Rajasthan
They were last season's Cinderella team: Written off at the start, but drawing fans as they embarked on a fairy-tale run that improbably went all the way. They will face the pressure of being the defending champions this time around - but then they have a leader who thrives on pressure. It won't be all smooth sailing, though. Shane Watson is available only as a batsman, and that too for just two weeks, and Sohail Tanvir will be sorely missed. Tyron Henderson, the hardhitting allrounder, will do his best to fill that hole; Dimitri Mascarenhas and Graeme Smith should be available for the entire season.
The buzz
It's all about Warne (with apologies to Shilpa Shetty). He has spoken about the past, the present, and the future of this format. He has thrown darts at his old friend John Buchannan, talked about his friendship with Graeme Smith and has embraced South Africa while expressing sorrow over the loss of India as the venue. Meanwhile, he has quietly picked new faces, discarded the likes of Mohammad Kaif, taken his team to see Australia-South Africa ODI games and generally continued being the team's undisputed marketing and cricketing guru.
New faces
Tyron Henderson, bought for $650,000, is an impact player in this format and Shaun Tait, while not quite possessing the consistency of Tanvir, can do damage in a four-over spell. Indeed, one of the success stories of this season could be the Warne's handling of the fragile Tait. Morne Morkel and Justin Langer are also available. Rob Quiney, the hard-hitting Victoria top-order batsman, has been picked as an uncapped signing; other signings include Victoria's fast bowler Shane Harwood and Queensland allrounder Lee Carseldine.
Watch out for
Henderson. He can be the Watson of this edition. He hits the length, has a good control over the slower ones and is a hard hitter. And he will be playing at home.
Missing in action
Sohail Tanvir. The highest wicket-taker last year and a superb death-over specialist, he will also be missed for his useful lower-order batting.
X Factor
Kamran Khan, a left-arm slinger kept under wraps by Warne. It will be interesting to see how Warne uses him. Will he play him only in select games?
Strength
A very well-balanced team with the emphasis on batting. They have quality in Graeme Smith, players like Ravindra Jadeja, Yusuf Pathan and Henderson who can hit out against the spinners and medium pacers, and a steady bowling attack in Warne, Munaf Patel, Sidharth Trivedi and Jadeja. And they have weeded out players like Kaif who weren't 100% last season.
Weakness
The absence of Tanvir and Watson (he'll play only as a batsman) from the bowling is a concern. But not many expected the injury-prone Watson to be so effective with the ball last season. Time for Henderson and Tait to step up.
PREDICTION FOR 2009
Should make it to the semi-finals. At that stage, their bowling might crack under pressure.
IPL 2008 - The key figures:
Final position: Winners
Top scorer: Shane Watson with 472 runs at 47.20
Top wicket-taker: Sohail Tanvir 22 at 12.09 and economy rate of 7.07
Best result: 105-run win over Delhi
Worst result: Delhi won by nine wickets
Highest team score: 217 for 7 v Deccan Chargers
Lowest team score: 103 v Mumbai
Chennai
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They were a pretty solid outfit last year: The batting was impressive with Matthew Hayden and Michael Hussey in full form though the bowling botched up a few times. They have strengthened it this year with the inclusion of Andrew Flintoff, though only for the first half. It will be interesting to see which four foreigners play. If Flintoff goes in with Makhaya Ntini, Albie Morkel, and Matthew Hayden, we might see Muralitharan, who wasn't so effective last year, sit out with the offspinner R Ashwin, who was the highest wicket-taker in the Challenger series, playing alongside L Balaji and Manpreet Gony.
The buzz
It's been a pretty professional, low-profile show so far - just as it was last year. They announced very early the redesignation of Stephen Fleming as a mentor, rolled out a new team song early, and hit South Africa early as well for their camp. In the auction they got what they wanted - Flintoff.
New faces
Flintoff, Thilan Thushara, and the Tasmanian George Bailey, who might not be used much.
Watch out for
Suresh Raina. He was just ahead of Rohit Sharma in the pecking order before India's series against Sri Lanka began but rocketed ahead by the end of the New Zealand series. Look out for his beautiful strikes over extra-cover. Not many in the world play it better than him.
Missing in action
Michael Hussey, though he has said he will be available for semi-finals if needed. Barring Hussey and Flintoff, all their foreign players are available for the full season.
X Factor
Stephen Fleming the coach. This is his first stint in this role but, if you believe Suresh Raina, he was a great help in developing mental skills. Raina spoke about the dinner meetings last year when Fleming would take him and the young players and offer advice. Post-IPL, we might see the rise of Fleming the coach in the international arena.
Strength
Batting. The middle-order in particular is really strong with Raina, Dhoni, S Badrinath, Flintoff and Albie Morkel. And discount Matthew Hayden, who hit a frenetic 35-ball 65 in the warm-up game, at your peril. He is fit and will have a point to prove after his tame exit from the international arena.
Weakness
Who will open with Hayden? Parthiv Patel averaged 27.45 with a strike rate of 101.68 but was not used in all games. Will they use M Vijay and is he suited for this format? And one has to wait and watch if Manpreet Gony can repeat his dream season.
PREDICTION FOR 2009
Should make it to the semi-finals
IPL 2008 - The key figures:
Final position: Runners-up
Top scorer: Raina with 421 at 38.27
Top wicket-taker: Albie Morkel: 17 wickets at 23.47 and an economy rate of 8.31 and Manpreet Gony: 17 wickets at a higher average but an economy rate of 7.38
Best result: Nine-wicket win over Punjab
Worst result: 9-wicket loss to Mumbai
Highest team score: 240 for 5 v Punjab
Lowest team score: 109 v Rajasthan
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