IPL Betting / Andrew Hughes / 07 March 2010 /

For the third of his IPL previews, Andrew Hughes is assessing the chances of the reigning champions from Hyderabad. They were a revelation in South Africa last year. Can Deccan retain their title in 2010?

Performance Last Time

Last year represented an astonishing turnaround for the team that had flopped so badly in IPL 2008. Under the leadership of Adam Gilchrist, they blasted out of the blocks and had all but sealed a semi-final berth with half a dozen games to go. They lost three of their last four group matches and so only qualified for the knockout stages in fourth place, but hit top gear again as they disposed of the fancied Delhi Daredevils and then Royal Challengers Bangalore to win IPL 2009.

Players In/Out

Sri Lankans Nuwan Zoysa and Chamara Silva have been released from the squad but the reigning champions splashed out a hefty fee on young West Indian quick bowler Kemar Roach. They've also signed up four Indian players, including seventeen year old left-armer Harmeet Singh, one of the stars of the Under 19 team.

Player Availability

Kemar Roach (after 14/03)
Dwayne Smith (after 14/03)
Ryan Harris (after 13/03)
Fidel Edwards is unavailable due to injury

Captain

The greatest batsman keeper in the history of the game, Adam Gilchrist

Key Player

Rohit Sharma was the Young Player of the Tournament in 2009, contributing stylishly with the bat and chipping in with some vital wickets.

Strengths

Without a doubt, batting is Deccan's strong suit. Gilchrist, Sharma, Herschelle Gibbs, Andrew Symonds and VVS Laxman make this one of the most formidable and explosive batting line ups in the tournament. In addition, Gilchrist's leadership is aggressive and dynamic and his faith in the younger Indian players has helped forge a positive team spirit.

Weaknesses

The absence of Fidel Edwards could be crucial. Kemar Roach has talent but is very raw and it is asking a lot for him to have the same impact as his more senior compatriot. Beyond the impressive spinner Pragyan Ojha, there is little depth to the bowling, with RP Singh a rather hit and miss performer. Additionally, due to security issues, they will be forced to play their 'home' games away from Hyderabad, at three separate venues, which will entail a lot of travelling.

Prospects

Deccan are deservedly relatively short in the market at [7.2] based on how strongly they performed last time round. But as with Chennai, they could find that they lack a cutting edge in the field and though they will no doubt give a good account of themselves, they could just fall short this time round.

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