IPL: TEAM QUOTIENT

KOLKATTA

A bird in hand is not worth even four in the bush..

Sourav Ganguly (icon), Shoaib Akhtar (US$425,000), Ricky Ponting (US$400,000), Brendon McCullum (US$700,000), Chris Gayle (US$800,000), Ajit Agarkar (US$330,000), David Hussey (US$675,000), Ishant Sharma (US$950,000), Murali Kartik (US$425,000), Umar Gul (US$150,000), Tatenda Taibu (US$125,000)

PRIZE CATCH – Umar Gul. At just 60 lacs it’s a super bargain. He was by far the fast bowler on show at the T20 World Cup. He is one of those rare bowlers who can bowl toe crushing yorkers on a constant basis.

SHOCKER – Ishant Sharma for 4 crores. All that glitters is not gold. Bowling on bowler friendly wickets in Australia with 7 fielders around the bat is vastly different from doing so on dust bowls.

David Hussey. I thought his brother had a Bradmanesque batting average.

+ ive Experienced batting lineup in Ganguly, Gayle and Ponting.

- ive Who’ll bowl? Shoaib and Gul spend more time in the hospital than they do on field. Agarkar is like a balloon. Might burst anytime. Ishant Sharma is still a baby.

IN SHORT On paper they have the most balanced team with the perfect blend of youth and experience provided they are fit and free to take part in the event. You are never sure about the fitness of Akhtar and Gul while Hussey an Ponting may not free to take part.

HYDEREBAD

Slog Slog Bang Bang

Adam Gilchrist (US$700,000), Andrew Symonds (US$1.35 million), Herschelle Gibbs (US$575,000), Shahid Afridi (US$675,000), Scott Styris (US$175,000), VVS Laxman (US$375,000), Rohit Sharma (US$750,000), Chamara Silva (US$100,000), RP Singh (US$875,000), Chaminda Vaas (US$200,000), Nuwan Zoysa (US$110,000)

PRIZE CATCH – Scott Styris. Probably the most underrated player in World Cricket especially when it comes to the shorter versions of the game. He can slog, he can hold one end up and more importantly he can stifle one end up with his variety of medium pace bowling.

SHOCKER – Rohit Sharma for 3 crores. You must be joking!!

+ ive With Andrew Symonds and Herschelle Gibbs you have the world’s two of the best fielders. And then Rohit Sharma and Shahid Afridi are probably the best from their nations.

- ive One dimensional bowling attack with 3 very similar left arm swing bowlers.

IN SHORT In Shahid Khan Afridi, Andrew Symonds, Herschelle Gibbs and Adam Gilchrist you have the four of the biggest hitters in the game of cricket. Get ready for some serious fireworks with the short boundaries in India.

BANGALORE ROYAL CHALLENGERS

“Get Well Soon : Prepared to face a nuclear attack with a bullet proof vest

Rahul Dravid (icon), Anil Kumble (US$500,000), Jacques Kallis (US$900,000), Zaheer Khan (US$450,000), Mark Boucher (US$450,000), Cameron White (US$500,000), Wasim Jaffer (US$150,000), Dale Steyn (US$325,000), Nathan Bracken (US$325,000), Shivnarine Chanderpaul (US$200,000)

PRIZE CATCH – Dale Steyn. He is as most former South African’s believe the true heir to Allan Donald’s legacy. Not very cheap but certainly do-able.

SHOCKER – Cameron WHO White? I thought he played Golf!!

+ ive Excellent bowling lineup with the most variety. You have someone with the raw pace of Steyn aided by the swing of Zaheer and accuracy of Bracken. By the way you have a 38 something Kumble aswell.

- ive Wasim Jaffer, Rahul Dravid, Jacques Kallis, Chanderpaul.. Dude, you are not playing a 5 day test… You might take a short nap while they are batting and still not miss much action. Seems they are taking “Gandhigiri” just a bit too seriously; a totally non violent approach to batting.

IN SHORT The most experienced team on paper though it is to be seen if their experience in the longer versions of the game can translate into the T20 format.

MUMBAI

The pendulum swinging between its extremes.

Sachin Tendulkar (icon), Sanath Jayasuriya (US$975,000), Harbhajan Singh (US$850,000), Shaun Pollock (US$550,000), Robin Uthappa (US$800,000), Lasith Malinga (US$350,000), Dilhara Fernando (US$150,000), Loots Bosman (US$175,000)

PRIZE CATCH – Loots Bosman. He is very highly rated in his home country in South Africa. A T20 specialist, he certainly can clobber the ball a mile. He might just turn out to be the surprise hit.

SHOCKER – Robin Uthappa for 3.6 crores. You can’t be serious. All that he has to show for himself in the two seasons that he has played is one innings against England.

+ ive Sachin Tendulkar and Sanath Jayasuriya opening the innings is any opposition captains nightmare. They may be past their prime but still are good enough to give tremors to new ball bowlers as they have nothing to loose. And then they have the world’s most economical bowler in Shaun Pollock.

- ive No wicket keeper as of now. Unless they get a Haddin or a Matt Prior they might just have to do with a domestic keeper. It doesn’t look that rosy with the top 3 Indian keepers already sold out.

IN SHORT It’s a very strange team combination. You have grandfathers like Tendulkar, Pollock and Jayasuriya on one hand and then lollypop babies like Bosman, Utthappa and Malinga on the other. You have members from the X Gen and V Gen. Just get a feeling they might rue missing out on the W Gen.

DELHI DAREDEVILS

Little drops make an ocean.

Virender Sehwag (icon), Daniel Vettori (US$625,000), Shoaib Malik (US$500,000), Mohammad Asif (US$650,000), AB de Villiers (US$300,000), Dinesh Karthik (US$525,000), Farveez Maharoof (US$225,000), Tillakaratne Dilshan (US$250,000), Manoj Tiwary (US$675,000), Gautam Gambhir (US$725,000), Glenn McGrath (US$350,000)

PRIZE CATCH – AB De Villiers. It’s a steal. At 1.2 crores you are getting South Africa’s future captain. And then his ability to keep will also let the team field an extra bowler or batsman.

SHOCKER – Manoj Tiwary for 2.7 crores. He’s played just one international that too for a duck.

+ ive In Mohammed Asif, Mc Grath and Vettori you have the most economical bowlers in the fray. Add to that the fielding prowess of Dilshan, Tiwary, Karthick and De Villiers. A very difficult team to score against.

- ive The batting does not inspire much confidence. No fire power; no star power. The team might even struggle to attract sponsors in the tune that most others teams would.

IN SHORT It’s the bowlers who will have to job. The batting though might just surprise a few people. The team reminds one of NewZealand at the international level – not too many stars but still a very competitive outfit. But you need a very inspirational captain who leads from the front.

CHENNAI SUPER KINGS

Dhoom Machale Dhoom Machale

Mahendra Singh Dhoni (US$1.5 million), Muttiah Muralitharan (US$600,000), Matthew Hayden (US$375,000), Jacob Oram (US$675,000), Stephen Fleming (US$350,000), Parthiv Patel (US$325,000), Joginder Sharma (US$225,000), Albie Morkel (US$675,000), Suresh Raina (US$650,000), Makhaya Ntini (US$200,000), Michael Hussey (US$350,000)

PRIZE CATCH – Stephen Fleming. The world’s best captain will be a perfect ally to the shrewd Dhoni. And he is the best person to give stability to the fragile looking middle order.

SHOCKER – ?

+ ive MS Dhoni. Captain courageous, capable of ripping the leather of the bowl aswell as holding one end up.

- ive MS Dhoni. Too costly.

IN SHORT All’s well as long as Dhoom does not turn into Doom.

JAIPUR

Too many cooks spoil the broth

Shane Warne (US$450,000), Graeme Smith (US$475,000), Younis Khan (US$225,000), Kamran Akmal (US$150,000), Yusuf Pathan (US$475,000), Mohammad Kaif (US$675,000), Munaf Patel (US$275,000), Justin Langer (US$200,000)

PRIZE CATCH – Kamran Akmal. He may not be in the best of forms but he still rates among the top 5 wicket keeper batsmen of his generation.

SHOCKER – Kaif. The price tag is too much for a player who can’t get the ball of the square. T20 isnt just about sprinting between wickets.

+ ive Graeme Smith is certainly one of the best captains doing the rounds. And most believe Warne was the true heir to Waugh till sleazy SMS’ did him in while Younis Khan preferred not to. And with Greg Chappell too around be rest assured that the best strategies would have their source here lest too many cooks spoil the broth.

- ive With Warne, Langer and Munaf Patel on the field don’t surprised if you see two’s turning into four’s and may be even five’s.

IN SHORT No comments.

MOHALI

History to repeat itself

Yuvraj Singh (icon), Mahela Jayawardene (US$475,000), Kumar Sangakkara (US$700,000), Brett Lee (US$900,000), Sreesanth (US$625,000), Irfan Pathan (US$925,000), Ramesh Powar (US$170,000), Piyush Chawla (US$400,000), Simon Katich (US$200,000), Ramnaresh Sarwan (US$225,000)

PRIZE CATCH – ?

SHOCKER – ?

Pretty balanced selections without any outright cockeyed selection.

+ ive With Moody at the helm, the 2007 WC success story might just repeat with Sangakkara and Jayawardena too in the team.

- ive With just Yuvraj, they are desperately falling short of some who get the ball out of the park. And if Brett Lee is missing the inexperience in the bowling department may hurt real bad.

IN SHORT Pretty balanced on the whole but the bowling holds the key. If Lee and Sreesanth are able to rip through the top order then the inexperienced spinners might be able to hold their own. And with Lee and Sreesanth sharing the new ball, batsmen be prepared to deal with sledging or as Aussies term it “mental disintegration”.