Friday 12 March 2010

Queenslanders Andrew Symonds and eventually Ryan Harris will be gunning for back-to-back championships when the Indian Premier League season opens tonight.

Symonds will pad up for the high profile opening match of the tournament in Navi Mumbai tonight between the Deccan Chargers and Kolkata Knight Riders, while Harris will fly in after the Australian tour of New Zealand finishes at the end of the month.

Matthew Hayden will swing into action with the Chennai Super Kings on Sunday when they host his good mate Symonds and the Deccan Chargers on Sunday.

Chargers skipper Adam Gilchrist said a strong team spirit will play a big part in the Chargers, who finished last in the inaugural season, being ultra competitive in IPL Mark III.

''We've got a great bond that is a legacy of last year's victory,'' Gilchrist told the Deccan Chronicle.

''It's certainly something that will be an asset for us.''

West Indian speedster Kemar Roach and teenage West Australian Mitchell Marsh will

“We've made up for the loss of Fidel Edwards with the inclusion of Kemar Roach - he was very impressive during West Indies' series in Australia,” he said. “Then there is young Mitchell Marsh, an exciting talent, a hard-hitting batsman and a good bowler.”

Security surrounding the teams involved in the tournament is unprecedented, with new Rajasthan Royal Damien Martyn tweeting about the heavy presence.

“Our home base has been a fortress,'' Martyn wrote. “From outside the hotel to inside the grounds, there are police everywhere, even to the extent that on each of our floors there are guards and scanners.”

The Australian contingent involved in the IPL, once Sheffield Shield and international commitments are finished, is:

Bangalore Royal Challengers: Steven Smith, Cameron White.

Chennai Super Kings: George Bailey, Matthew Hayden, Mike Hussey.

Deccan Chargers: Adam Gilchrist, Ryan Harris, Mitchell Marsh, Andrew Symonds.

Delhi Daredevils: Moises Henriques, Andrew McDonald, Dirk Nannes, Dave Warner.

Kings XI Punjab: James Hopes, Brett Lee, Shaun Marsh.

Kolkata Night Riders: Brad Hodge.

Mumbai Indians: nil.

Rajasthan Royals: Damien Martyn, Shaun Tait, Shane Warne