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.

The speculation over captaincy was triggered after Shaun Pollock addressed the media. Shaun Pollock said the physio would take a decision on whether Sachin Tendulkar plays or not. Tendulkar’s absence was a big disappointment to Mumbai fans, and things look bad for them still.

Pollock also said the presence of all rounders was the strength of the Mumbai Indians, but added the presence of a number of left handers in the Chennai Super Kings team makes it a difficult proposition to bowl to them.

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.

Sachin Tendulkar is unlikely to play in Mumbai Indians’ clash against Chennai Super Kings on Wednesday, giving a slight edge to the host team. There are rumours that in the match of Mumbai Indians vs Chennai Super Kings captained by Dhoni, Shaun Pollock may lead the side instead of Harbhajan Singh.

For Mumbai Indians also there is some good news as West Indian al rounder Dwayne Bravo has joined the team. Dwayne Bravo will replace Dominic Thornley, who was hit by a Zaheer Khan delivery.

It also seems, Mumbai Indians may replace Pinal Shah with Under-19 sensation Saurabh Tiwary, but a final word is not out.

The pitch at the Chennai venue promises to have a truckload of runs.

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.

Sidhu said, “Shah Rukh Khan’s Kolkata Knight Riders and the Chennai Super Kings team are the strongest if we compare the players on the paper. But I will put my money on the Mohali team to hold the championship trophy as I am a Punjabi.”

DLF IPL has taken the world by storm and is good for the betterment of players, Sidhu said. He also said that the premier league in India will change the face of world cricket.

“No one would have imagined that so many runs could be scored in a 40 over game. Nowadays, nobody wants to sit and watch cricket for five days. Mr Pawar is like (Formula One driver Michael) Schumacher who has taken the cricket in a fast lane,” Sidhu said.

When asked about the Indian Cricket League (ICL), Sidhu said ICL has been ruined completely. But Sidhu also had a word of caution for the Twenty20 format. He said that as time progresses, viewers could well lose interest in the game.

Considering the matches so far, I guess we can agree with Siddhu here. Kolkata Knight Riders definitely looked strong on the field too, not just on paper. And they seem to be the team that has gelled well - despite the presence of such rivals as Ricky Ponting and Sourav Ganguly in the same team.

Chennai Super Kings had a brilliant game - but they have had only one, and they meet Mumbai Indians who has already lost once against a pretty shoddy Bangalore Royal Challengers.

Chennai Super Kings captain Mahendra Singh Dhoni has said that its too early to predict which team would win the DLF IPL tournament. According to Dhoni, the team that gels well early would win the series.

MS Dhoni said, “The teams have played just one or two matches. You cannot make any assessment on this basis. There are lots of matches left. There will be ups and downs. The team which gels well throughout will be the winner.”

Dhoni has a point there. So far, the teams which looked like they were playing as a unit have won. Rajasthan Royals, Deccan Chargers have looked haphazard so far, despite the presence of some experienced players.

Chennai Super Kings vs Mumbai Indians

The main problem that worries Mumbai Indians is the fitness of their captain Sachin Tendulkar. He missed the team’s first match against Bangalore Royal Challengers because a groin injury. It is not known till now whether Sachin would be able to play in tomorrow’s game against the Chennai Superkings. Harbhajan Singh had captained Mumbai Indians in the absence of Sachin.

If Sachin Tendulkar is absent, then it would be Harbhajan Singh who would be leading the side just like the last game. All eyes would be on the ongoing rivalry between Matthew Hayden, the Chennai Super Kings batsman, and Harbhajan Singh, the Mumbai Indians spinner. Well, it is not as bad as the rivalry between Harbhajan SIngh and Andrew Symonds for sure.

According to Dhoni, the start of DLF IPL has been just perfect. “The start has been great, Brendan McCullum’s batting has been a solid one. Fans also got what they wanted. They saw some huge sixes, dance by cheerleaders, teams piling up huge scores and bowlers taking wickets. It provided excitement for the fans.”

The Chennai Super Kings captain also rubbished the possibility of him opening the innings in tomorrow’s match. On the other hand, if Sachin Tendulkar is available for play tomorrow, we may get to see tendulkar opening with Sanath Jayasuriya - that would be an explosive combination.

Matthew Hayden is now playing in the The Chennai Super Kings IPL team, under Indian captain MS Dhoni is is captaining th Chennai side.

The veteran batsman said IPL was the start of an incredible journey and the initial matches of the DLF IPL tournament has set very high standards for the rest of the tournament.

DLF IPL has so far seen some high scoring matches, except the one match that was played at Kolkata’s Eden gardens between the Kolkata Knight Riders and Hyderabad Deccan Chargers.

Chennai Super Kings in its inaugural match defeated the Kings X1 Punjab, captained by Yuvraj Singh, for 33 runs.

Matthew Hayden, who was involved in some ugly on-field chats with Indian spinner harbhajan Singh during India’s tour down-under, said he always maintained a “soft corner for India”.  “I first visited Chennai in 1997 with the A team. Walking out to bat, I looked around at this stadium and dreamt of the day I will play for the Australian team. I have always had a soft corner for India and now, playing for Chennai Super Kings, my life has come a full circle as this city will be my base during the IPL.’

When asked about his bitter rival Harbhajan Singh and their ongoing rivalry, hayden said, “We have had a few fantastic battles in Australia, and now I am looking forward to renewing my rivalry with Harbhajan.’

Matthew Hayden described Mahendra Singh Dhoni, the captain of Chennai Superkings, as a fine thinker and a confident individual.

The claim was made by the Siddiqui family and said that the marriage with his daughter Aisha took place in 2002.

After the allegation erupted, Shoaib said that he never married an Indian Muslim girl. He also later accused the family of trying to cheat him by showing a fake photo of another girl.

Shoaib Malik is in Hyderabad now to play for the DLF IPL. Delhi Daredevils, the Delhi franchisee of the DLF IPL, had bought him at the IPL player auction two months back.

But it seems that the Pakistan skipper is not showing any nerves. Before leaving for India, Malik said, “If you know there are two legal notices with the Siddiqui family that I have sent them to retract their claims and apologise for trying to defame me, and they have kept quiet on the notices.”

Malik continued, “If I had anything to hide or was afraid, I would not go to Hyderabad for the IPL game.”

Delhi Daredevils will face Hyderabad Chargers at Hyderabad today. Since Delhi already boasts of eight foreign players in the side, the presence of Shaaib Malik making an appearancce in the team is doubtful and is in the hands of Daredevils captain Virender Sehwag.

Malik said, “We are professional cricketers and we have a playing life span of around 12 to 15 years. So we have to remain committed and perform to the best of our abilities. For me, the IPL is as important being a professional as playing for Pakistan.”

They are now watching the Indian Premier League and England’s answer to it for clues as to whether a franchised competition would work in Australia.

There are enough hints that the Cricket Board in Australia would come out with a number of Twenty20 internationals in the next summer. Cricket Australia general manager, Michael Brown, said that a franchise system would be considered in Australia if it could help attract new fans to the game.

The new plan by the Board will be incorporated in the remodeled program for 2008-09 to be released shortly. It is said that Australia is determined to keep its head as cricket’s new revolution, Twenty20, gains pace.  Australians have voted with their feet and their remote controls to endorse the shortest form of the game, said an office bearer of Cricket Australia. The fixture for Twenty20 would be within International Cricket Council guidelines. As many Australians players are taking part in the ongoing $1 billion IPL , it has gained lot of momentum among Australian viewers.

Though English players were prevented from taking part in the cash-rich IPL, the tournament is being enthusiastically followed in England.

It is learnt that a Texan billionaire Allen Stanford is considering backing a franchised league, similar to the IPL. It is learned that Cricket Australia is now in discussion with some investors interested in franchise model of cricket clubs.

There are also chances that other prominent cricket playing nations such as New Zealand, South Africa, Srilanka and Pakistan would soon explore options to start franchisee-based Twenty20 matches.