Click to play videoNew Delhi: Indian Premier League Season 2 kicks off in South Africa on Saturday afternoon with Newlands Stadium in Cape Town hosting the first two matches.
The tournament begins at 1400 hrs IST on Saturday with Mumbai Indians facing Chennai Super Kings in the first match.
The match features two of India's most revered cricketing icons - Sachin Tendulkar and Mahendra Singh Dhoni. While Tendulkar will lead the Mumbai team, Dhoni is the skipper of Chennai Super Kings, who were runners' up in the 2008 edition of the IPL.
Chennai Super Kings: Led by perhaps the best captain in world cricket today, the Chennai Super Kings will start the second edition of the Indian Premier League as one of the favourites. Mahendra Singh Dhoni did justice to his tag of the most expensive cricketer of the world by taking his team to the final and this year the charismatic skipper would be looking to do one better than their run to the silverware in 2008.
Key players: At the start of the tournament, the Chennai Super Kings are looking as one of the strongest contenders. The recently retired Matthew Hayden is available for the whole tournament and he may prove destructive at the top. South African all-rounder Albie Morkel is fresh from his exploits against Australia and will be one of Dhoni's trump cards. The young Suresh Raina will also play a crucial role in coach Stephen Fleming's strategy.
Debutants: Andrew Flintoff is on a high after his hat-trick against the West Indies and the burly all-rounder will bolster the formidable Chennai line-up with his presence and he may prove to be the decisive factor in the six games that he will play. Aussie George Bailey comes into the mega event with the reputation of a destructive batsman and a handy medium pacer. Thilan Thushara's swing can be a handy weapon too.
Flipside: The absence of Mike Hussey and Jacob Oram will hit the Super Kings hard, which leaves their middle order looking vulnerable. Raina, S Vidyut, Parthiv Patel and S Badrinath hardly have any experience in South Africa. Though the young Indians clicked last year, it might be a different ball game on the bouncy South African wickets.
Mumbai Indians: Their brush with injuries and controversies made it Mission Impossible for Mumbai Indians, but the costliest IPL team has much to prove this season. Captain Sachin Tendulkar is back in full fitness and, although they'll miss Shaun Pollock's experience on the field, the South African will be key for their younger players in unlocking the tricky conditions as mentor.
Key players: Tendulkar has been in vintage form of late, and his opening partnership with the explosive Sanath Jayasuriya will be key to their run-scoring potential. Harbhajan Singh, too, has hit a purple patch, and his bowling in the T20 version will be their most potent weapon while containing their opponents. Dwayne Bravo's all-round abilities will add balance to their eleven.
Debutants: Jean-Paul Duminy's presence in the middle order, along with Shikhar Dhawan, will most certainly be more assuring than Robin Uthappa's in the first season. Zaheer Khan's form can make or break their bowling. Graham Napier, who hit a record 16 sixes in a T20 game, will become an obvious choice when other international stars leave.
Flipside: Bravo leaves mid-May, which does not leave them with many all-round options of his quality. Besides Dhawal Kulkarni and Abhishek Nayar, not many local Mumbai players made a mark in the first season, which could hamper their fortunes.
Mumbai Indians vs Chennai Super Kings last season: Mumbai Indians saved their best for the Super Kings last season. Although they lost the first game by a slim six-run margin, they bounced back by hammering them by nine wickets which included a Sanath Jayasuriya century. Given their added strength this season, they can inflict serious damage on Chennai.
Rajasthan Royals vs Bangalore Royal Challengers
In the second game of the evening starting at 2000 hrs IST defending champions Rajasthan Royals are pitted against a newly energised Bangalore Royal Challengers.
While Rajasthan Royals are led by the former Australian leg-spin legend Shane Warne, England's Kevin Pietersen will lead the Bangalore team.
Both games will be played at the Newlands Stadium in Cape Town.
Rajasthan Royals: All eyes may be on the defending champions but Rajasthan Royals won't like it that way. They were the underdogs last year, and the absence of key players from that campaign means they don't go into the IPL as favourites.
Key Players: The talismanic Shane Warne will have to be on his toes to make sure Rajasthan's campaign is smooth in South Africa. His leadership and form with the ball will again be the focus, but equally important will be Graeme Smith at the top of the order. Yusuf Pathan's form with the bat could well be the difference between a solid or a below-par total. At the end, though, the key to their success remains Rajasthan as a unit.
Debutants: The Royals made some smart buys this season, which boasts of Shaun Tait and Tyron Henderson. Tait has huge shoes of Sohail Tanvir to fill, while Henderson comes in with the reputation of having the best strike rate in both batting and bowling in T20 cricket. And then there is rookie Indian pacer Kamran Khan, who has impressed Warne.
Flipside: The absence of Pakistani players Tanvir, Younis Khan and Kamran Akmal could hit them hard. Royals will be on tenterhooks over how to use Shane Watson, who has just recovered from injury and will miss the first few games because of national duty.
Bangalore Royal Challengers: They just managed to avoid the wooden spoon last year and what started with a disaster, the Bangalore Royal Challengers campaign went further downhill in the inaugural edition of the Indian Premier League. Owner Vijay Mallya has made sweeping changes this year in the management and team structure and the Royal Challengers, boosted by big names, will be looking to impose a serious challenge in South Africa.
Key players: Kevin Pietersen will be rearing to show England what they missed out on as he leads the Royal Challengers in a country he is more than familiar with. The enigmatic batsman will add the missing aggression to the Bangalore team with his dazzling stroke play. Dale Steyn will be Royal Challengers' key bowler with Zaheer Khan moving to the Mumbai Indians team. Jacques Kallis's all-round ability will also be vital to their plans on his home turf.
Debutants: Along with Pietersen, Bangalore has turned to New Zealand all-rounder Jesse Ryder's sensational form to get rid of their infamous 'Test team' tag. Robin Uthappa, after making waves for the Mumbai Indians last year, has moved to his home side and will add the extra dash of flamboyance to Mallya's team.
Flipside: Pietersen will play only the first six games and his absence in the later stages of the tournament may hurt Bangalore. The captaincy will also change hands with the reluctant Kallis taking charge. Misbah-ul-Haq will also be missed by the Royal Challengers.
Rajasthan Royals vs Bangalore Royal Challengers last season: Rajasthan Royals decimated Bangalore in both their fixtures last year, with a seven-wicket demolition in the first game and a 65-run victory in the return leg. However, Bangalore look a far move improved outfit this time around, and Rajasthan not so strong on paper.
IPL organisers on Friday night held a dinner party in Cape Town which was attended by all the IPL franchisees including their owners as well as the players, the tournament organisers as well as many South African celebrities.
The gala night included musical performances, and offered a unique opportunity to all the franchise members to assemble under one room.
Bollywood glitz and cricket razzmatazz combined in the colourful, star-studded party.
More than 150 cricketers were present at the party, as were Bollywood stars Shah Rukh Khan, Preity Zinta and Shilpa Shetty.
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