After all the political dramas, the player auctions, the surprise selections, and the surprise exclusions – whether for political reasons or business ones – it’s finally time to play. Eight teams line up against each other for what is fast becoming the most coveted prize in world cricket after the world cup. Big money, a chance to showcase your skills against the best in the world, and a chance to catch the attention of the entire cricketing world; what else would a cricketer want? The IPL season 3 starts on March 12th, and before the teams line up to face each other, let’s have a look at them.
In the first part of these reviews, we will start off with Deccan Chargers, the champions of the last season. After disappointing their fans in the first season by finishing last – despite having some of the biggest T20 heavyweights – they came back strongly in the last season to win the trophy.
Batting
Any batting lineup consisting of Gibbs and Gilchrist at the top is bound to be intimidating. Add Symonds, Rohit Sharma, and Dwayne Smith to that and you have got a power packed batting lineup capable of tearing apart and bowling attack on its day. They have a decent supporting cast in the form of T Suman, Venugopal Rao, and the much acclaimed Mitchell Marsh. The big problem for DC is going to be the selection of the non-Indian batsmen. If they were to pick the above mentioned international biggies, then it means that they will have to leave out Ryan Harris, who’s in red hot form following the series against Pakistan and Kemar Roach, who has been their big catch this season. Another big problem for DC is that none of their top batsmen are active in international cricket. Rohit Sharma has been out of the Indian side for a while now, though he showed glimpses of his talent in the last one-dayer against South Africa recently. Gilchrist has not played competitive cricket since IPL 2. Symonds has been playing domestic cricket in Australia, but recent reports suggest that he is not in the best shape of his life. He has been getting out a lot playing the pull shot and getting late onto it; and this is one shot that he plays excellently. Gibbs is still playing for the South Africans but his form, as usual, is patchy. Whether he shoulders the responsibility of anchoring the Chargers’ innings the way he did in IPL 2 remains to be seen. Seeing that they cannot afford to play more than two international batsmen in the top order, the onus is likely to fall upon Rao and Suman to play a steady hand in the middle order and support the big hitters. They have got a lot of youngsters in their side and we might see them in action in the late stages of the tournament provided DC makes it to the semis easily.
Bowling
If the Chargers’ batting is dominated by foreign recruits, their bowling is led by two young Indians. RP Singh won the Purple cap last season for being the highest wicket-taker. And while he may not have cemented his position in the Indian side, he still remains an important cog in the Chargers’ machinery. The other Indian who will be vital in their plans is Pragyan Ojha. Forced to wait his turn because if the Indian selectors’ preference for Amit Mishra, he has nevertheless done well in limited overs cricket whenever he has got a chance. He’s shown good control of his line and length. Even though he may not have a lot of variety in his bowling, but he varies his length, pace, and flight very well, and has a great temperament. But the star of the bowling lineup will no doubt be Kemar Roach. The 21-year old has impressed one and all with his sheer pace, and the IPL will be the most perfect stage for him to display his talents. With RP’s sharp deliveries and Roach’s pace, the Chargers have a good chance of making early inroads into the opposition batting. Gilchrist also has the option of playing Ryan Harris in place of Roach. Harris has had great start to his career and he must be hoping to cash in on his rich vein of form. These pacers, and Ojha will be well supported by Harmeet Singh, who had a fantastic semi-final and final last year, Dwayne Smith (provided he gets a chance), and the useful spin of Venugopal Rao and Rohit Sharma (who had a hat-trick last season). The one man everyone is forgetting amidst all the hoopla is Chaminda Vaas. He may not feature in the Sri Lankan side anymore, but the wily left-armer has enough experience up his sleeve to trouble the best of batsman. But going by the current team composition, the chances of him getting a game are very slim indeed. But yes, Gilchrist may not regret trying him out for a couple of games.
Fielding
Any side having Andrew Symonds, Rohit Sharma, and Herschelle Gibbs manning the infield can hope to save atleast 10 runs. And that is a huge amount in T20 cricket. Gilchrist may have aged, but given the professional that he is, you can expect him to turn out in fine shape. And given the fact that the team is mostly comprised of youngsters, you can easily expect the fielding to be good. Besides that I hardly need to stress the importance of having a good fielding side.
Final verdict
Given the fact that Deccan Chargers will have most of their players playing the whole season, we can expect them to go about the defense of their title vigorously. Apart from Ryan Harris, there is no active Australian player in their side, which is an advantage in a way because they won’t have to make many adjustments once the Australians come to the IPL. They may miss Shahid Afridi, but if Symonds strikes form then he may prove to be a bigger match winner than Afridi. The Telangana controversy has ensured that the focus stays away from cricket. But come March 12, they will have to focus back on the job in hand. They will have to plan well for the stronger teams in the tournament and execute the plans efficiently.
All said and done, one just gets the feeling that the most important factor – the one that may make a difference between victory and defeat – is going to be Adam Gilchrist. If he can capture the form that made him one of the most devastating batsman of his generation, then DC should be able to stroll to the semis. And we all know Gilchrist’s appetite for the big games. His fans must surely be hoping that he turns back the golden years.
Deccan Chargers squad
| Adam Gilchrist (WK/C) | RP Singh | Arjun Yadav |
| Herschelle Gibbs | Kemar Roach | Azhar Bilakhia |
| VVS Laxman | Harmeet Singh | Anirudh Singh |
| Andrew Symonds | Ryan Harris | Rahul Sharma |
| T Suman | Chaminda Vaas | Mohnish Mishra |
| Rohit Sharma | Dwarka Ravi Teja | Dwyane Smith |
| Venugopal Rao | Bodapati Sumanth | Mitchell Marsh |
| Pragyan Ojha | A Ashish Reddy | |
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