About Deccan Chargers

The team with the most excellent mixture of big-hitters came a cropper in the first version of DLF-IPL. The team had the stars but did not have the bowling to back it up. Lastly the skipper VVS Laxman dropped out due to an injury and the team struggled with no direction. There was no direction, but the period ended with a hope for the Chargers. They have now brought in a new captain in Adam Gilchrist, tainted the backroom staff with new coach Darren Lehmann. But the lack of firepower in the bowling is what hurts them most, specially when it comes to pitches in South Africa. Can Gilly manipulate a turnaround or will normal service be restored for the Deccan Chargers?

Captain-coach combination: Darren Lehmann is a first-time coach and will team up with new captain Adam Gilchrist.So it is starting all over again for Deccan Chargers, so it might be a long haul for the duo.

Last year’s record: Matches: 14, Won: 2, Lost: 12

STRENGTHS: Dream batting line-up. Herschelle Gibbs, Adam Gilchrist, Andrew Symonds, Rohit Sharma are names to give any bowling line-up shivers. D Ravi Reja will be the local talent to watch out for as he can be really explosive. Scott Styris will provide the all-rounder’s option.

WEAKNESSES: A wafer-thin bowling attack with the exception of RP Singh. Even if their dazzling batting line-up rattles off tall scores, defending targets will be a real problem, as they realised last year. There’s also too much of a sameness to the attack with three leftarm-seamers — RP Singh, Nuwan Zoysa and Chaminda Vaas — in the team.

OPPORTUNITIES: To show the world that a team brilliant on paper can strut their stuff on the field too. Fidel Edwards’ inclusion in the squad will inject some pace and penetration into the bowling. Chance for Andrew Symonds and Herschelle Gibbs to prove they are rehabilitated cricketers and justify their massive pay cheques.

THREATS: Lots of changes and bickering has happened as Adam Gilchrist replaced VVS Laxman as captain after Shahid Afridi’s public outburst against the Indian last year. Rohit Sharma, the best batsman, hasn’t been in good form lately. If they get off to a poor start this year too, they are a good bet to earn the wooden spoon again or finish in the bottom three.

Owners: Deccan Chronicle
(newspaper group)

Coach: Darren Lehmann (AUS)

Captain: Adam Gilchrist (AUS)

Foreign players: Adam Gilchrist (AUS), Andrew Symonds (AUS), C Silva (SRI), C Vaas (SRI), Dwayne Smith (WIS), Fidel Edwards (WIS), Herschelle Gibbs (RSA), Nuwan Zoysa (SRI), Ryan Harris (AUS), Scott Styris (NZL).

India stars: Rohit Sharma, RP Singh. Note: To ensure the IPL remains an Indian domestic event, a team is allowed only four foreign players per match. Two of the remaining seven players must be U-22 players.