It's IPL Fever
Chennai Super Kings will be chasing a hat-trick of titles in the
Indian Premier League 2012 which is now in progress. But the other eight
teams too can spring a surprise.
The following is an analysis of all the nine teams taking part in the
IPL 2012:
Mumbai Indians: They look the most complete team and will be keen on
winning their maiden IPL trophy. Sachin Tendulkar has been declared fit
for the tournament and will bolster an already formidable batting
line-up of Rohit Sharma, Ambati Rayudu, Kieron Pollard, and latest T20
sensation Richard Levi.
Lasith Malinga, the purple cap holder in IPL 2011 |
Sri Lanka speedster Lasith Malinga and Australian Mitchell Johnson
will be the bowlers to look out for besides the familiar Munaf Patel and
Rudra Pratap Singh. Harbhajan Singh and Pragyan Ojha will lead the spin
attack. Mumbai reached the finals in 2010 and came fourth in the last
edition.
Chennai Super Kings: The most successful team in IPL starts as the
favourite again. Mahendra Singh Dhoni will be spoilt for choice in both
the batting and bowling departments.
Chennai have brought in all-rounder Ravindra Jadeja and Australian
pacer Ben Hilfenhaus. Suresh Raina, Murali Vijay and Subramaniam
Badrinath form the batting chunk. Michael Hussey will be available after
the Caribbean trip. Hilfenhaus joins compatriot Doug Bollinger in
bowling with Ravichandran Ashwin being the leading spinner.
Kolkata Knight Riders: Gautam Gambhir and his men have enough
fire-power to build on their fourth place finish in 2011. The Australian
fast bowling duo of Brett Lee and James Pattinson can trouble most
batsmen.
The team also boasts of top-all rounders - Bangladesh's Shakib Al
Hasan and South Africa legend Jacques Kallis. West Indies off-spinner
Sunil Narine and Iqbal Abdulla are likely to be the regular spinners.
Other batsmen include Brendon McCullum, Eoin Morgan and big hitter Yusuf
Pathan.
Royal Challengers Bangalore: Last year's runners-up can hope to go
the distance with the presence of the explosive West Indian batsman
Chris Gayle and the in form Virat Kohli. These two should get ample
support from South Africa's AB de Villiers and Sri Lankan Tillakaratne
Dilshan.
Zaheer Khan and R. Vinay Kumar will be the key in the fast bowling
department. Champions spinners in Daniel Vettori and Muttiah
Muralitharan certainly make Royal Challengers a force to reckon with.
Deccan Chargers: The 2009 champions look one of the weaker teams.
Former Sri Lanka skipper Kumar Sangakkara has the challenge of bringing
out the best from the young-looking team.
Bowling remains their strength despite the withdrawal of fast bowler
Ishant Sharma due to ankle injury. South African pacer Dale Steyn will
be the one to look out for.
Leg-spinner Amit Mishra will hope to carry on his good form of 2011.
Australia's Daniel Christian and Cameron White are the all-round
options. Chargers came sixth in 2011.
Kings XI Punjab: Captain and coach Adam Gilchrist will have the task
of making the best use of the limited resources.
The team does not boast of many big names. Australians David Hussey
and Shaun Marsh are the prominent names in batting. Praveen Kumar, Ryan
Harris and Piyush Chawla will have to do the job with the ball.
Chennai Super Kings will be aiming a hat-trick of titles in IPL
2012 |
Rajasthan Royals: It was Shane Warne who masterminded Rajasthan
Royals title triumph in the inaugural edition, against all odds and
expectations. But the team has failed to replicate that success. The
guidance of Shane Warne would be missed this time around, but the
cerebral Rahul Dravid will take over the reins as the captain, coach and
mentor of the side.
Rahul Dravid, Shane Watson, Shaun Tait, Sreesanth will play a key
role in team’s success in the IPL 5.
Delhi Daredevils: Things can only better for the side, which finished
last in 2011. The Virender Sehwag-led unit is stronger with the
inclusion of batting stars in Sri Lankan skipper Mahela Jayawardene,
Englishman Kevin Pietersen and Ross Taylor from New Zealand. Sehwag's
opening partner David Warner, who is on national duty in the Windies,
will only be available at the end of the month. The bowling will be led
by Umesh Yadav, Varun Aaron and Irfan Pathan. The main concern for Delhi
lies in the spin area.
Pune Warriors: They will be determined to make a mark after having
been in the news for off-field reasons, which at one point saw them
pulling out of the tournament.
Australia captain Michael Clarke has been brought in as a replacement
for Yuvraj Singh. Bangladesh opener Tamim Iqbal was signed recently.
Sourav Ganguly will lead a batting line-up that has Robin Uthappa,
Manish Pandey, Jesse Ryder (New Zealand) and Angelo Matthews (Sri
Lanka).
Bowling looks balanced with multiple spin and pace options. Leggie
Rahul Sharma will be expected to deliver the goods again along with
other experienced spinner Murali Karthik.
Ashish Nehra is also in the squad but has fitness issues to deal
with. Pune finished ninth in 2011.
www.cricketcountry.com
Sri Lankan cricketers at IPL 2012
Chennai Super Kings: Suraj
Randiv
Nuwan Kulasekara
Deccan Chargers: Kumar
Sangakkara
Delhi Daredevils: Mahela
Jayawardene
Mumbai Indians: Lasith
Malinga
Thisara Perera
Royal Challengers Bangalore:
T Dilshan
Muttiah Muralitharan
Pune Warriers: Angelo
Mathews
Rajasthan Royals: Dinesh
Chandimal |