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The third edition of the cricketing blockbuster that is the Indian Premier League is set to take centrestage come the 12th of March, when defending champions, the Deccan Chargers from Hyderabad face off against the Kolkata Knight Riders at the electric DY Patil Stadium in Mumbai. The three and a half-hour daily attraction has captured the world's imagination and brought in huge money into a sport which has seen its share of critics in recent times.

The franchisee-based league, with a structure borrowed from European football, showcases some of the most frenetic and adrenaline-charged slam-bang cricket, and the glitzy event returns to its native nation this year, after being outsourced to South Africa last season due to security concerns raised with a clash in timing with the Lok Sabha elections in India. In keeping with this, Lalit Modi, Chairman and Commissioner of the IPL, and the man who evokes either strong admiration or strong hatred from cricket fans across the globe has embarked on a media campaign revolving around the return to the mother nation, with the IPL theme this time being ‘Saare Jahaan Se Accha'.

As with the previous two seasons, the IPL was preceded by the player auction, and although it was a much smaller event this time round with only a handful of purchases, it did not fail to generate the buzz that that the previous ones had. There were the expected big buys in big-hitting Trinidadian Kieron Pollard and Kiwi paceman Shane Bond bought by the Mumbai Indians and Kolkata Knight Riders for the price cap of $750,000, and a few surprise successes as fiery West Indian paceman Kemar Roach who bagged a contract worth a staggering $720,000 with the Deccan Chargers, and South African allrounder Wayne Parnell, who was snapped up by the Delhi Daredevils for a princely $610,000.

But the real shocker that the auction produced was, in fact, not a signing, but the neglecting of all Pakistani players registered in the auction roster. Pakistani fans, after winning the World T20, had high hopes of watching their top names like Shahid Afridi, Umar Gul, Imran Nazir, Mohammed Aamer, Umar Akmal, Sohail Tanvir, Abdul Razzaq, Saeed Ajmal and Rana Naved, take the field in the cash-rich IPL, but these hopes were dashed completely was all the franchises completely ignored these players as not a single bid was made even at the base prices. This sparked of a series of verbal volleys as tempers flared across the border, and as is often the case with India and Pakistan, a sporting matter turned political. The IPL, as also all the franchises, assured the agitated Pakistan Cricket Board that the buys were complete business decisions and no attempt was made at humiliating the rival nation. Bollywood superstar and Kolkata co-owner Shahrukh Khan entered the fray by expressing his apologies to the ignored Pakistani players and immediately drew ire from certain right-wing Hindu politicos, who challenged his patriotism. Eventually the fire died out, and King Khan ended up only benefitting as his comments and criticism generated massive publicity for his release ‘My Name is Khan' and affected its revenues favourably.

Another controversy that dogged the IPL this year was Ravindra Jadeja's ban following his illegal personal negotiations for a transfer to a rival franchise without informing the IPL or his current team Rajasthan Royals. One cannot really blame a young man, barely out of his teens and suddenly finding himself with more money at 21 than he could have even hoped to earn in his entire life, to get carried away with the thought of some more and end up getting caught on the wrong side of the law. An entire season's ban is a little too harsh a punishment for the youngster and this incident surely must open the eyes of the IPL organisers to the dangers of too much money in an immature boy's hands. Seriously there is a need to have proper counseling for these young budding cricketers and maybe even their parents, as has been the case in a few other sports before and is now very much a necessity in cricket as well.

However, now that all the negatives are behind the IPL it is time for the cricketing action to explode on the biggest stage in the sport, and surely, after two years of experience behind them, the level of T20 action we are set to witness is definitely going to be a notch or two higher than before. Let us have a look at how each team' preparation has been and what we could expect from them this season -

Delhi Daredevils:

On paper, the Delhi Daredevils have to be the strongest team in the competition, and they have proved that on the field with their consistency as well. After reaching the semifinal stages of both the previous editions, they fell to eventual winners Rajasthan and Deccan by comfortable margins, and that is the one thing they would want to improve upon. They have arguably the best batting line-up in the competition with the Indian contingent led by the most destructive opening combo of Virender Sehwag and Gautam Gambhir, followed by keeper Dinesh Karthik. Tillekaratne Dilshan, David Warner and AB De Villiers have to be among the most feared T20 players in the world with their inventive batting and electric fielding that can sometimes be very crucial in the shortest format. The pace bowling is spearheaded by Ashish Nehra and the fearsome Dutchman-turned-Aussie Dirk Nannes. Amit Mishra is the Indian spinner, who may need to take a backseat to Kiwi skipper Dan Vettori once he returns from international duty.

Verdict: With a team as strong as this, the Daredevils will have to perform very badly to miss out on a semifinal berth. What they do need to ensure is they don't choke in the semifinals. (read more)

Chennai Super Kings:

Chennai are badly hit by injuries this time, with Andrew Flintoff withdrawing long back and Jacob Oram unexpectedly ruled out for a month. The overseas allrounders, who form a cornerstone of the team, will now boast of only South Africans Albie Morkel, Thissara Perera and Justin Kemp. A lot will depend on their big 3 batsmen, Matthew Hayden, skipper MS Dhoni and southpaw Suresh Raina, and if they click this time round as well, we may see them go through to the semis for a third time running. The bowling remains their weak link, with Makhaya Ntini and Muralitharan in the twilight of their career and Balaji, Gony and Tyagi being expensive options.

Verdict: With the spate of injuries, this might just be the year we see this heavyweight team underperform and miss out on a semis spot. (read more)

Royal Challengers Bangalore:

This year, Bangalore boast of a very strong team indeed, with fantastic hitters of the likes of Ross Taylor, Cameron White, Kevin Pietersen and new signing Eoin Morgan, and the dependability of South Africans Jacques Kallis and Mark Boucher. They also possess possibly the best of the local batting talent, in dynamic and ambitious youngsters Virat Kohli, Manish Pandey and Robin Uthappa, apart from stalwart Rahul Dravid. Skipper Anil Kumble leads the bowling attack that also boasts of the likes of test No.1 Dale Steyn. They will miss a few key players in the first half, but a full strength side during the business end of the competition should see them through.

Verdict: On paper they look strong enough to do an encore of last year's final appearance. With an inspiring captain at the helm, one cannot rule out them going all the way. (read more)

Deccan Chargers:

Last year's champions will most certainly be looking for a dream repeat this time as they have managed to retain the bulk of the winning squad for this season, the only major change being Kemar Roach coming in for another Caribbean paceman Fidel Edwards. Also the Aussie behemoth Andrew Symonds will be available throughout and that will be a massive boost. Skipper Adam Gilchrist and Rohit Sharma will once again be crucial to their chances, with Herschelle Gibbs and Dwayne Smith providing two more attacking options. Playing in India though will bring back horrid memories of the 1st season, and you can bet an ambitious side like the Chargers will be desperate to right past wrongs.

Verdict: There is no reason why they cannot reach the semis once more. One factor that they will have to consider is opposition sides are likely to be stronger and come harder at them. (read more)

Mumbai Indians:

Mumbai come into the IPL with the biggest signing of the year in Kieron Pollard. Pollard has shown his mettle in T20s by guiding both Trinidad & Tobago and South Australia to the finals of the Champions League T20 and the KFC Big Bash respectively. His big hitting skills will go a long way in deciding the fortunes of Mumbai. Apart from him, the team remains pretty much the same as last year, with the batting resting on the shoulders of Sachin Tendulkar, Sanath Jayasuriya and JP Duminy. The bowling, it has to be said, looks good with a lineup comprising of Zaheer Khan, Harbhajan Singh and Lasith Malinga.

Verdict: In previous editions, they have been guilty of underperforming, but if they play to their potential they should make it to the semis. (read more)

Rajasthan Royals:

After a dream of a first season where they stunned one and all to steal the trophy, the second season saw them finish 6th, and now they need a dramatic runaround to make it back to the top. They never had a stellar team even in the first season, relying more on overall team contributions and the inspirational captaincy of Aussie spin legend Shane Warne. This time as well, they would look for a similar strategy, but without key men Shane Watson, Sohail Tanvir and Ravindra Jadeja, it is going to be an uphill task. A lot rests on Graeme Smith (who is recovering from an injury) at the top, and Yusuf Pathan's finishing. The fringe Indian players will have to chip in as well. However, world's fastest bowler Shaun Tait is in top form and his searing pace may upset many an applecart.

Verdict: Without the key players who contributed to first season's success, they will be struggling to find matchwinners and may not make it to the semis this time as well. (read more)

Kings XI Punjab:

Like the Mumbai Indians, the Kings have underperformed both times. They certainly have the talent to go all the way, but fail in crunch situations. Both the batting and bowling departments are very strong and all they need is a killer instinct that might just come in now that the captaincy has been passed on to Sri Lankan Kumar Sangakkara from Yuvraj Singh. Their batting is powered by a string of left-handers, comprising Karan Goel, Shaun Marsh, Sangakkara, Yuvraj, Irfan Pathan and Piyush Chawla, with Jayawardene being the lone righthander. The bowling is in very safe hands as well, headed by Brett Lee, who recently retired from tests, and Yusuf Abdulla, who was a steady performer for them last season. The Indian contingent is represented by Irfan Pathan and Piyush Chawla, who, apart from contributing with the ball, are more than handy lower down with the bat. The precocious Adrian Barath might come is an unknown force, and his youthful exuberance could be a major surprise factor if he gets the chance.

Verdict: Once more, it must be said that the situation is similar to that of Mumbai, and it is only their own underachievement that pulls them away from a semifinal slot. (read more)

Kolkata Knight Riders:

With ‘Miracle-Coach' Dav Whatmore as the helm and Bengal's dearest Dada running affairs on the pitch, the Knight Riders would want to put last season's horrendous run behind them and start afresh. They have always had a fabulous batting side, with T20 internationals' sole centurions Chris Gayle and Brendon McCullum in the team, and Aussie Brad Hodge for cover. Their local talent had been weaker, but that does not seem to be the case this time, with the addition of Manoj Tiwary and Rohan Gavaskar, and a good year for wicketkeeper batsman Wriddhiman Saha in domestic circles. The bowling too has been strengthened with the addition of Kiwi Shane Bond, and he is backed up by the economical Charl Langeveldt. There is still a concern with the Indian bowling attack, comprising Ishant Sharma, Ashoke Dinda and Murali Kartik, and if they hold up, we may see a resurgence of the Dark Knights. They will be missing a few key men in the initial part of the competition, and it is important they do not throw away the initiative early on.

Verdict: They have to be the dark horses of the competition. The formbook says they stand no chance, but so did it say for Deccan last year. They definitely have the team, all they need is inspiration. (read more)

Semi-final Picks:

Delhi Daredevils - They are simply too good to be left out, but have a habit of choking in the semis.

Royal Challengers Bangalore - If Delhi are the best, they have to be second-best; might go all the way.

Deccan Chargers - They have a stronger team than last year's winning team; so that should be reason enough to put them in the semis. Let's hope the winning momentum doesn't desert them thanks to the return to India.

Kolkata Knight Riders - Love them or hate them, you simply can't ignore them. This time they will make their presence felt and stage some heartbreaking upsets to charge into the semifinals, where it is anybody's game.

Excluding Chennai from this line-up is bound to flare some tempers, but their preparation has been far from ideal with the number of injuries, and their overdependence on Hayden, Dhoni and Raina. If I was to say which other teams might just make it, knocking out one of the 4 mentioned above, it would have to be Mumbai of Punjab, as both have the potential, but possibly lack the passion.

Here's to a fantastic season of riveting slam-bang action at its best. Bring on the cricket, the crowds, the cheerleaders, the glitz and the glamour, and also the DLF maximums and Citi Moments of Success!

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