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[flashpan]

Finnally , some good news for Bangalore IPL team . Kallis and Boucher alongside Prince have not been selected by the Cape Cobras team in their 20-20 line-up and hence are free to play for their respective franchaisee team . Another handy addition to the Bangalore line up is the signing of Ashley Noffke who replaces the injured Nathan Bracken albeit for a short period as he is selected for the Aussie test squad to tour WI in May . I heard Noffke is a very good all-rounder for the Queensland team . THis is my XI for the first match against Kolkatta.
Bharat Chipli(bat)
Praveen Kumar(all-rounder)
Rahul Dravid(bat)
Jacques Kallis(all-rounder)
Virat Kohli(bat)
Cameron White(all-rounder)/Ross Taylor(bat)
Mark Boucher(wk)
B Akhil(all-rounder)
Ashley Noffke(all-rounder)
Anil Kumble(bowl)
Zaheer Khan/R Vinay Kumar(bowl)

Vinay Kumar was ranked No 2 in the bowlers list last season and with the expert guidance of Prasad alongside bowling with the likes of international class bowlers like Steyn , Zaheer will help him a long way . This team can boast of batting upto 9 with some world-class players like Dravid , Kallis , Boucher and Kumble who can get into any international line-up and some solid hitters like Praveen Kumar , Akhil , Noffke , Boucher and White whereas Dravid and Kallis can change the course of the match by their own

[OldPal]

Welcome Flash pan to the CV DG .
I hope your team captain RD starts flashing(with bat) little bit more in 20 -20 .
Virat and PK should be your players to watch IMO
All the best.

[ganavk]

I think we underestimate Kallis a lot in this forum. we might actually see a different Kallis altogether in IPL and his bowling will be a great addition to this team.

[poondu]

Welcome Flash pan to the CV DG .
I hope your team captain RD starts flashing(with bat) little bit more in 20 -20 .
Virat and PK should be your players to watch IMO
All the best.

If PK is the guy to watch , then god help the B'lore team

[TheChowmeinWarrior]

you have Cameron White coming in at 6?!?!?! REALLY!? Mans an awesome 20/20 batsman..seen him play 20/20 in England (somerset i think) and here in Oz...can tear apart attacks in the blink of an eye..he's not done much in the 50 over format because hes being batted too low..and truth be told..hes not really an all rounder..his bowling was promising once (Warne rated him as a leggie in the Kumble mold), but it fell away and hes started batting much much better now..top 3 material definately in 20/20! Seriously, with this guy in the team..doesnt really matter whos at the other end if hes on song..brilliant pick by dravid! he's got a highest score 141*, a strike rate of 160.80, 2 hundreds and 5 fifties and an average of 43.90 from 26 games...definately someone you want in your top order!

And Praveen Kumar opening?!?!!  sorry..but from what i've seen hes a glorified tailender..what are you doing having him at the top of the innings??

[ganavk]

On second glance..this team looks as good as any other team especially if all the players are available. I don't believe that RD will be batting at #3 , he should be at #5
PK definitely not opener in this team.

[flashpan]

Well , PK is nothing but a glorified tail-ender and a slogger at best.But he has opened for UP in Ranji trophy and other ODI domestic competetions with some success. This is his domestic 20-20 record.
Bowling Twenty20 5 5 104 84 6 2/5 2/5 14.00 4.84 17.3 0 0 0
Batting Twenty20 5 5 1 113 76* 28.25 86 131.39 0 1 13 2 0 0
Cameron White on the ther hand has always come in the MO and is mainly used by teams as a finisher . You are right that he will be wasted at 6 but I just put his name into the playing XI without thinking a lot abt the batting order . Anyway there is always the oppurtunity to promote him as well as Boucher up the order depending on the situation of the match. I guess this will work well with our team as we have a captain who is not a publicity seeker and always puts his teams interests  ahead of his own , which unfortunately does not hold true in the case of the captains of Mumbai as well as Kolkatta franchaisee.For Eg : Mumbai have an exciting hitter in the form of Luke Ronchi who is an opener . But I doubt wheater he will open for Mumbai as we may very well see Sachin alongside Jayasuriya opening . No Doubt Sachin is an outstanding batsman but is unproven quantity in T20 and will be better served to come in at No 4 for the sake of his team. Worse is Ganguly , Kolkatta will be better served if they open with Gayle and McCullum with Ponting at 3 and Ganguly coming in next . But knowing this selfish chap who is still clamouring for a ODI berth despite being unwanted by Dhoni , he may very well open to get  a few runs at the expense of his own team.

[gouravk]

do you know if anil kumble and zak are going to be fit ?

[flashpan]

Fit Zaheer strenghtens Challengers' bowling line-up

Cricinfo staff

April 15, 2008

 
 
Rahul Dravid, the Royal Challengers' captain, will have the services of Zaheer Khan for their upcoming match against the Kolkata Knight Riders © AFP
 
 
 

The Royal Challengers received a boost when Zaheer Khan announced that he had regained his fitness and that he would feature in the inaugural match of the Indian Premier League, when the Bangalore-based outfit take on the Kolkata Knight Riders on April 18.


"Twenty20 should not be a problem. I have been bowling every day in the last three days and yes I will be playing the first game," Zaheer said.

His return to fitness is set to give a fillip to the Challengers, who will be without services of Dale Steyn for the initial stages of the event. Steyn will take part in the Standard Bank Pro20 tournament in South Africa, before returning to the team. The franchise may also miss Nathan Bracken for the entire tournament, after he was advised four to ten weeks rest for a knee injury.

Zaheer, who was recently named as one of Wisden's five Cricketers of the Year, said he expected the stands to be filled during the Challengers' matches. "The cream of the International players will be playing and there should be crowds. This is the first year, lets see how it goes."

He has been on the road back to recovery since returning mid-way through the tour of Australia, when injury forced him out of the Sydney Test. He subsequently underwent rehabilitation in the Centre for Sports Medicine in Johannesburg, and missed the mandatory fitness Tests ahead of the South Africa series.


Meanwhile, Cameron White, the attacking Australian batsmen, said he was looking at the IPL as an opportunity to work on his game. "I am lucky that I played well for my state [Victoria] in Twenty20 and now I get to play for Bangalore," said White. "I am in the one-day squad for the tour of West Indies after the IPL, so I will try to improve in this tournament."

© Cricinfo

I think Kumle will also be fit in time  for the opening encounter.

[gouravk]

so who will open the bowling with zaheer ?

[flashpan]

It might be Noffke . But Martin Crowe is known for innovations . So we might even see Pk or AK opening the bowling alongside Zaheer . But once Steyn returns , that problem will be solved. 

[gouravk]

I was going to go for PK/Noffke too.

But I hope it is dravid who is making all the decisions and not martin crowe.

[Libran]

Well , PK is nothing but a glorified tail-ender and a slogger at best.But he has opened for UP in Ranji trophy and other ODI domestic competetions with some success. This is his domestic 20-20 record.
Bowling Twenty20 5 5 104 84 6 2/5 2/5 14.00 4.84 17.3 0 0 0
Batting Twenty20 5 5 1 113 76* 28.25 86 131.39 0 1 13 2 0 0
Cameron White on the ther hand has always come in the MO and is mainly used by teams as a finisher . You are right that he will be wasted at 6 but I just put his name into the playing XI without thinking a lot abt the batting order . Anyway there is always the oppurtunity to promote him as well as Boucher up the order depending on the situation of the match. I guess this will work well with our team as we have a captain who is not a publicity seeker and always puts his teams interests  ahead of his own , which unfortunately does not hold true in the case of the captains of Mumbai as well as Kolkatta franchaisee.For Eg : Mumbai have an exciting hitter in the form of Luke Ronchi who is an opener . But I doubt wheater he will open for Mumbai as we may very well see Sachin alongside Jayasuriya opening . No Doubt Sachin is an outstanding batsman but is unproven quantity in T20 and will be better served to come in at No 4 for the sake of his team. Worse is Ganguly , Kolkatta will be better served if they open with Gayle and McCullum with Ponting at 3 and Ganguly coming in next . But knowing this selfish chap who is still clamouring for a ODI berth despite being unwanted by Dhoni , he may very well open to get  a few runs at the expense of his own team.

If SRT is "unproven quantity in T20" , what makes you think he cannot disprove your theory 

And where sir, have you read / heard SG clamouring for an ODI berth... or should we dismiss this as a pure conjecture ...completely unsubstantiated and possible hyperbole 

[dextrous]

Well , PK is nothing but a glorified tail-ender and a slogger at best.But he has opened for UP in Ranji trophy and other ODI domestic competetions with some success. This is his domestic 20-20 record.
Bowling Twenty20 5 5 104 84 6 2/5 2/5 14.00 4.84 17.3 0 0 0
Batting Twenty20 5 5 1 113 76* 28.25 86 131.39 0 1 13 2 0 0
Cameron White on the ther hand has always come in the MO and is mainly used by teams as a finisher . You are right that he will be wasted at 6 but I just put his name into the playing XI without thinking a lot abt the batting order . Anyway there is always the oppurtunity to promote him as well as Boucher up the order depending on the situation of the match. I guess this will work well with our team as we have a captain who is not a publicity seeker and always puts his teams interests  ahead of his own , which unfortunately does not hold true in the case of the captains of Mumbai as well as Kolkatta franchaisee.For Eg : Mumbai have an exciting hitter in the form of Luke Ronchi who is an opener . But I doubt wheater he will open for Mumbai as we may very well see Sachin alongside Jayasuriya opening . No Doubt Sachin is an outstanding batsman but is unproven quantity in T20 and will be better served to come in at No 4 for the sake of his team. Worse is Ganguly , Kolkatta will be better served if they open with Gayle and McCullum with Ponting at 3 and Ganguly coming in next . But knowing this selfish chap who is still clamouring for a ODI berth despite being unwanted by Dhoni , he may very well open to get  a few runs at the expense of his own team.

If SRT is "unproven quantity in T20" , what makes you think he cannot disprove your theory 

And where sir, have you read / heard SG clamouring for an ODI berth... or should we dismiss this as a pure conjecture ...completely unsubstantiated and possible hyperbole 

im sure wanting to play for india is no crime...or a lot of us are criminals!

[flashpan]

Well , i never said that playing for your country is a crime but it is a bit sad to see seasoned performers and seniors like Ganguly literally using every oppurtunity and every interview to express his desire to be back in the ODI team despite knowing very well that he is not welcome into the team by both the captain  and the vice captain  of a team that has just won a major tournament without the service of him. I can just give you a list of interviews where he keeps on reapeating his desire to play ODI's but that would be monotonous.

[pipsqueak]

Well , PK is nothing but a glorified tail-ender and a slogger at best.But he has opened for UP in Ranji trophy and other ODI domestic competetions with some success. This is his domestic 20-20 record.
Bowling Twenty20 5 5 104 84 6 2/5 2/5 14.00 4.84 17.3 0 0 0
Batting Twenty20 5 5 1 113 76* 28.25 86 131.39 0 1 13 2 0 0
Cameron White on the ther hand has always come in the MO and is mainly used by teams as a finisher . You are right that he will be wasted at 6 but I just put his name into the playing XI without thinking a lot abt the batting order . Anyway there is always the oppurtunity to promote him as well as Boucher up the order depending on the situation of the match. I guess this will work well with our team as we have a captain who is not a publicity seeker and always puts his teams interests  ahead of his own , which unfortunately does not hold true in the case of the captains of Mumbai as well as Kolkatta franchaisee.For Eg : Mumbai have an exciting hitter in the form of Luke Ronchi who is an opener . But I doubt wheater he will open for Mumbai as we may very well see Sachin alongside Jayasuriya opening . No Doubt Sachin is an outstanding batsman but is unproven quantity in T20 and will be better served to come in at No 4 for the sake of his team. Worse is Ganguly , Kolkatta will be better served if they open with Gayle and McCullum with Ponting at 3 and Ganguly coming in next . But knowing this selfish chap who is still clamouring for a ODI berth despite being unwanted by Dhoni , he may very well open to get  a few runs at the expense of his own team.

If SRT is "unproven quantity in T20" , what makes you think he cannot disprove your theory 

And where sir, have you read / heard SG clamouring for an ODI berth... or should we dismiss this as a pure conjecture ...completely unsubstantiated and possible hyperbole 

...and so typical. where have i heard this "selfish" before? hmmmmm. oh, does he play politics too, flashpan?

[kban1]

Well , i never said that playing for your country is a crime but it is a bit sad to see seasoned performers and seniors like Ganguly literally using every oppurtunity and every interview to express his desire to be back in the ODI team despite knowing very well that he is not welcome into the team by both the captain  and the vice captain  of a team that has just won a major tournament without the service of him. I can just give you a list of interviews where he keeps on reapeating his desire to play ODI's but that would be monotonous.

And expressing one's intention to play for ODI's makes one selfish ? Not like he held a gun to the captain or vice captain's head now did he ?

Wonderful logic!!

[TheChowmeinWarrior]

ease up on the new guy gangulians!

[Libran]

Well , i never said that playing for your country is a crime but it is a bit sad to see seasoned performers and seniors like Ganguly literally using every oppurtunity and every interview to express his desire to be back in the ODI team despite knowing very well that he is not welcome into the team by both the captain  and the vice captain  of a team that has just won a major tournament without the service of him. I can just give you a list of interviews where he keeps on reapeating his desire to play ODI's but that would be monotonous.

What the eye reads and what the mind churns it out to be are different... Don't worry about the monotony... we have got used to the one track that gets played on this DG by the apologists

here's what he has been saying all through...and none of them are out of his own volition but simple answers to questions.. One can say "no comments" which effectively means "I have so much to say but will not for obvious reasons" or be very frank and tell what is in the mind

Questions like

1. Were you surprised when you were not picked for the Aussie ODI series
A. Yes ( obviously with the kind of runs scored , everyone was surprised)
Expected answer (to be titled "unselfish") . No..infact I threw a party...I was excited that I would be back in Kolkata and could do all my ads while these youngsters (read jokers) run around the park

2. Do you still feel you can contribute to the ODI game
A. Yes...because batting and bowling also matters. It is just not about fielding (given that 'fielding" was the reason given for his ouster)
Expected answer ...No..what is there to contribute...It is such a stupid game. And why would I lose the opportunity of showing off the brand name on my bat for over 4 hours unlike in an ODI game where the time frame is only 3 hours or less ( oh..this would please GC/ PP and the apologists...wouldn't it )

3. They say the ODI game is for the younger and fitter. Your view
A. It is.. but then experience also matters. It should be a mix of youth and experience. Look at the Australian team or the SL team..they also have people who are past 30 and are doing well
Expected answer ...Yes.it is ...we now have the Youngistan brigade walking the streets of India and we oldies need to get away for all this and seek peace in the Himalayas

[kban1]

Well , i never said that playing for your country is a crime but it is a bit sad to see seasoned performers and seniors like Ganguly literally using every oppurtunity and every interview to express his desire to be back in the ODI team despite knowing very well that he is not welcome into the team by both the captain  and the vice captain  of a team that has just won a major tournament without the service of him. I can just give you a list of interviews where he keeps on reapeating his desire to play ODI's but that would be monotonous.

What the eye reads and what the mind churns it out to be are different... Don't worry about the monotony... we have got used to the one track that gets played on this DG by the apologists

here's what he has been saying all through...and none of them are out of his own volition but simple answers to questions.. One can say "no comments" which effectively means "I have so much to say but will not for obvious reasons" or be very frank and tell what is in the mind

Questions like

1. Were you surprised when you were not picked for the Aussie ODI series
A. Yes ( obviously with the kind of runs scored , everyone was surprised)
Expected answer (to be titled "unselfish") . No..infact I threw a party...I was excited that I would be back in Kolkata and could do all my ads while these youngsters (read jokers) run around the park

2. Do you still feel you can contribute to the ODI game
A. Yes...because batting and bowling also matters. It is just not about fielding (given that 'fielding" was the reason given for his ouster)
Expected answer ...No..what is there to contribute...It is such a stupid game. And why would I lose the opportunity of showing off the brand name on my bat for over 4 hours unlike in an ODI game where the time frame is only 3 hours or less ( oh..this would please GC/ PP and the apologists...wouldn't it )

3. They say the ODI game is for the younger and fitter. Your view
A. It is.. but then experience also matters. It should be a mix of youth and experience. Look at the Australian team or the SL team..they also have people who are past 30 and are doing well
Expected answer ...Yes.it is ...we now have the Youngistan brigade walking the streets of India and we oldies need to get away for all this and seek peace in the Himalayas

ravi, its damned if you do, damned if u dont

the haters (not apologists, Im a little more direct) will have a field day eitherway.

[Libran]

Well , i never said that playing for your country is a crime but it is a bit sad to see seasoned performers and seniors like Ganguly literally using every oppurtunity and every interview to express his desire to be back in the ODI team despite knowing very well that he is not welcome into the team by both the captain  and the vice captain  of a team that has just won a major tournament without the service of him. I can just give you a list of interviews where he keeps on reapeating his desire to play ODI's but that would be monotonous.

What the eye reads and what the mind churns it out to be are different... Don't worry about the monotony... we have got used to the one track that gets played on this DG by the apologists

here's what he has been saying all through...and none of them are out of his own volition but simple answers to questions.. One can say "no comments" which effectively means "I have so much to say but will not for obvious reasons" or be very frank and tell what is in the mind

Questions like

1. Were you surprised when you were not picked for the Aussie ODI series
A. Yes ( obviously with the kind of runs scored , everyone was surprised)
Expected answer (to be titled "unselfish") . No..infact I threw a party...I was excited that I would be back in Kolkata and could do all my ads while these youngsters (read jokers) run around the park

2. Do you still feel you can contribute to the ODI game
A. Yes...because batting and bowling also matters. It is just not about fielding (given that 'fielding" was the reason given for his ouster)
Expected answer ...No..what is there to contribute...It is such a stupid game. And why would I lose the opportunity of showing off the brand name on my bat for over 4 hours unlike in an ODI game where the time frame is only 3 hours or less ( oh..this would please GC/ PP and the apologists...wouldn't it )

3. They say the ODI game is for the younger and fitter. Your view
A. It is.. but then experience also matters. It should be a mix of youth and experience. Look at the Australian team or the SL team..they also have people who are past 30 and are doing well
Expected answer ...Yes.it is ...we now have the Youngistan brigade walking the streets of India and we oldies need to get away for all this and seek peace in the Himalayas

ravi, its damned if you do, damned if u dont

the haters (not apologists, Im a little more direct) will have a field day eitherway.

kban...in my view..the apologists are those who will go out of their way to please someone...bend backwards, squeeze and squirm their way to be in the good books of someone else..these are worse than being straightforward haters

[gouravk]

coming back to the topic of this thread

shiv chanderpaul is in awesome form  augurs well for dravids team.

[Libran]

coming back to the topic of this thread

shiv chanderpaul is in awesome form  augurs well for dravids team.

Only 4 foreign players allowed in XI...

Agreed that Cpaul is in ominous form..but sometimes he can get into a rut...and if by quirk of fate, he and WJ are out there in the middle... I'll have 9 pairs of hands at my neck ....

[dhruvdeepak]

coming back to the topic of this thread

shiv chanderpaul is in awesome form  augurs well for dravids team.

Only 4 foreign players allowed in XI...

Agreed that Cpaul is in ominous form..but sometimes he can get into a rut...and if by quirk of fate, he and WJ are out there in the middle... I'll have 9 pairs of hands at my neck ....

10 if you count your own.

[Libran]

coming back to the topic of this thread

shiv chanderpaul is in awesome form  augurs well for dravids team.

Only 4 foreign players allowed in XI...

Agreed that Cpaul is in ominous form..but sometimes he can get into a rut...and if by quirk of fate, he and WJ are out there in the middle... I'll have 9 pairs of hands at my neck ....

10 if you count your own.

yes... "self-suicide" as they say 

[gouravk]

no - i dont think chander will rot. if it is not his day he will get out but he wont rot. he is too seasoned a campaigner not to figure it out. unlike jaffer.

anyway doubt if he will reach in time for first game.

[Libran]

no - i dont think chander will rot. if it is not his day he will get out but he wont rot. he is too seasoned a campaigner not to figure it out. unlike jaffer.

anyway doubt if he will reach in time for first game.

rut ..not rot... He is not a fruit or vegetable to rot 

[TheChowmeinWarrior]

teh..jaffer batting in a Twenty20 match...be either the funniest thing in years or the saddest...

[Libran]

teh..jaffer batting in a Twenty20 match...be either the funniest thing in years or the saddest...

Actually, did he not score a 70 odd in quick time in the Deodhar Trophy...was his gateway to the Test team for the SA series   

[TheChowmeinWarrior]

o'rly? what was he doing batting so quickly? goes against all laws known to man!

though..have you noticed that sometimes he gets abit schizo? bats aggressively in tests...invariably gets out after 19 or 20 runs or realises that hes exerting himself and goes back to sleep over his bat..but i'm very sure i saw an innings where he had a strike rate of 91..was quite 

[flashpan]

No , actually he scored 178 in 132 balls in the Deodhar trophy match . Who were the bowlers 

[TheChowmeinWarrior]

whaaaaaa?! no way! you sure it wasnt a typo? like the 7 got slipped in there by accident?

[OldPal]

Welcome Flash pan to the CV DG .
I hope your team captain RD starts flashing(with bat) little bit more in 20 -20 .
Virat and PK should be your players to watch IMO
All the best.

If PK is the guy to watch , then god help the B'lore team

Paging Gourav to contact FPan !!

[flashpan]

Jaffer and Shukla to lead

Cricinfo staff

March 6, 2008

 
 
An in-form Wasim Jaffer will lead West Zone © AFP
 
 
 


Wasim Jaffer and Laxmi Ratan Shukla have been named captains of the West and East Zones, respectively, for this season's Deodhar Trophy.

Jaffer, after a dismal Test tour of Australia, has been in solid form during the Ranji Trophy one-dayers. His 349 runs at 116.33, with a best of an unbeaten 178 from just 132 balls, are a main reason Mumbai top their group.

The West team comprises names such as Rohit Sharma, who scored 235 runs in ten innings during India's CB Series triumph, Ajit Agarkar, Parthiv Patel, Yusuf Pathan, Under-19 winner Iqbal Abdullah and Munaf Patel, who also featured in the tour of Australia.

Sourav Ganguly and Manoj Tiwary have been named in the East team, as has another victorious U-19 player, Saurabh Tiwary.

The limited-overs tournament will be played at four centers in South Zone from March 14.

Well , I was right . It was not the deodhar Trophy but the Ranji one day zonal tournament just after the series against Austrailia. Who were the opponents?

[Vick]

Well , i never said that playing for your country is a crime but it is a bit sad to see seasoned performers and seniors like Ganguly literally using every oppurtunity and every interview to express his desire to be back in the ODI team despite knowing very well that he is not welcome into the team by both the captain  and the vice captain  of a team that has just won a major tournament without the service of him. I can just give you a list of interviews where he keeps on reapeating his desire to play ODI's but that would be monotonous.

Do you want him to instead say No i no longer wanna play ODIs? And i just read an interview posted by Kban and didnt see anywhere in it SG using every trick to get back in ODI team. And how can any one get back in the team by saying something in Interviews? News papers dont pick team.

[Cover Point]

Interesting to note some of the Gangulians attacking a newby (Flashpan) just because his views appear to be fair and balanced!

And ofcourse my fellow hole dwellor keeps making accusations of impersonation. Very Very Interesting.

[Blwe_torch]

no - i dont think chander will rot. if it is not his day he will get out but he wont rot. he is too seasoned a campaigner not to figure it out. unlike jaffer.

anyway doubt if he will reach in time for first game.

rut ..not rot... He is not a fruit or vegetable to rot 

How dare u challenge God's decree!!

[OldPal]

Well,
I think FPan's point is while SG tries to plays all his cards, why others like RD's are are not heard saying so.
I guess most of the players would answer to same question differnetly. This is open secret that  all players want to play for country , some can say it openly, others may want to get notified it differently e.g in field or pointing to selectors job etc. Most of the jurno's have direct questions for SG, and thus making news more often.
But given both player perform, I dont think there should be any doubt that SG is more suited than RD or VVS (sorry Rams) in ODI's . But it is more about who fits the team composition better and whom does MSD like  

[OldPal]

Flash Pan,
I know i may seem like SG supporter, Which i am of every indian team member ALA complete DG does not defend everything that SG does. My anti SG rheotric has more contribution from here than actually SG ( this is an honest confession).I do share few similar sentiments as you, the posted one's not withstanding (But the typical comments like 15K runs etc,  100 aginast xyz team to remind how one plays have irritated me in past). But inngs like his 87 do refill for a lot of them.

[flashpan]

Age no barrier for Twenty20 success - Boucher

Cricinfo staff

April 15, 2008

 
 
'We (Royal Challengers) have got a few tricks up our sleeve' - Boucher © AFP
 
 
 


Jacques Kallis and Mark Boucher, South Africa's top stars in the Indian Premier League, feel that age and their reputation as Test players will not be a barrier when they enter the field for the Bangalore Royal Challengers in the Twenty20 tournament starting April 18.

"We have done it throughout our career, adjusting to Test cricket, one-day cricket and Twenty20 cricket," the 32-year-old Kallis said in Bangalore three days ahead of their inaugural home game against Kolkata Knight Riders. "So the players are used to it, it is a different mindset. It is probably easier to go from Test cricket to one-day cricket than it is the other way around. We are looking forward to some exciting cricket."

"We have got a few tricks up our sleeve," Boucher, 31, said. "We have got a side that on paper has a lot of good Test players but that's a bonus. If you can play Test cricket, you can play any form of the game. It's just a matter of mindset. If you look at those players called Test players, they have also played some unbelievable innings in one day cricket for their countries. I would rather have a couple of guys who can see off the new ball and post a competitive total than have guys who can smack the ball out of the park and also get out."

The Royal Challengers had bought Kallis for US$ 900,000 and Boucher for US$450,000 during the players' auction in February. Both played the three-Test series in India that ended on Sunday and were cleared to play for the IPL after they were dropped from their domestic teams for the Standard Bank Pro20 tournament in South Africa.

"Obviously, it was a tough couple of weeks playing Test matches, and then we were told that we were going home and now we are staying," Kallis said. "Eventually, the board [Cricket South Africa] released us from our franchises back home. Probably there are six to seven guys who play for our franchise back home, the Cape Cobras. And instead of keeping all the internationals back home, they have released Mark and myself. Therefore we are now part of the IPL contract which allows us to play here."

When asked whether the ICC should find space for the IPL in the international calendar, Boucher said, "We do play a lot of cricket these days. May be the way forward is to go ahead with the IPL and cut down the number of one-dayers we play every year. But ultimately the fans will decide and Twenty20 does create the finance for the ICC."

Boucher and Kallis have had discussions on the 44-day-long tournament with Rahul Dravid, their IPL captain, and said they were excited by the opportunity.

"We spoke to Venkatesh Prasad [the coach of Royal Challengers] the other day and spoke to Rahul last night," Boucher said. "It is difficult to discuss things when we guys are competing with each other in a Test series. So we kept it formal on the field but now the chats are going on and it is exciting."

Boucher is also looking forward to meeting Virat Kohli, his team-mate and captain of India's Under-19 World Cup-winning team. "It would be nice to talk to him and may be share a few whispers about his success against South Africa in the Under-19 World Cup."

Meanwhile Sachin Tendulkar, the Mumbai Indians captain, said he was looking forward to opening with Sanath Jayasuriya in the IPL and facing Shane Warne once again on the field. "Sanath is an exciting batsman and I have always enjoyed his batting, Tendulkar told NDTV, a news channel. "Warney is a great competitor and at all stages of the game, he will try to come back at you. So I am looking forward to that." Tendulkar also said he hadn't expected to be named captain of the side but he anticipated it would be a fun challenge