Indian Premier League is just a week away …

The inaugural season of the IPL is just a week away and the teams have been fine tuning their lists after two rounds of player auctions.

We hope to cover all action here !!

Bangalore Royal Challengers

Stars: Rahul Dravid, Jacques Kallis, Misbah-ul-Haq, Cameron White, Mark Boucher, Zaheer Khan, Anil Kumble, Nathan Bracken

Perhaps the most balanced line-up in the IPL, Bangalore will come at their opposition with both power and poise. With a line-up that includes explosive hitters Cameron White (Victoria/Australia), Jacques Kallis (South Africa) and Misbah-ul-Haq and a bowling attack that features Zaheer Khan (India), Nathan Bracken (NSW/ Australia) Anil Kumble, the Royal Challengers loom as one of the competition’s dark horses. Like many of the franchises however, the Challengers will be hit hard by the limited availability of its foreign stars. With Boucher and White both required for international duties for at least part of the competition and Nathan Bracken (knee surgery) under an injury cloud, Bangalore’s fortunes will likely be tied to the depth of its home grown talent.

Chennai Super Kings

Stars: Mahendra Singh Dhoni, Matthew Hayden, Stephen Fleming, Jacob Oram, Muttiah Muralitharan, Makhaya Ntini, Parthiv Patel, Suresh Raina.

The fans in Chennai will certainly get their money’s worth with the Super Kings successfully bidding for some of the game’s greatest ever performers. Coach Kepler Wessels will not only be able to call upon one of the game’s most explosive wicket-keeper/batsman and one of Twenty20 cricket’s great most exciting stroke makers in captain Mahendra Singh Dhoni, he will also be able to summon Test cricket’s leading wicket taker in Muttiah Muralidaran and two of crickets most experienced and explosive batsman in Matthew Hayden and former New Zealand captain Stephen Fleming. With the departure of Hayden looming at the end of April (for Australia’s tour of the West Indies), look for Wessels to rely heavily on Fleming and Dhoni to produce at the top of the batting order.

Delhi Daredevels

Stars: Virender Sehwag (icon), Gautam Gambhir, AB de Villiers, Shoaib Malik, Tillakaratne Dilshan, Daniel Vettori, Mohammad Asif, Glenn McGrath.

It’s hard to be in a better patch of form than Delhi icon Virendar Sewag is right now. After a successful tour of the Australia with both bat and ball, Sewag notched up his second Test triple century in April against a stunned South African outfit. Joined at the top of the order of Victorian coach Greg Shipperd's Daredevils by Indian opening partner Gautam Gambhir, South Africa’s AB de Villiers and Sri Lanka’s Tillakaratne Dilshan, Delhi’s batting order is almost as well balanced is its bowling. New Zealand skipper Daniel Vettori’s left arm orthodox will be vital for the Daredevils in the high pressure final overs while Glenn McGrath will provide experience at both the start and close of the innings. After a season off following his retirement from international and Australian interstate cricket, time will tell if the hectic IPL schedule takes its toll on the 38 year-old’s body.

Deccan Chargers (Hyderabad)

Stars: VVS Laxman, Adam Gilchrist, Andrew Symonds, Scott Styris, Shahid Afridi, Chaminda Vaas, Herschelle Gibbs

With a line-up made up almost entirely of international stars, on paper the Deccan Chargers are an imposing unit. On paper however, is possibly the only time fans will see the team in the one place, with Andrew Symonds, Herschelle Gibbs and Scott Styris all likely to miss significant chunks of the tournament due to International duties. With Adam Gilchrist’s recent retirement from international cricket however, the Chargers and their captain VVS Laxman will be able to send of the game’s most prolific and exciting run makers out at the top of the order almost ever day and with Pakistan’s Shahid Afridi looming in the middle order, the Chargers have the potential to produce some mammoth totals. Equally imposing is Hyderabad’s bowling attack, which boasts Indian seamer RP Singh and Sri Lankan stalwart Chaminda Vaas. Look for Vaas’ subtle variations of pace and movement to come into play during the final overs for the Chargers.

Rajasthan Royals (Jaipur)

Stars: Shane Warne (Captain/Coach), Shane Watson, Mohammed Kair, Dimitri Mascarenhas, Graeme Smith.

The Royals’ chances took a serious hit before a ball was even bowled when former Australian opener Justin Langer decided against participating in the tournament after the first player auction, instead renewing his commitment to play a full season with English county side Somerset.

Captain Shane Warne claims his side “doesn’t need a coach” and with a batting line-up that includes South African skipper Graeme Smith, Australian all-rounder Shane Watson and the raw power of English all-rounder Dimitri Mascarenhas, he may be right. Luck also ran the Royals way with Watson, who missed out on the Australian squad set to tour the West Indies and will therefore be available for the entire tournament. With only four international players permitted at the one time however, second round auction pickups such as Morne Morke and Sohail Tanvir may struggle to find a place in the team. With a career littered with moments when the odds are against Warne, don’t count either him or the Royals out of the race.

Kolkata Knight Riders

Stars: Sourav Ganguly (icon), Ricky Ponting, Murali Kartik, Brendan McCullum, Ajit Agarkar, Shoaib Akthar, Chris Gayle, Ishant Sharma.

Boasting a fearsome pace attack of Shoaib Akthar and rising Indian superstar Ishant Sharma and three of the game’s most accomplished and feared limited overs batsman Ricky Ponting, Chris Gayle and icon Sourav Ganguly, former Australian coach John Buchanan’s Kolkata Knight Riders have plenty of hype to live up to. With both Ponting and Gayle set to miss a large portion of the tournament, Ganguly will rely on his bowling attack of Akthar and Sharma along with Indian squad members Ajit Agarkar and Murali Kartik, to keep the opposition scoring to a bare minimum.

Kings XI Punjab (Mohali)

Stars: Yuvraj Singh (icon), Kumar Sangakkara, Irfan Pathan, Mahela Jayawardene, Brett Lee, Sreesanth, Ramnaresh Sarwan, Simon Katich, James Hopes, Shaun Marsh, Luke Pommersbach.

Along with Bangalore, Mohali boast one of the IPL’s most balanced line-ups. While the team will struggle to field all of its international stars when the entire squad is available, (Australia’s tour of the West Indies will rob the team of Lee, Sarwan, Katich and Hopes) the late additions of West Australian duo Shaun Marsh and Luke Pommersbach will provide some much needed depth. Indian all-rounder Irfan Pathan will be relied upon to boost both the batting and bowling, while firey Indian seamer Sreesanth and his assortment of break dancing moves and celebrations will ensure the bowling attack, if nothing else, is entertaining.

Mumbai Indians

Stars: Sachin Tendulkar (icon), Sanath Jayasuriya , Robin Uthappa, Shaun Pollock, Harbhajan Singh, Lasith Malinga, Luke Ronchi.

With a batting order that will regularly include Sachin Tendlkar, Sanath Jayasuriya and explosive West Australian keeper Luke Ronchi and a bowling attack that boasts Shaun Pollock, Harbhajan Singh and Lasith Malinga, don’t be surprised to see Mumbai in the race for the finals come the end of May. With aging stars so vital to the team’s success however, injuries and the ability of its players to steer clear of them could be the key factor in Mumbai’s success.