Nine matches into the tournament, it hasn’t turned out to be too much of a T20 side either, but now that they’re almost out of contention for a semi-final spot, the would-be kings of the IPL are ready to ease themselves into the role of spoilers —ready to ruin the chances of several other teams by pulling off a couple of surprises.

They have what it takes to win, and they have nothing to lose. In most cases, that’s a rather potent combination.

Going solo

It’s difficult to zero in on Hyderabad’s blues. In a format that is reduced to an exhibition of the broadest bats in cricket, two of the top three run-getters in the tournament — Adam Gilchrist with 308 and Rohit Sharma with 296 — belong to the Deccan Chargers. Between them, they have five half centuries and a century.

Unfortunately, neither has fired in tandem. And off those six innings, only one — Gilchrist’s 109 chasing 154 against Mumbai — turned out to be match-winning.

Even skipper VVS Laxman was finding some sort of form before being ruled out through injury.

A prime example of them not clicking as a team was the match against the Rajasthan Royals, their third in the competition. When Andrew Symonds scores 117 off 53 balls, his side generally wins. But the bowling fell apart, and Shane Warne’s boys chased down 214. Two crucial points, and a big chunk of confidence, had been dropped.

Left goes wrong

... contd.