such a dubious record.
Sanath Jayasuriya of Mumbai Indians, the oldest player in the IPL, holds the record for the most sixes - 31.
Sanath Jayasuriya hit more fours than anyone else in the IPL. He hit a total of 57 boundaries.
Mumbai won their match at home against the Kolkata with a staggering 87 balls to spare, the highest margin in terms of balls remaining in IPL 2008.
Mumbai Indians used as many as three captains - Shaun Pollock, Harbhajan Singh and Sachin Tendulkar - in the 14 games they played.
Tendulkar holds the record for the most number of catches in an IPL match with 4 catches in the match between the Mumbai Indians and the Kolkata Knight Riders.
Harbhajan slapped Sreesanth after Mumbai lost to Kings XI Punjab in a tense game following which Harbhajan was banned from the remainder of the tournament.
5 of the Mumbai Indians batsmen got run out in the game against the KKR. This is a record of a sorts for the IPL.
Current Squad
Sachin Tendulkar, Dwayne Bravo (WI), Shikhar Dhawan, Jean-Paul Duminy (SA), Harbhajan Singh, Dilhara Fernando (SL), Sanath Jayasuriya (SL), Zaheer Khan, Ryan McLaren (SA), Dhawal Kulkarni, Lasith Malinga (SL), Kyle Mills (NZ), Graham Napier (ENG), Chetanya Nanda, Mohammad Ashraful (B'desh), Abhishek Nayar, Ajinkya Rahane, Rohan Raje, Luke Ronchi (AUS), Jaydev Shah, Pinal Shah, Rahil Shaikh, Yogesh Takawale, Saurabh Tiwary 
Coaches
Head Coach: Shaun Pollock (SA)
Assistant Head Coach: Pravin Amre

Team Preview - Delhi Daredevils

Header: Performance in IPL 2008

Delhi Daredevils began their IPL campaign on a good note by winning four of their first five matches. With the exception of Daniel Vettori, the Delhi team could utilize the services of all its international players through out the season. The team mainly banked on its powerful opening duo of Gambhir and Sehwag. They were well complemented by the ever reliable McGrath and the lanky Sri Lankan Maharoof in the bowling department.

However, the team had a downslide in the latter part of the tournament when they lost 5 of the remaining 9 matches in the round robin stage with one match against the Kolkata team washed out.
The Delhi side scraped through to the semi finals only to be demolished by the Warne led Rajasthan side. The Daredevils lost the semi finals by 105 runs.
Overall, Delhi looked a good team during 2008 but could not maintain their momentum during the second half.

Who's in, who's out
Who's in?
The Australian trio of David Warner, Dirk Nannes and Andrew McDonald were signed by the Delhi management after their successful T20 stints with New South Wales and Victoria.
The left handed pacer Ashish Nehra was the only domestic inclusion for the 2009 season with Delhi swapping the pacer for Shikhar Dhawan with Mumbai.
The Daredevils got their share of English players when they signed Paul Collingwood and Owais Shah, both for USD 275,000.

Who's out?
Mohammed Asif and Shoaib Malik will not be available for the Daredevils this season.
Players to watch out for
Virender Sehwag: The Nawab of Najafgarh has instilled fear amongst bowlers around the world with his swashbuckling batting. A good batting display during the recently concluded ODI series in New Zealand would increase Sehwag's confidence and the Delhi team would bank on its captain for explosive starts.
Gautam Gambhir: Gambhir has been a revelation during the past year. He has acted as the perfect foil for his opening partner Sehwag and together they have earned a reputation as the best opening pair in the recent times. Sturdy and solid batting displays during the New Zealand series earned him the title 'The Second Wall'. Gambhir would look at extending his good run in the second edition of IPL.
Glenn McGrath: Mcgrath had a tumultuous time surrounding his wife's death. With two children to look after and a cancer foundation started by his wife now in his care, he continued his battles. The fighter that he is, McGrath extensively worked on his fitness and is ready for the IPL show. Every batsman's nightmare, Mcgrath's unnerving line and length would hinder any team's chances against Delhi.
Farveez Maharoof: Sri Lankan cricketers have always been a great pick for the IPL teams. After being the second-highest wicket taker for Delhi during their first IPL season, Maharoof would be seen as the ideal pace partner to McGrath during Asif's absence. Maharoof is also a useful lower order batsman.
Trivia
Glenn McGrath was one of the only two bowlers to bowl two maiden overs in a match.
McGrath bowled the first wicket maiden over in the IPL in their first game against the Rajashthan Royals.
Tejaswi Yadav, son of Indian railway minister Laloo Yadav, was a member of the Daredevils team. However, he did not play a single match.
Pradeep Sangwan (Delhi) was the youngest player of the IPL. The left-arm pacer was all of 17 years and 179 days when he made his IPL debut against Chennai.
Amit Mishra took 5 for 17 against the Deccan Chargers - the best bowling performance by a spin bowler in the IPL.
Amit Mishra was one of the three bowlers to take a hat-trick in the IPL.
David Warner, who was snapped up by Delhi, became the first Australian since 1877 to represent his country without having played a first class game.
Gautam Gambhir and Virender Sehwag scored the most number of runs for the first wicket in the IPL 2008.
Current Squad
Virender Sehwag, Owais Shah (ENG), David Warner (AUS), Gautam Gambhir, Manoj Tiwary, Andrew McDonald (AUS), Tillakaratne Dilshan (SL), Paul Collingwood (ENG), Farveez Maharoof (SL), Rajat Bhatia, Mithun Manhas, AB de Villiers (RSA), Dinesh Karthik, Glenn McGrath (AUS), Daniel Vettori (NZ), Dirk Nannes (AUS), Vijaykumar Yo Mahesh, Ashish Nehra, Amit Mishra, Pradeep Sangwan
Coaches
Head Coach: Greg Shipperd (AUS)
Assistant Coach: David Saker (AUS)