Delhi ready for underdog’s bite

As Gambhir starts analysing one of this tournament’s favourite topics of discussion, a franchise-owner’s nominee, seated on the dais alongside him (why?), reaches across and whisks the mike off the opener to mention that when the team was picked, “we made sure we chose the foreign players keeping in mind the cultural affinity.”Moral of the story: In the Indian Premier League, anything sells, including random theories.

The one thing that no one needs any convincing about, though, is that on any piece of paper, the Delhi Daredevils start their opening encounter against the Rajasthan Royals as firm favourites.

The Ferozeshah Kotla was a buzz of activity, people buzzing from Point A to Point B, some buzzing back from Point B to Point A, all applying finishing touches to the venue — or battle arena, in this tournament of hyperbole.

The Royals are considered to be one of the weakest teams in the league and they have been further depleted by the absence of some of their key foreign recruits. Graeme Smith and Morne Morkel are completing T20 duties back home, Dimitri Mascarenhas is only available from Game Five, while Pakistan’s Younis Khan and Kamran Akmal are yet to finish their one-day series against Bangladesh.

Under the circumstances, they will only be playing three foreigners (teams can use up to four in a game) — Shane Warne, who retired from all forms of Cricket recently; Darren Lehmann, who’s done the same, and Shane Watson, who is trying to find a way back into the Australian one-day side post-injury.

Comparing that to the Delhi line-up seems a bit silly. Gambhir and the fact that he’s figured out the Twenty20 format, Sehwag and the fear he can put into any bowling attack, Tillekaratne Dilshan’s calming influence in the middle, Glenn McGrath’s parsimony — they look in good shape.

Even stevens

But neither Gambhir nor Mohammad Kaif — designated speakers in the absence of captains Sehwag and Warne — thought the shortest format of the game was suited to picking favourites.

“Everything is so fast-paced that there’s no time to make any comebacks. If any team manages to pick up a few early wickets, they automatically become favourites,” Gambhir said time and again (in his defence, he was asked the same question by three different people).

Even Kaif, who will...