The stars of cricket come to BT Vision
By Chris Windle 14/04/08
The Indian Premier League is a Twenty20 tournament that features the world's best cricketers and it's underway now.
Setanta and Total Sports subscribers can follow every game on BT Vision. Live matches will be shown on Setanta Sports, channel 34 on your BT Vision, while On Demand games can be accessed in both Cricket and Setanta Replay.
If you'd like to join BT Vision or take out a sports pack please call 0800 012 1745 now.
Here's our guide to the teams and the players to look out for...
MUMBAI INDIANS
Stars include: Shaun Pollock, Sanath Jayasuriya, Robin Uthappa and Ashish Nehra.
One to watch: Sachin Tendulkar
He’ll be lethal because… He’s playing in his own backyard and they like him there – a lot. He’s also pretty handy with a bat, scoring centuries more regularly than the England team drop catches.
He once did this… Scored 69 off 40 balls in a Twenty20 match for Mumbai against Haryana.
How to sledge him: He may be 35 but Tendulkar still has the boyish appearance of someone who’d have trouble getting into a pub. Fluster him by asking to see some ID.
RAJASTHAN ROYALS
Stars include: Graeme Smith, Shane Watson, Yusuf Pathan and Dimitri Mascarenhas.
One to watch: Shane Warne
He’ll be lethal because… He can produce more spin than a washing machine on a roundabout.
He once did this… Skittled Pakistan in the World Cup final of 1999, taking 4 for 33.
How to sledge him: Don’t, he'll make you eat your words. Instead, distract him with the promise of beer.
CHENNAI SUPER KINGS
Stars include: Muttiah Muralitharan, Stephen Fleming, Suresh Raina and Albie Morkel.
One to watch: Mahendra Dhoni
He'll be lethal because... He captained India to the World Twenty20 title. Oh, and Chennai paid $1.5 million for him.
He once did this... Cuffed 183 off 145 balls including ten sixes, against Sri Lanka in 2005.
How to sledge him: Dhoni recently cut off his distinctive long locks. Tell him he doesn't suit short hair.
BANGALORE ROYAL CHALLENGERS
Stars include: Rahul Dravid, Jacques Kallis, Zaheer Khan and Anil Kumble.
One to watch: Shivnarine Chanderpaul
He'll be lethal because... He's one Wisden's Cricketers of the Year and has a test match average of 47.
He once did this... Scored ten off the last two balls of a one-day international against Sri Lanka to win the match.
How to sledge him: Ask him if he realises he should only be aiming for centuries when he's batting – his test match bowling average is 105.
HYDERABAD DECCAN CHARGERS
Stars include: Herschelle Gibbs, Shahid Afridi, Rohit Sharma and RP Singh.
One to watch: Adam Gilchrist
He'll be lethal because... He holds the record for the most dismissals in both test and one-day cricket (416 and 454 respectively), as well as being the only batsman to hit more than 100 sixes in test cricket.
He once did this... Scored 109 not out off just 47 balls to help the Deccan Charges beat the Mumbai Indians.
How to sledge him: Gilly has a habit of walking when he believes he's been dismissed. So appeal enough and you might convince him he is actually out.
KINGS XI PUNJAB
Stars include: Kumar Sangakkara, Ramnaresh Sarwan, Mahela Jayawardene and Irfan Pathan.
One to watch: Yuvraj Singh
He'll be lethal because... He eats poor deliveries for breakfast as his 50 off just 12 deliveries against England at the 2007 World Twenty20 confirms.
He once did this... Hit six sixes in an over against England's Stuart Broad.
How to sledge him: Tell him that he'll never be as famous as his dad, former Indian fast bowler and Punjabi movie star, Yograj Singh.
DELHI DAREDEVILS
Stars include: Virender Sehwag, Glenn McGrath, Gautam Gambhir and AB de Villiers.
One to watch: Mohammad Asif
He'll be lethal because... He's more accurate than your average laser-guided missile and equally as difficult to defend against.
He once did this... Took 4 wickets for 18 runs in a Twenty20 match against India in 2007.
How to sledge him: Ask him how long it took to compile his international Twenty20 highest score of four and whether he needed a good long lie down afterwards.
KOLKATA KNIGHT RIDERS
Stars include: Sourav Ganguly, Ishant Sharma, Ajit Agarkar and Laxmi Shukla.
One to watch: David Hussey
He'll be lethal because... Was voted the player of the tournament in an Australian Twenty20 competition this year.
He once did this... Smashed the second fastest century in Australian one-day domestic history, off just 60 deliveries.
How to sledge him: Given how little faith the Australian selectors have had in him during his career, if you tell him he can't really cut it at this level it might distract him long enough to get him out.
HOW IT WORKS
Each team plays each other home and away, batting 20 overs each.
The top four teams in the league will progress to the semi-finals, and the champions will be crowned at the final on 1 June, live on BT Vision.
Squads are compiled of Indian and imported players and feature most of the biggest names in cricket.
Auctions were held in February and March for the players with some going for over $1 million.