|
When Vijay Mallya, the flamboyant industrial tycoon, landed at the headquarters of the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) on the day of auction for IPL franchises, there were no prizes for guessing as to which team he would be gunning for.
Rooted to Bangalore in southern India, a city with a strong cricketing culture and which has produced the likes of Gundappa Vishwanath and Erapalli Prasanna, Mallya was ready to pay the price as it went for the relatively high figure of $111.6 million (Dhs 409m).
Once the dust had settled down, it seemed at the outset that the team’s bidders had more of an eye for solidity than the flash and youth which is associated with the Twenty20 form of the game.
The selection of Wasim Jaffer for the opener’s role does raise a few eyebrows, with the team boasting the likes of icon player and captain Rahul Dravid, South Africa big hitter Jacques Kallis and West Indies’ Shivnarine Chanderpaul in the middle order.
The same logic holds true for India Test captain Anil Kumble, who had in no uncertain terms quit the shorter versions of the game after the last World Cup. While his experience might come in extremely handy in a quota of four overs during a tight finish — and there could be many of them over the next 44 days — can he match up to the frenetic demands on the outfield is the million-dollar question.
The strength of Dravid’s team, however, lies in the famed middle order’s ability to improvise before some late order pyrotechnics courtesy of South Africa wicketkeeper Mark Boucher.
A new-ball attack which boasts the likes of Dale Steyn, Nathan Bracken and Praveen Kumar, who showed good control during India’s final matches in the recent tri-series in Australia, can be difficult to put away.
The addition of Virat Kohli, India’s Under-19 World Cup winning captain, should also provide a breath of fresh air.
Sport Extra prediction: The Challengers may find the going tough, even for a semi-final berth.
Bangalore Royal Challengers
Owner: Vijay Mallya
Bought for: $111.6 million (Dhs 409m)
Designated player: Rahul Dravid
Most expensive player: Jacques Kallis (SA) $900,000 (Dhs 3.3m)
Coach: Venkatesh Prasad
Squad: Rahul Dravid (captain), Anil Kumble, Wasim Jaffer, Zaheer Khan, Jacques Kallis, Mark Boucher, Dale Steyn, Misbah-ul-Haq, Shivnarine Chanderpaul, Nathan Bracken, Bharat Chipli, Balachandra Akhil, Jagadeesh Arunkumar, Abdur Razzak, K.P. Appanna, Srivatsa Goswami, Sunil Joshi, Virat Kohli, Devraj Patil, Ross Taylor, Cameroon White, Praveen Kumar, Vinay Kumar.
Player to watch: Jacques Kallis
The all-rounder could be coming into the IPL with a point to prove. The ‘Mr Consistent’ of South African cricket for over the 10 years did not take it too kindly when he was dropped from the Twenty20 squad for the World championships at home last year. And that could be bad news for the rival bowlers, while his ability to tie down the batsmen with some line-and-length seam bowling will also come in extremely handy.
Fixture List
April 18 Kolkata Knight Riders Bangalore
April 20 Mumbai Indians Mumbai
April 26 Rajasthan Royals Bangalore
April 28 Chennai Super Kings Bangalore
April 30 Delhi Daredevils Delhi
May 3 Deccan Chargers Hyderabad
May 5 Kings XI Punjab Bangalore
May 8 Kolkata Knight Riders Kolkata
May 12 Kings XI Punjab Mohali
May 17 Rajasthan Royals Jaipur
May 19 Delhi Daredevils Bangalore
May 21 Chennai Super Kings Chennai
May 25 Deccan Chargers Bangalore
May 28 Mumbai Indians Bangalore
May 30 First Semi-Final Mumbai
May 31 Second Semi-Final Mumbai
June 1 Final Mumbai
|
