Daijiworld Media Network

Abu Dhabi, Apr 18 : We've seen the first score of over 200 in this year's competition in the first game. Perfect batting conditions and a fast outfield means, this contest has all the makings of being a high-scorer. Hello and a warm welcome to the second game of today's double-header. It's Hyderabad and Rajasthan who will get their first glimpse of the tournament tonight.

Both teams have a new look with a lot of re-shuffling done at the auctions. Post their revamp last year, Hyderabad have won only once against Rajasthan in their three outings. It will interesting to see who will be the four foreign players for both sides.

Rajasthan have won the toss and have opted to field

Dhawan: 'The preparation has been done and I am looking forward to doing well tonight. We are ready. We have a good combination of domestic and overseas players. We wanted to bat first anyway and I am quite happy. The grass on the wicket makes the ball skid. It's a bit cooler now and the spinners might get some assistance. Three fast bowlers are playing. Finch, Warner, Sammy and Steyn are our four foreigners.'

Watson: 'It's been really good and the auctions worked out really well and everyone's comfortable with where we are sitting. Rahul Dravid's experience is huge for our team and he's taken a lot of load out of me. We have a few plans, hopefully we can execute them well. Our preparation has been great. We will bowl first. The wicket looks good and hopefully we can chase down the score. Anything under 200 would be nice, that's for sure. We know it's going to be a difficult chase. Nayar, Bhatia, Kulkarni and Kane Richardson debut for us.'

Teams;

Hyderabad (Playing XI): Aaron Finch, Shikhar Dhawan(c), David Warner, Venugopal Rao, Lokesh Rahul(w), Darren Sammy, Karan Sharma, Amit Mishra, Bhuvneshwar Kumar, Dale Steyn, Ishant Sharma

Rajasthan (Playing XI): Ajinkya Rahane, Shane Watson(c), Sanju Samson(w), Stuart Binny, Brad Hodge, Abhishek Nayar, James Faulkner, Rajat Bhatia, Kane Richardson, Dhawal Kulkarni, Pravin Tambe

Team Profiles:

Hyderabad:

The Hyderabad franchise was scrapped for the 2013 edition of the Indian T20 League to make way for Hyderabad. The latest entrants had an impressive debut season with consistent showings throughout the tournament before they finished fourth. With quality resources brimming up the team, the Shikhar Dhawan-led side will be aiming to go even further in the seventh edition of the league.

Strengths: As coach Tom Moody and mentor Kris Srikkanth pointed out, Hyderabad's main strength comes from the fact that they managed to retain the core of their 2013 squad while they also added extra fire-power to the further boost their team. Led by Dhawan, who was the leading run-scorer for his side in the last edition, Hyderabad have a good mix of quality international players and seasoned Indian stars. Their batting was the weak-link in the previous season, but that won't be the case this year as they have a good number of proven performers in the line-up. An explosive top order with the presence of Aaron Finch, David Warner and the skipper, a balanced middle order with the experienced Y Venugopal Rao along with young talents like Manpreet Juneja and Ricky Bhui and a strong lower order with Darren Sammy and Irfan Pathan, Hyderabad are definitely a force to reckon with.

If their batting looks a formidable unit, their bowling oozes even more class - Dale Steyn leads the pace attack which also has Ishant Sharma and Bhuvneshwar Kumar, apart from the all-rounders Sammy and Pathan. Hyderabad are also well-stacked in the spin department with the presence of Amit Mishra, Parveez Rasool and Karn Sharma, while they have quality options for the wicket-keeper's position - Brendan Taylor, Naman Ojha and Lokesh Rahul. Kumar Sangakkara and Thisara Perera may no longer be part of the Sunrisers franchise, but their absence will hardly matter for this well-rounded team.

Weaknesses: While on paper Hyderabad appear a strong outfit, they do have some weaknesses, especially at the top. Their captain had a poor T20 WC and India were forced to leave him out during the latter stages. David Warner too disappointed in that tournament, registering low scores in his first three outings before managing 48 against Bangladesh. Another factor that is perceived as a weakness is the captaincy of Dhawan. The left-hander is slightly inexperienced when it comes to leadership qualities, which was evident in the way he captained the side during the 2013 Champions League. The South Indian franchise has sufficient mentors and experienced players who can assist Dhawan but how he puts that to use remains to be seen.

Opportunities: As Hyderabad, they clinched the trophy in 2009 but that apart, they hardly made their presence felt in the Indian T20 League. However, as Hyderabad, they have the opportunity to make amends for that. They were impressive in the previous edition and Hyderabad will be looking to build on that and come up with an even better showing this time.

Threats: Like with any side, Hyderabad too have to avoid the complacency factor from creeping in. In the previous season, Hyderabad did not have a good away record and tended to rely a lot on slow, spin friendly wickets at home - a strategy that can back-fire.

Rajasthan:

The 2013 season was one of mixed memories for the franchise. The on-field displays were exciting; they quickly became everyones second favourite team, as has been the case every year, they were pioneers in emerging talents. Sanju Samson, the Under-19 batsman shone as an upcoming bright star and was one of the five players retained by the franchise. On the flip side, the off-field shenanigans took away the gloss from Rajasthans performance. Three players, Sreesanth, Ankeet Chavan and Ajit Chandila were found to be involved in spot-fixing and were banned for life by the BCCI. Not just the players, the owners were also suspected to be involved in betting, and it is now up to the Supreme Court to bring the scandal to a logical end.

Rajasthan will also be without their inspiring leader, Rahul Dravid this season. The Wall, as he had been famously nicknamed, will continue to guide them from the sidelines as the team mentor, but the onus of leading the side on the field now shifts to Shane Watson, the Australian all-rounder, who has been with the franchise right from the start of the Indian T20 League in 2008.

Strengths: As has been the case for the Rajasthan, team-work and discipline continues to remain their major strength. They retained the core of their team, Shane Watson, James Faulkner, Stuart Binny, Sanju Samson and Ajinkya Rahane, brought back Pravin Tame using their right to match card and spent money wisely to buy Steven Smith, Tim Southee, Brad Hodge, Kevon Cooper and a host of promising Indian talents. The franchise does not boast of big names, but have the ability to churn match-winners of their own.

Weaknesses: The fortress as the Rajasthan home ground is known will not host even a single game. Ahmedabad will act as Rajasthans hosts for the season a decision that might well come back to haunt the team at the end of the league stage. The change of venue might well result in a change of conditions unlike the Rajasthan pitch which was pacy and bouncy, the Motera tends to be on the slower and lower side. Does Rajasthan have the bowlers for the conditions? Will their batsmen enjoy a surface that is not as true as the ones they are used to?

Opportunities: Shane Watson will be hungry for the challenge of leading the Rajasthan franchise, particularly after being overlooked for higher honors in his native Australia. A franchise that works behind the radar, they 25 players in the roster, the most by any team this season. With plenty of depth and class around, this is one team that can come up with a well settled playing XI

Threats: Sanju Samson and Stuart Binny excelled during the last season, contributing significantly to the teams success. Will the duo continue to prosper this time around? James Faulkner and Ajinkya Rahane, their star performers last season have been struggling with some indifferent form. Despite having a big squad, the franchise does not boast of too many match-winners on their own.

Teams:

Hyderabad (From): Shikhar Dhawan(c), Naman Ojha(w), Dale Steyn, David Warner, Darren Sammy, Amit Mishra, Aaron Finch, Irfan Pathan, Ishant Sharma, Bhuvneshwar Kumar, Brendan Taylor, Moises Henriques, Venugopal Rao, Jason Holder, Srikkanth Anirudha, Manpreet Juneja, Lokesh Rahul, Parvez Rasool, Prasanth Parameswaran, Karan Sharma, Amit Paunikar, Ricky Bhui, Ashish Reddy, Chama Milind

Rajasthan (From): Shane Watson(c), James Faulkner, Stuart Binny, Sanju Samson(w), Ajinkya Rahane, Brad Hodge, Steven Smith, Abhishek Nayar, Ben Cutting, Kane Richardson, Tim Southee, Unmukt Chand, Ankush Bains, Rajat Bhatia, Kevon Cooper, Iqbal Abdulla, Dhawal Kulkarni, Pravin Tambe, Karun Nair, Dishant Yagnik, Vikramjeet Malik, Rahul Tewatia, Amit Mishra, Deepak Hooda, Ankit Sharma