2009 IPL Teams
Bangalore Royal Challengers
Chennai Super Kings
Delhi Daredevils
Deccan Chargers
Kings XI Punjab
Kolkata Knight Riders
Mumbai Indians
Rajasthan Royals
2009 IPL Fixtures
April 18: RAJASTHAN ROYALS v ROYAL CHALLENGERS BANGALORE (4 pm) at Cape Town; MUMBAI INDIANS v CHENNAI SUPER KINGS (8 pm) at Cape Town
April 19: KOLKATA KNIGHT RIDERS v DECCAN CHARGERS (4 pm) at Cape Town; DELHI DAREDEVILS v KINGS XI PUNJAB (8 pm) at Cape Town.
April 20: ROYAL CHALLENGERS BANGALORE V CHENNAI SUPER KINGS (4 pm) at Port Elizabeth.
April 21: RAJASTHAN ROYALS v MUMBAI INDIANS (4 pm) at Durban; KOLKATA KNIGHT RIDERS v KINGS XI PUNJAB (8 pm) at Durban
April 22: DELHI DAREDEVILS v CHENNAI SUPER KINGS (4 pm) at Durban; ROYAL CHALLENGERS BANGALORE v DECCAN CHARGERS (8 pm) at Cape Town
April 23: KOLKATA KNIGHT RIDERS v RAJASTHAN ROYALS (4 pm) at Port Elizabeth
April 24: KINGS XI PUNJAB v ROYAL CHALLENGERS BANGALORE (4 pm) at Johannesburg
April 25: KOLKATA KNIGHT RIDERS v CHENNAI SUPER KINGS (4 pm) at Cape Town; DECCAN CHARGERS v MUMBAI INDIANS (8 pm) at Durban.
April 26: RAJASTHAN ROYALS v KINGS XI PUNJAB (4 pm) at Cape Town; ROYAL CHALLENGERS BANGALORE v DELHI DAREDEVILS (8 pm) Port Elizabeth
April 27: KOLKATA KNIGHT RIDERS v MUMBAI INDIANS (4 pm) at Cape Town; CHENNAI SUPER KINGS v DECCAN CHARGERS (8 pm) at Durban.
April 28: DELHI DAREDEVILS v RAJASTHAN ROYALS (4 pm) at Pretoria
April 29: MUMBAI INDIANS v KINGS XI PUNJAB (4 pm) at Durban; KOLKATA KNIGHT RIDERS v ROYAL CHALLENGERS BANGALORE (8 pm) at Durban
April 30: DELHI DAREDEVILS v DECCAN CHARGERS (4 pm) at Pretoria; RAJASTHAN ROYALS v CHENNAI SUPER KINGS (8 pm) at Pretoria.
May 1: ROYAL CHALLENGERS BANGALORE v KINGS XI PUNJAB (4 pm) at East London; MUMBAI INDIANS v KOLKATA KNIGHT RIDERS (8 pm) at Durban
May 2: RAJASTHAN ROYALS v DECCAN CHARGERS (4 pm) at Johannesburg; CHENNAI SUPER KINGS v DELHI DAREDEVILS (8 pm) at Port Elizabeth
May 3: MUMBAI INDIANS v ROYAL CHALLENGERS BANGALORE (4 pm) at Durban; KINGS XI PUNJAB v KOLKATA KNIGHT RIDERS (8 pm) at East London
May 4: DECCAN CHARGERS v CHENNAI SUPER KINGS (4 pm) at Port Elizabeth
May 5: DELHI DAREDEVILS v KOLKATA KNIGHT RIDERS (4 pm) at Durban; KINGS XI PUNJAB v RAJASTHAN ROYALS (8 pm) at Durban
May 6: MUMBAI INDIANS v DECCAN CHARGERS (4 pm) at Pretoria
May 7: KINGS XI PUNJAB v CHENNAI SUPER KINGS (4 pm) at Pretoria; ROYAL CHALLENGERS BANGALORE v RAJASTHAN ROYALS (8 pm) at Pretoria
May 8: DELHI DAREDEVILS v MUMBAI INDIANS (4 pm) at East London
May 9: DECCAN CHARGERS v KINGS XI PUNJAB (4 pm) at Bloemfontein; CHENNAI SUPER KINGS v RAJASTHAN ROYALS (8 pm) at Port Elizabeth
May 10: KOLKATA KNIGHT RIDERS v DELHI DAREDEVILS (4 pm) at East London; ROYAL CHALLENGERS BANGALORE v MUMBAI INDIANS (8 pm) at Johannesburg
May 11: DECCAN CHARGERS v RAJASTHAN ROYALS (4 pm) at Bloemfontein
May 12: ROYAL CHALLENGERS BANGALORE v KOLKATA KNIGHT RIDERS (4 pm) at Pretoria; KINGS XI PUNJAB v MUMBAI INDIANS (8 pm) at Pretoria.
May 13: DECCAN CHARGERS v DELHI DAREDEVILS (4 pm) at Durban
May 14: MUMBAI INDIANS v RAJASTHAN ROYALS (4 pm) at Durban; CHENNAI SUPER KINGS v ROYAL CHALLENGERS BANGALORE (8 pm) at Durban.
May 15: KINGS XI PUNJAB v DELHI DAREDEVILS (4 pm) at Kimberley
May 16: CHENNAI SUPER KINGS v MUMBAI INDIANS (4 pm) at Johannesburg; DECCAN CHARGERS v KOLKATA KNIGHT RIDERS (8 pm) at Port Elizabeth
May 17: RAJASTHAN ROYALS v DELHI DAREDEVILS (4 pm) at Kimberley; KINGS XI PUNJAB v DECCAN CHARGERS (8 pm) at Johannesburg
May 18: CHENNAI SUPER KINGS v KOLKATA KNIGHT RIDERS (4 pm) at Pretoria
May 19: DELHI DAREDEVILS v ROYAL CHALLENGERS BANGALORE (4 pm) at Johannesburg
May 20: CHENNAI SUPER KINGS v KINGS XI PUNJAB (4 pm) at Durban; RAJASTHAN ROYALS v KOLKATA KNIGHT RIDERS (8 pm) at Durban
May 21: DECCAN CHARGERS v ROYAL CHALLENGERS BANGALORE (4 pm) at Pretoria; MUMBAI INDIANS v DELHI DAREDEVILS (8 pm) at Pretoria
May 22: Semi Final 1 at Pretoria
May 23: Semi Final 2 at Johannesburg
May 24: Final at Johannesburg
About the teams
Bangalore Royal Challengers
Owned by drinks magnate Vijay Mallya, the man behind the Force India Formula One team, Bangalore Royal Challengers features a strong South African contingent, with Mark Boucher and Dale Steyn as well as Jacques Kallis. International stars are the Indian Anil Kumble and Australian Nathan Bracken. The Bangolore Royal Challengers were one of the weaker teams during the inaugural IPL in 2008, winning just four of their league matches and ended up second from bottom. The BRC broke the bank in attempt to change their fortunes in 2009, signing Kevin Pietersen (KP), who is expected to lead the side ahead of Rahul Dravid this time around.
Players to watch: Steyn is the world’s form bowler and can prove that Twenty20 is not just a game for batsmen. But watch out for Pietersons explosive batting and his amazing switch hitting (changing from right handed to left – alomst banned by the ICC, caused many members of the Lords Members Pavilion to choke on their cucumber sandwiches) – also watch the local SA crowds give him a hard time for ‘abandoning’ SA for Mud Island (aka England).
SA Players: Jacques Kallis, Mark Boucher, Dale Steyn, Roelof van der Merwe and Dillon du Preez
Other star players: Kevin Pietersen, Nathan Bracken, Rahul Dravid, Anil Kumble, Jesse Ryder, Ross Taylor, Cameron White
Coach: Ray Jennings
Owner: Dr. Vijay Mallya
Chennai Super Kings
Captain, Mahendra Singh Dhoni, will shoulder the burden of the Chennai Super Kings’ hopes after being signed for $1.5million in 2008. In Muttiah Muralitharan and Michael Hussey they have the No.1 bowler and batsman in the 2008 ICC Test rankings and both are also in the top 10 of the ODI rankings. Makhaya Ntini, Stephen Fleming and Matthew Hayden are among the other star names in the Chennai line-up. The Chennai Super Kings were the runners-up in 2008 after finishing third on the initial table. One major acquisition during the 2009 auction was England all-rounder Andrew Flintoff — adding vital balance to the team.
Players to watch: Dhoni is not just the star of the team but of the whole league – the explosive wicketkeeper-batsman is the biggest draw for cricket-mad Indians. Andrew Flintoff as a new signing and much hyped all rounder will have a lot to prove – watch him come up against his ‘buddy’/enemy in Kevin Pieterson – both ex captains of England – KP and Flintoff have had their differences on and off the field. Aussie Stars – Mathew Hayden and Michael Hussey as well as SA’s Albie Morkel are all BIG hitters – Watch this space!
SA players: Albie Morkel, Makhaya Ntini
Other star players: MS Dhoni, Andrew Flintoff, Matthew Hayden, Michael Hussey, Muttiah Muralitharan, Jacob Oram
Coach: Stephen Fleming
Owner: India Cements
Delhi Daredevils
The Delhi Daredevils focused in 2008 on attracting many of the top Indian talents and started the season with the likes of Gautam Gambhir and Dinesh Karthik to back up captain and star player Virender Sehwag. A fourth place finish on the log saw the Delhi Daredvils reach the semifinals in 2008 where they lost to eventual winners, the Rajasthan Royals. The Daredvils have secured the services of T20 specialist David Warner who, along with captain Virender Sehwag, are sure to wow South African audiences with their six-hitting abilities.
Players to watch: Vettori is the world’s top one-day bowler according to the ICC rankings and his unconventional but effective batting means he can be considered a genuine all-rounder. South Africa’s AB De Villiers is known for his mental strength as a batsman and as a master fielder or wicketkeeper! Australia’s Glenn McGrath is a legend fast bowler – watch him out-think and outplay the batsmen…
SA players: AB de Villiers
Other star players: Virender Sehwag, Paul Collingwood, Tillakaratne Dilshan, Gautam Gambhir, Andrew McDonald, Glenn McGrath, Farveez Maharoof, Daniel Vettori, David Warner
Coach: Greg Shipperd
Owner: GMR Holdings
Deccan Chargers
Indian icon and former Wisden Cricketer of the Year VVS Laxman leads a strong side which boasts modern-day greats in Australian wicket-keeper Adam Gilchrist and all-rounder Andrew Symonds, whose $1,350,000 price tag in 2008 was something of a surprise given his role in his country’s row with India earlier that year. Chaminda Vaas is also expected to play a key role. Originally based in Hyderabad, the Deccan Chargers spent big money on some of the biggest hitters in the game in 2008, but their somewhat top-heavy team failed to impress and managed to win only two of their group games and finished bottom of the table. The Chargers seemed to have learnt their lesson and have added more depth to the squad for the 2009 event.
Players to watch: Watch South Africa’s Herschelle Gibbs and big hitting Wicket Keeper, Australian Adam Gilchrist, who are perfectly suited to this form of the game.
SA players: Herschelle Gibbs
Other star players: Adam Gilchrist, Andrew Symonds, Chaminda Vaas, Rohit Sharma, RP Singh, Scott Styris, VVS Laxman
Coach: Darren Lehman
Owners: Deccan Chronicle
Kings XI Punjab
Bought by the Bollywood actress Preeti Zinta and her boyfriend for $76million at the auction in January 2008, the Kings XI Punjab finished second on the log in 2008, but could not replicate their good form in the initial stages to the knockouts and lost in the semifinals to the Super Kings. Lead by Punjab hero Yuvraj Singh, the undoubted star during the inaugural event was at the time unheralded Aussie Shaun Marsh, who has since established himself on the international stage proper. Expectations will be sky-high for former Sri Lanka coach Tom Moody’s men, who have exciting bowling talent at their disposal in the shape of Indian star Irfan Pathan and Australian Test hero Brett Lee. Sri Lanka stars Kumar Sangakkara and Mahela Jayawardene add strength to the batting.
Players to watch: Sangakkara is among the most exciting batsmen in the world to watch, but could be upstaged by Yuvraj who famously hit six sixes in an over off England’s Stuart Broad in the World Twenty20 competition.
SA players: None
Other star players: Yuvraj Singh, Mahela Jayawardene, Simon Katich, Brett Lee, Shaun Marsh, Irfan Pathan, Kumar Sangakkara, Jerome Taylor
Coach: Tom Moody
Owners: Preity Zinta, Ness Wadia, Karan Paul and Mohit Burman (Dabur)
Kolkata Knight Riders
Despite boasting some of the biggest names in the modern game, the Kolkata Knight Riders were the definite disappointments during the IPL in 2008, finishing sixth on the log and failing to make the play-offs. Captained by the ‘Prince of Kolkata’, Saurav Ganguly, in 2008 previously, the Knight Riders decided against having a fixed captain for this IPL season. . The team’s co-owners include Bollywood stars Shah Rukh Khan and Juhi Chawla Mehta.
Players to watch: The crowds will flock to see big hitting West Indian Chris Gayle.
SA players: None
Other star players: Saurav Ganguly, Ajantha Mendis, Brad Hodge, Brendon McCullum, Chris Gayle, David Hussey, Ishant Sharma, Shoaib Akhtar, Umar Gul
Coach: John Buchanan
Owners: Shahrukh Khan, Juhi Chawla, Jai Mehta
Mumbai Indians
The most expensive franchise in the 2008 IPL, The Mumbai Indians took that honour when they were purchased for a massive $111.9 million by Reliance Industries Ltd. The 2008 Indian Premier League was a bit of a disaster for the Mumbai Indians, Captain Sachin Tendulkar suffering an injury, before stand-in skipper Harbhajan Singh was suspended after his on-field row with Sree Sreesanth. South African star JP Duminy was their major acquisition during the 2009 action, while Kyle Mills and Mohammad Ashraful will add some balance to their side. Any team with master batsman Sachin Tendulkar, Sri Lankan veteran Sanath Jayasuriya, West Indian Dwayne Bravo and South African JP Duminy in the side will score plenty of runs.
Players to watch: Tendulkar is the master, Bravo the Big Hitting all rounder and our very own JP is the young upstart, keen to show himself on the world stage!
SA players: Jean-Paul Duminy, Ryan McLaren
Other star players: Sachin Tendulkar, Dwayne Bravo, Harbhajan Singh, Sanath Jayasuriya, Zaheer Khan, Lasith Malinga, Kyle Mills, Mohammad Ashraful
Coach: Lalchand Rajput
Owners: Reliance Industries Ltd
Rajasthan Royals
The odd men out of the IPL, The Rajasthan Royals were the undoubted surprise package of the 2008 IPL, finishing on top of the round robin table and then going on to win the tournament but with an expense account roughly half of the other big spending teams. The only team to have a player/coach, who also happens to be the only non-Indian captain taking part, Australian legend Shane Warne has led the Royals with aplomb. This is definitely a team to be reckoned with – batsmen Graeme Smith and Younus Khan stand out.
Players to watch: SA captain, Smith tops the ICC ODI batting rankings and was a steal for the Royals at just $475,000 in 2008. Big Hitting Younus Khan is always in the thick of it. But watch Shane Warne – master spin bowler – as he directs his troops and plays psychological games with the opposition – always thinking, always competitive – The game aint over til the Fat Boy Spins!
SA players: Tyron Henderson, Morné Morkel, Graeme Smith
Other star players: Shane Warne, Justin Langer, Munaf Patel,Shaun Tait, Shane Watson, Mohammad Kaif
Coach: Shane Warne
Owners: Emerging Media Group
Go the Knight Riders!