How they stack up

Captain: Shane Warne

the defending champions

The story of the inaugural edition was the story of Rajasthan Royals. They were frugal at the auction,picked up Shane Warne at a bargain and,after one massive loss to start the campaign,got their act together in some style. Warne got the best out of some relatively unknown players remember Swapnil Asnodkar? as the team that no one gave a chance went all the way.

Squad details

Key Players: Shane Warne,Graeme Smith,Yusuf Pathan,Swapnil Asnodkar,Ravindra Jadeja.

Watch out for: Tyron Henderson,Shaun Tait and Kamran Tornado Khan.

Strengths: In Shane Warne,the Royals have the best captain Australia never had and probably one of the best coaches too. They also have the right combination of experience Graeme Smith and youth Jadeja and Asnodkar. The big-hitting duo of Henderson and Yusuf Pathan can rip apart any bowling attack.

Weaknesses: There will be no Sohail Tanvir,the best bowler in last edition. Another key performer all-rounder Shane Watson,who was adjudged Player of the Tournament in 2008,will also be missing the first nine matches. Moreover,unlike 2008,the Royals will have the burden of expectations to deal with.

What they say: The younger Indian guys in our squad are finding SA a bit of a culture shock. Shane Warne,captain and coach

Bangalore

2008 I Played 14 I Won 4 I Lost 10 I Pos 7

Captain: Kevin Pietersen/ Jacques Kallis

Squad details

Key Players: Kevin Pietersen,Robin Uthappa,Mark Boucher,Dale Steyn,Nathan Bracken.

Watch out for: Roelof van der Merwe,Jesse Ryder,Dillon du Preez,Virat Kohli,Kedar Jadhav.

Strengths: The team,referred to as a Test XI during the inaugural edition,should be able to score at T20 pace with the influx of big-hitters such as Pietersen,Ryder,Van der Merwe and Uthappa. The new-ball combination of Steyn and Bracken looks good.

Weaknesses: Despite the presence of fast scorers at the top,the middle-order could end up letting the team down. Theres a lack of spinning options and there are too many slow movers on the field. Pietersen available only for two weeks.

What they say: With players such as Pietersen,Uthappa and Ryder in the squad,no one calls it a Test team anymore. Vijay Mallya,team owner

Mohali

2008 I Played 15 I Won 10 I Lost 5 I Pos S/F

Captain: Yuvraj Singh

Squad details

Key Players: Yuvraj Singh,Kumar Sangakkara,Mahela Jayawardene,Irfan Pathan.

Watch out for: Yusuf Abdulla,Ravi Bopara.

Strengths: Their biggest strength is too easy to predict: Yuvraj Singh. The left-handed batsman has been in the form of his life for the last couple of years and would be keen to make amends to his insipid showing in the first edition. Left-arm seamer Irfan Pathan might not be doing well in the ODIs and Tests of late,but often delivers in Twenty20. Tom Moodys role will be crucial.

Weaknesses: The highest run-getter in IPL 1,Shaun Marsh will be on national duty until May 3. Without the injured Brett Lee and Sreesanth,the bowling looks depleted.

What they say: Our bowling is definitely an issue. We hope Lee recovers soon. Ness Wadia

Mumbai

2008 I Played 14 I Won 7 I Lost 7 I Pos 5

Captain: Sachin Tendulkar

Squad details

Key Players: Sachin Tendulkar,Sanath Jayasuriya,Jean-Paul Duminy,Harbhajan Singh,Zaheer Khan.

Watch out for: Graham Napier,Ryan McLaren,Dwayne Bravo,Ajinkya Rahane,Dhawal Kulkarni.

Strengths: The opening combination of Tendulkar and Jayasuriya; a destructive middle-order,which includes the likes of Shikhar Dhawan,Luke Ronchi,Abhishek Nayar and Jean-Paul Duminy; a good bowling attack,with Zaheer and Harbhajan leading the pack; and some good all-rounders.

Weaknesses: The destructive middle-order is also young and inexperienced. Apart from Zaheer,the pace attack Malinga,Fernando and Kyle Mills is unpredictable and known to be wayward.

What they say: Its a nice combination of senior players and youngsters. Well be looking forward to performing well. Sachin Tendulkar,captain

Delhi

2008 I Played 15 I Won 7 I Lost 7 I Pos S/F

Captain: Virender Sehwag

Squad details

Key Players: Virender Sehwag,Gautam Gambhir,AB de Villiers,Glenn McGrath,Daniel Vettori.

Watch out for: David Warner,Owais Shah.

Strengths: With the likes of Sehwag and Gambhir in roaring form,the Delhi top-order is easily the most formidable in the league. Despite being 39 and not having played since last year,Glenn McGrath cant be written off and can be all the more effective on South African conditions. Daniel Vettoris left-arm spin should add bite to the attack.

Weaknesses: As IPL 1 showed,the Delhi teams batting tends to rely heavily on Sehwag and Gambhir. Moreover,the Daredevils will need to put on a more consistent show if they aim to do better in the second edition.

What they say: We walk into the IPL with the most balanced combination. TA Sekar,manager

Chennai

2008 I Played 16 I Won 9 I Lost 7 I Pos 2

Captain: Mahendra Singh Dhoni

Squad details

Key Players: MS Dhoni,Andrew Flintoff,Matthew Hayden,Makhaya Ntini,Albie Morkel.

Watch out for: Suresh Raina,Murali Vijay,Arun Karthik,George Bailey,Lakshmipathy Balaji.

Strengths: For starters,they have Dhoni at the helm. An attacking top-order,with Matthew Hayden,Suresh Raina and George Bailey leading the charge. The South African duo of Makhaya Ntini and Albie Morkel will be crucial on their home turf.

Weaknesses: The uncertainty around the duration of Flintoffs stay and the batting form of the retired Matthew Hayden could be a worry. The bowling attack looks weak,with no real threats apart from Ntini and Muralitharan.

What they say: We have a fair number of South Africans in our team. Their inputs and feedback will prove to be invaluable. Stephen Fleming,coach

Kolkata

2008 I Played 14 I Won 6 I Lost 7 I Pos 6

Captain: Brendon McCullum

Squad details

Key Players: Brendon McCullum,Chris Gayle,Ishant Sharma,Sourav Ganguly.

Watch out for: Mashrafe Mortaza,Ajantha Mendis.

Strengths: The explosive Brendon McCullum will be available for the entire tournament. West Indian Chris Gayle will also be playing for about two weeks. Ishant Sharma failed to make much of an impact last year,but would be itching to bowl on the bouncy South African pitches.

Weaknesses: The Knight Riders will miss the services of Umar Gul as well as Shoaib Akhtar. The controversy over captaincy,and Gangulys last-minute removal from the post,might well distract the squad.

What they say: I dont know about the cricket…but we are the coolest-looking team.

Shah Rukh Khan,team owner

Hyderabad

2008 I Played 14 I Won 2 I Lost 12 I Pos 8

Captain: Adam Gilchrist

everything went wrong

Armed with a star-studded squad,which included some of the biggest names in the sport,the Deccan Chargers were touted to be champions much before the inaugural edition kicked off. But the VVS Laxman-led outfit faltered right from the start,managed only two wins out of 14,and finished right at the bottom. There hasnt been a major overhaul but new coach Darren Lehmann has promised an improved performance.

Squad details

Key Players: Adam Gilchrist,Herschelle Gibbs,Andrew Symonds,Rohit Sharma,RP Singh.

Watch out for: Fidel Edwards,Ryan Harris,Pragyan Ojha,Chamara Silva,Halhadar Das.

Strengths: They have attacking stroke-makers,who can score at rapid rates,spread throughout the order right from Gilchrist at the top to Dwayne Smith lower down. The presence of match-winners in Gibbs and Symonds makes this team worth watching.

Weaknesses: As the last edition proved,the batting looked good only on paper. They also have one of the weakest bowling line-ups in the competition,with no real firepower. Pragyan Ojha is the only recognised spinner in an attack dominated by medium-pacers.

What they say: The Chargers will be a completely different team this season with their focus on explosive batting and excellent fielding.I am sure we are going to be one of the strongest sides this year. Darren Lehmann,coach