The first couple of games in the Indian Premier League 2010 have resulted in some special performances, and some surprise outcomes. Yusuf Pathan played one of the best twenty20 innings that I have ever seen, and he will rarely end up on the losing side if he churns out more performances like that. The Knight Riders shocked the Chargers in their opening match, and Ganguly and his boys will be geared up for their game against our team later today.

The mood is upbeat in the Royal Challengers camp, and the boys are keen to put in a special performance at the historic Eden Gardens. The Kolkata home crowd will be backing their team to the wire, and that’s something that the Challengers will have to deal with if the game gets close.

Eoin Morgan is extremely excited about his IPL debut, and has admitted that he has never played in front of a 53000 strong crowd. His batting is ideal for twenty20 cricket, and I hope he lives up to the expectations of everyone involved in the franchise.

Jacques Kallis has flown in after winning a domestic twenty20 trophy in South Africa, and he can’t wait to turn out in red later today. Kallis is enjoying the challenge of opening the batting in this form of the game, and he probably controls the innings better than any batsman in the shortest format. In addition, Kallis also offers us a new ball option, which plays in integral role in keeping the balance of our side.

As a coach, Anil Kumble is a dream to work with, as few captains have the ability to keep a team together with players from different backgrounds and levels of experience. Kumble is greatly looking forward to leading his red army at home, and will undoubtedly be an inspiring force as a leader and strike bowler, much like his efforts in South Africa.

The Knight Riders have finally broken their jinx of losses, and will go all out to beat us in front of their home fans. This is a big game for them, and the pressure will be on their captain to perform at home.

The action is nearing, and I can’t wait for the game to begin. Momentum is the key in a competition like this, and the Challengers are ready to hit the right notes first up.

Ray Jennings is the former coach of the South African National Team and current head coach of the Royal Challengers. He was talking to Dhruv Mullick

The razzmatazz of the Indian Premier League returns to its rightful home this season, after an exciting tournament in the southern cape last year. All of India will be eagerly awaiting the festivities, as a significant number of fans missed out on watching their favorite players in their home cities last season.

Apart from the various stakeholders of the IPL, everyone at Royal Challengers is extremely excited about the prospect of 7 home games at a packed KSCA, as well as travelling the length and breadth of India for some intense twenty20 cricket.

Our side has grown tremendously since the inaugural edition of the IPL, and it’s particularly heartening to witness the rapid strides that the likes of Virat Kohli, Manish Pandey, Vinay Kumar and Abhimanyu Mithun have made in their respective games.

One player that I have been particularly impressed with over the past year is Virat Kohli, who has made tremendous progress in the international arena. Virat is blessed with extraordinary talent, and it was only a matter of time before he performed consistently in international cricket.

The core group of Indian players in our squad have improved in every aspect of the game, and will undoubtedly have a key role in the team’s success this year. Along with some new exciting international talent, the Royal Challengers have a balanced outfit that will give every franchise a run for their money.

Eoin Morgan is an unorthodox and very ‘un-English’ type of player, and his batting is ideal for twenty20 cricket. He will relish the challenge of the IPL, and will be a fine addition to the middle order of our batting line up. Steve Smith is another promising addition to the team, as he will bring in a great deal of youthful exuberance, with his fine fielding and tight leg spin bowling.

The IPL this year will have a host of high quality international performers, ranging from tear away quick bowlers, to explosive batters, and the fans in India are in for a real treat. Shaun Tait has established himself as one of the most potent strike bowlers in twenty20 cricket, and he is sure to unleash a few 160 Km/hr thunderbolts when he runs in for the Rajasthan Royals this season. In addition, Kieron Pollard will be greatly looking forward to the smaller grounds in India, and will fancy putting many deliveries into the stands when the action gets underway. He will be the prized scalp when teams go up against the Mumbai Indians this year.

As far as the Royal Challengers are concerned, every member in the unit is geared up for the competition, and are looking to go one better than what we achieved in 2009. The action is nearing, and the excitement is building up in the camp, and every player is looking forward to putting up a good show for the fans.

Ray Jennings is the former coach of the South African national cricket team and current head coach of the Royal Challengers. He was talking to Dhruv Mullick.

There was a great deal of anticipation and excitement before our final match against the Delhi Daredevils, with a slim chance of a semi-final berth up for grabs. It was pretty clear to all of us that Victoria needed to beat the Cape Cobras to hand us a lifeline, but that was sadly not the case. I honestly believe that Victoria did extremely well to put up 125 in their 17 over innings, considering the fact that they had such a poor start losing 2 wickets in the first over. The Cobras have been batting well throughout the Champions League, and hardly broke a sweat in chasing down 125, to kill any hope of RCB getting into the last four.

One major difference between the IPL sides and the rest of the teams in the Airtel Champions League T20, is that the IPL players assemble for one tournament a year, whereas the other teams are part of the same first class units in their respective countries, and play together throughout the cricket season.

Our win against a lackluster Otago Volts outfit, was an exercise of complete domination, and I must say that our boys were flawless in executing their plans and strategies. There are very few one-sided T20 games, but the capitulation of the Volts against our bowlers, clearly defined the gap in ability of the two sides.