Shilpa Shetty and Raj Kundra have invested as much as $15.4 million in Rajasthan Royals. The decision has come about as a recognition of Rajasthan Roytals success in last year’s IPL tourney. A purely strategic business investment, as Shilpa calls it, the pocketing of the team by the Bollywood actor will now back the team which is skippered by none other than Australian spin star Shane Warne. The Rajasthan Royals IPL team also boasts of the likes of cricketing superstars South African skipper Graeme Smith and Aussie all-rounder Shane Watson in its line up.

Shilpa Shetty’s decision is said to have been inspired by her fascination to a team which were seen as underdogs last year but later on emerged as superstar winners of the inaugural event. According to Shilpa, she relates to Rajasthan Royals considering that the story of the team is akin to her own story. The actor also said that Shetty she would be involved in the promotional activities of the cricket team this year. A music video is also on the anvil, if the grapevine is to be believed.

Meanwhile, the 2009 IPL season is picking up with reports suggesting that as many as 112 overseas players would be participating in the auction. However, only a maximum of two additional players, besides those foreign players who were brought on board last year, per franchisee, which would result in 16 players in all, are expected to be picked up out of the total 112 players available, said a media report.

Chennai Super Kings will be the biggest losers as their top stars Matthew Hayden and Michael Hussey will depart on April 29.

The already battered Kings XI Punjab will not have the services of fast bowler Brett Lee and Simon Katich, while another struggling team, Deccan Chargers, would have to bid adieu to Andrew Symonds.
Kolkata Knight Riders would loose Ricky Ponting.

The players are leaving to take part in a team training programme ahead of the Carribean tour.
New Zealand stars Jacob Oram would also leave the Chennai Super Kings camp early next month, to be followed by his team mates Daniel Vettori (Delhi Daredevils), and big hitter Brendan McCullum (Kolkata Knight Riders)

With these departures there would be a perceived changes in the fortunes of the teams. South African big hitter Herschelle Gibbs would join the Deccan Chargers, while his skipper Graeme Smith will strengthen the ranks of the resurgent Rajasthan Royals.

Shane Warne will also have the services of Pakistan’s Younis Khan and Sohail Tanvir.

Chennai Superkings can take consolation from the fact that their bowling department will be strengthened with the arrival of Makaya Ntini this week.

Albie Morkel is also slated to join the Chennai Superkings. Will these changes affect the fortunes of the team? Only time will tell.

Shane Warne told reporters after his team Rajasthan Royals’ comeback win against Kings XI Punjab that with the talent that these youngsters posses, they are poised to be superstars in future.

Ravindra Jadeja and Shane Watson put on a 69-run partnership in which the former scored 36 in 25 balls against an attack boasting of Brett Lee, Irfan Pathan, James Hopes and S Sreesanth. Shane Warne also put his stakes behind spinner Dinesh Salunkhe, who was hit for 20 runs but claimed Sri Lankan skipper Mahela Jayawadene. Ravindra Jadeja’s valiant effort came in for praise from Shane Watson too for his fearless hitting of Brett Lee.

Shane Warne’s Rajasthan Royals is not in any great shape either, despite their victory against Kings XI Punjab – but they seem to be getting better alright.

A 9-wicket mauling by Virender Sehwag-led Delhi Daredevils at home ground has raised serious concerns about the cohesiveness of VVS Laxman’s talented bunch, after an initial rap in a shocker of pitch in Eden Gardens by Kolkata Knight Riders.

Nothing has worked so far for the famed Deccan Chargers, who were touted as the most formidable side by bookies, who would have surely changed the odds.

In fact odds are changing fast as the tournament progresses. Chennai Super Kings now emerges as top contenders along with Kolkata Knight Riders, with Delhi Daredevils, Bangalore Royal Challengers and Rajasthan Royals inching forward and Kings XI and Deccan Chargers slipping.

Mumbai Indians would be rated on the basis of their performance against Chennai Super Kings on Wednesday.

Adam Gilchrist, Andrew Symonds, Venugopala Rao, VVS Laxman and big hitter Shahid Afridi were all failures so far for Deccan Chargers.

There were much expectations about the Aussies in particular in Deccan Chargers, with Andrew Symonds fetching the second highest bid of $1.35 million by the hyderabad franchise. Symonds went for 30 runs in an over in a Sehwag rampage and failed with the bat too. All of Adam Gilchrist’s experience did not help the Chargers either in their match against Delhi.

There was no devil in the Rajiv Gandhi stadium as Delhi Darevils captain Sehwag showed and hence Deccan Chargers have no one else to blame than their batting maestros for their abject failure to put up a big score.

While this may not necessarily be a verdict on the team, it requires tremendous grit to come back as a team, which the Deccan Chargers are capable of. Have the defeats affected the Hyderabad team for the worse, or do the battle-scarred veterans pull up their socks in the Deccan Chargers vs Rajasthan Royals match, we will know soon enough.

Shahid Afridi can be pardoned for the match against Delhi Daredevils was his first match, but the burden of expectations would weigh against him as Deccan Chargers take on Rajasthan Royals led by wizard of spin Shane Warne.

There are no demons in the Hyderabad wicket but Shane Warne can turn the ball and do all the tricks in any surface.

Deccan Chargers would have to earmark someone to have a go at him and turn his attention from the field to his own bowling and unsettle Rajasthan Royals. That is easier said than done, but Shahid Afridi might relish taking up that mammoth challenge.

Big hitting Aussie Shane Watson forced bookies to rewrite their priorities after an initial set back as he anchored an brilliant win for his team against the fancied Kings XI Punjab at Sawai Mansingh Stadium the other day.

Skipper Shane Warne would expect a repeat effort, but India discard Mohammad Kaif also has to fire for his team.

Afridi’s Pak team mate Kamran Akmal, now playing for Rajasthan Royals,  announced his intentions in his first match but needs to carry on and bring in some unorthodox shots to unsettle the Deccan Chargers.

Yusuf Pathan is another Rajasthan Royals batsman who has lived dangerously, but building partnerships also is vital in some match scenarios even if that means your strike rate dips. Playing all the 20 overs is vital as VVS Laxman himself admitted after the encounter with Kolkata Knight Riders.

Despite the scars of two successive defeats, Deccan Chargers are the better team in this tussle. Only that they have to bury their past shame, draw upon their collective experience and hit Rajasthan Royals hard. Deccan Chargers are still considered favourites purely on the merit of the treasure trove of talent on their ranks. Only that they have to fire.

Deccan Chargers Team
VVS Laxman, Andrew Symonds, RP Singh, Rohit Sharma, Adam Gilchrist, Shahid Afridi, Herschelle Gibbs, Chaminda Vaas, Scott Styris
Chamara Silva.
Rajasthan Royals Team
Mohammad Kaif,Yusuf Pathan,Shane Warne,Munaf Patel,Younis Khan, Justin Langer, Kamran Akmal, Shane Watson, Sohail Tanvir, Morne Morkel, Graeme Smith.

Shane Watson smashed a blistering unbeaten 76 to steer an inexperienced Rajasthan Royals to a six-wicket victory over a star-studded Kings XI Punjab in their Indian Premier League match at Sawai Man Singh stadium here on Monday night. More…

Watson stars in Jaipur’s Royal victory

A magnificent unconquered 76 by Shane Watson steered the Rajasthan Royals to a six-wicket win over the King’s XI, Punjab in the sixth match of the inaugural IPL tournament at the Sawai Man Singh stadium here on Monday. More…

Watson stars in Rajasthan Royals’ win

A belligerent 76 not out by Shane Watson helped Rajasthan Royals score their first win in the Indian Premier League match in Jaipur on Monday night. More…

Scorecard

Shane Warne said its a real shame that the English players are absent from the DLF IPL, which allows players to make good money and to develop their talents under the training of their greatly talented counterparts from all across the world.

Shane Warne Warne said, “It is a real shame that players like Kevin Pietersen and Andrew Flintoff are not in the IPL.” Warne also said the decision by the ECB to ban players from participating in the DLF IPL was short-sighted and ridiculous.

Several English players have already expressed their interest to play in the IPL. Kevin Pietersen is just one among them. “It is a ridiculous decision… ECB is stopping the players from joining IPL. It is a shame on the part of ECB that their players are missing from such a big tournament,” Warne said.

It is  said that ECB fears that the Indian IPL could hit hard its own domestic tournaments and thus take the shine away from the county matches to the glitzy Indian IPL matches.

After seeing several players expressing interest in participating in the DLF IPL and smelling a revolt, the ECB has softened its stand and has now allowed the players to take part in the 2010 edition of the DLF IPL.

Warne said, “ICC should show some common sense and open a six-week window for the IPL in its international tour schedule. That would make the job easier for the cricket boards of various countries.”

Shane Warne, the captain and coach of Rajasthan Royals, will face off with Kings X1 Punjab, being led by stylish Indian batsman Yuvraj Singh.

Delhi Daredevils led by Virender Sehwag takes on Rajasthan Royals led by Shane Warne in DLF IPL on Saturday at New Delhi. Virender Sehwag’s fine form with the bat is what Delhi Daredevils count most apart from the perceived advantage of the home turf at Feroz Shah Kotla. Delhi Daredevils suffered a setback due to the unavailability of Pakistan’s Mohammad Asif and Shoaib Malik, due to their international assignments and hence Sehwag would be under tremendous pressure to cut loose. In form opener Gautam Gambhir would also have to make his willow do the talking and giver his skipper Virender Sehwag able assistance. In the bowling department, Sehwag can afford to relax. Aussie Glen McGrath and Daniel Vettori are the best bets in any form of the game. Vettori’s intelligent spin would not be an easy proposition to any batsmen. McGrath on the other hand is known for his nagging accuracy.
Captain and Coach Shane Warne leads the Rajasthan Royal Challengers charge against Delhi Daredevils. But Rajasthan Royal Challengers are also missingsome key players – South African captain Graeme Smith and his team mate Morkel as well as Pakistan’s Younis Khan.
But Shane Warne is hoping that all rounder Shane Watson will fire from all cylinders. Shane Watson is known to be a big hitter. Mohammad Kaif gets a chance to prove his skills with the bat and on the field for Rajasthan Royals.
Bookies give Delhi Daredevils a slight advantage but one explosive innings can swing the match as Brendon McCullum showed in Bangalore the other day.
Teams
Delhi Daredevils
Virender Sehwag, Gautam Gambhir, Bret Geeves , Glen McGrath, Shoaib Malik, Daniel Vettori, AB de Villers, Farveez Maharoof, Tilakaratne Dilshan, Mohammed Asif, Manoj Tiwari, Dinesh Karthik, Mithun Manhas, Pradeep Sangwan, Shikhar Dhawan, Yo Mahesh, Amit Mishra, Mayank Tehlan, Rajan Bhatia.

Rajasthan Royals
Shane Warne, Graeme Smith, Younis Khan, Shane Watson, Sohail Tanvir, Kamran Akmal, M Morkel, Justin Langer, Mohammad Kaif, Yusuf Pathan, Munaf Patel, Pankaj Singh, Mahesh Rawat, Sidharth Trivedi, Taruwar Kohli, R JadeJA, Niraj Patel, Swapnil Asnodkar, Anup Revandkar, D Salunkhe, Sumeet Khatri, Aditya Angle, Jaydev Shah, Parag More.

The sponsorship of Bajaj Allianz has increased the number of fans of Rajasthan Royals. With the slogan “Halla Bol” more than 300,000 Super Agents and over 25,000 employees in over 1000 offices across 900+ towns all over India have joined as die hard fans to to cheer for their team.

To build team spirit & motivation of the T20 tournament for the coming financial year, Bajaj Allianz has begun its own internal program across 1000+ offices.

Rajasthan Royals is a mix of youth, experience and emerging talent which will provide strong competition and great enjoyment to the cricket fans, said Kamesh Goyal, Regional CEO Allianz & CEO Bajaj Allianz Life Insurance.

When the IPL starts on April 18, 1000+ offices of Bajaj Allianz will become ‘Fan Stations’ as they go about cheering and building support for the team.

Described by many as the worst team on paper, Delhi Daredevils seems to have an advantage over Rajasthan Royals with a great fielding side and more pinchhitters.

Delhi Daredevils

The Delhi Daredevils is a mixed bag team of youth and experience. They have the flashy Virender Sehwag and Gautam Gambhir, who were bagged for $833,750 and $725,000, respectively. Both are good Twenty20 players.

The Delhi Daredevils can also boast of South African AB De Villiers who is in great nick right now, New Zealand Captain Daniel Vettori, and Sri Lankan Tilakratne Dilshan. Daniel Vettori seems to be having a great time in the warm climes of Delhi, considering the toungue in cheek ad spots he has been figuring in on TV in Delhi.

The Delhi team also has youngsters like Rajat Bhatia, Shikhar Dhawan, Mithun Manhas and Mayank Tehlan, Pradeep Sangwan, and Yo Mahesh. All have done exceptionally well in the domestic season recently.

The batting line-up looks well balanced with hitters like Virender Sehwag (Twenty 20 strike rate of 133.6), Gautam Gambhir (Twenty20 strike rate of 129.71), and Del Villiers (Twenty20 strike rate: 103.7), and consistent players like Shoaib Malik Twenty 20 strike rate of 123.01), and Dilshan (Twenty 20 strike rate of 102.94). The line-up is backed up by Dinesh Kartik, Rajat Bhatia, Manhas and Tehlan.

Batsman Rajat Bhatia was instrumental in securing Delhi’s Ranji Trophy win after 16 years.

The bowling line-up looks good with Glen McGrath, Australian ex-strike bowler, who was man-of-the-series in the last World Cup, spinner Daniel Vettori, Mohammad Asif, and Maharoof. Left-arm pacer Pradeep Sangwan was the star of the Under-19 World Cup that India won.

Best Feature: The Daredevils have a superb fielding outfit, with brilliant fielders like Villiers and Dilshan, supported by six very athletic youngsters.

Key Players: Virender Sehwag, Glenn McGrath, and AB De Villiers

Disadvantage: A shaky bowling attack with Asif and Maharoof battling with injuries while Vettori is off to join the New Zeland team’s tour to England.

Rajasthan Royals

The Rajasthan Royals biggest ace-in-the-pack is captain-coach Shane Warne. Considered the finest leg-spinner in the world, Warne is the only non-Indian captain in the DLF IPL tournament. The other big draw is Shane Warne’s archrival Graeme Smith, captain of the South Africa team.

Graeme Smith has a fantastic record with the bat. He has played 115 ODIs and has a strike rate of 82.62. In International Twenty20s, Smith has played 10 matches and has a strike rate of 132.71.

The Rajasthan Royals also have pinchhitter Dmitri Mascarenhas, who has an ODI  strike rate of 116.67 and an International Twenty20 strike rate of 105.41. He is famous for hitting five consecutive sixes off the final five balls of an innings against India in 2007. Mascarenhas is pretty much the Rajasthan Royals trump card.

The Rajasthan Royals also have Mohammad Kaif, Kamran Akmal (Twenty 20 strike rate of 116.92), Sohail Tanvir and Younus Khan (Twenty 20 strike rate of 118.92).

The other players in the squad are Yusuf Pathan, Niraj Patel, Siddharth Trivedi, Ravindra Jadeja, Swapnil Asnodkar, Taruwar Kohli, Jaydev Shah, Sumeet Khatri, Parag More, Mahesh Rawat, Pankaj Singh and Dinesh Salunkhe.

Key Player: Dmitri Mascarenhas

Disadvantage : Graeme Smith will miss the first two matches in the IPL tournament and will be replaced by former Australian batsman Darren Lehman. Smith will be back on April 24, 2008.

Shane Warne
Graeme Smith
Younis Khan
Shane Watson
D. Mascarenhas
Sohail Tanvir
Kamran Akmal
Morne Morkel
Justin Langer
Mohammad Kaif
Yusuf Pathan
Munaf Patel
Pankaj Singh
Mahesh Rawat
Siddharth Trivedi
Taruwar Kohli
Ravindra Jadeja
Niraj Patel
Swapnil Asnodkar
Anup Revandkar
Sumeet Khatri
Dinesh Salunkhe
Jaydev Shah
Aditya Angle
Parag More

Head Coach – Shane Warne
Performance Coach – Jeremy Snape
Physiotherapist – John Gloster

The first match of the Rajasthan Royals team will be against the Delhi Daredevils in New Delhi on 19 April 2008. The second match would be at Jaipur, homeground of the team against Kings XI Punjab on 21 April.

Mohammed Kaif, who has not been having a great time at all in his career is the most well known among the Indian players. The other Indian players are Yusuf Pathan who played for India in the Twenty20 World Cup, as well as Munaf Patel.