Sprinkle with Proteas

07 April 2016 - 02:42 By Telford Vice

You're a South African who couldn't care less who wins the 2016 Indian Premier League, which starts on Saturday.But you're casting about for a team to support anyway.Which one to choose? Delhi Daredevils or Kings XI Punjab. Which to shun? Sunrisers Hyderabad.Quinton de Kock, JP Duminy, Imran Tahir and Chris Morris will play for Delhi, who will be coached by the SA team's former "performance director", Paddy Upton. Which makes the Daredevils the most Saffer-soaked side in the tournament.The addition of hero-hitter Carlos Brathwaite to their equation means Delhi will also be among the best supported sides.Kings XI Punjab count David Miller, Kyle Abbott and Farhaan Behardien among their members. That Miller will captain them might swing your vote."He has displayed outstanding batting abilities and a cool temperament in many high-pressure situations," Kings XI coach Sanjay Bangar said when Miller was appointed.Since he became an under-13 provincial player, Miller has stepped across a boundary 448 times in all formats. But he has done so as the captain just four times - three of them at the helm of KwaZulu-Natal in the Africa Cup in September.His team won two of those matches, but he suffered two first-ball dismissals and scored five in his other innings.Of course, you might be more interested in the fact that AB de Villiers is back in the colours of Royal Challengers Bangalore, that Kolkata Knight Riders have Morné Morkel in their attack, that Faf du Plessis will take guard for Rising Pune Supergiants, or that Dale Steyn will turn out for Gujarat Lions.Who, you ask?Those last two named teams are included because Chennai Super Kings and Rajasthan Royals have been suspended in the fallout of a corruption and match-fixing scandal.Hey, it's the IPL, they can do what they like.The Kolkata Knight Riders dressing room promises to be quieter than most, what with the famously taciturn Jacques Kallis as their head coach.How Kallis will fare in the wake of his stellar playing career will be keenly watched.Jonty Rhodes is Mumbai Indians' fielding coach, while Allan Donald will corral bowlers at Royal Challengers Bangalore.Pune are odds-on to be the smartest team in town: MS Dhoni, Stephen Fleming and Eric Simons - their captain, head coach and bowling coach - and Du Plessis are among cricket's sharpest thinkers.South Africa's contingent of players stands at 14, making the country the second-biggest supplier of foreigners after Australia's 24...

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