The dark horses of IPL 2010

Thissara Perera is fresh to international cricket, but is already looked upon as Sri Lanka's batting Powerplay specialist. In his third ODI, against India in January, Perera showed exactly why he is held in high regard by the Sri Lanka think-tank. Walking into a tight chase that needed a further 54 off 39 balls to reach fruition, Perera's 15-ball 36 sealed the match with two overs to spare.

That is the kind of explosive impact that Chennai Super Kings could do with in their middle order, which in past seasons has struggled to capitalize on the momentum provided at the top, by Mathew Hayden and Suresh Raina. Perera's handy seamers, which wreaked havoc in the recent Inter-Provincial Twenty20 tournament where he picked 9 wickets at 13.11, provide MS Dhoni the option of a strike bowler in the middle of the innings. Given Albie Morkel's poor form, Andrew Flintoff's absence and Jacob Oram's injury woes, Perera could well emerge the key allrounder for Chennai this season.

His IPL captain Adam Gilchrist has been raving about him recently. Many in Australia hold him as the best young player in the country. Mitchell Marsh, brother of Shaun, is a powerful batsman and a medium pacer who recently led Australia U-19 to victory in the World Cup.

In 2008-09, at the age of 17, he became the youngest ever player to feature in Australian domestic one-day competition and was also the youngest debutant for Western Australia in 70 years. He announced himself the following summer with a a 29-ball 60 against NSW in an FR Cup game. Expect sparks to fly in this IPL.

Shane Warne has the knack of unearthing heroes from the most unexpected quarters and Michael Lumb could be his next surprise discovery. A hard-hitting batsman from South Africa, Lumb made his way through the junior ranks in Transvaal before moving to England. After an initial high, his abilities seemed to have plateaued and he was dropped by Yorkshire in 2005.

A couple of uneventful seasons later, Lumb moved to Hampshire in 2007, and thereafter the stars aligned perfectly. He found his calling in the youngest format of the game, and peaked in 2009 with 442 runs in 11 games, a performance that caught the eyes of Warne as well as the national selectors. An England Lions call-up followed, but Lumb's biggest break yet could be the Rajasthan Royals' contract. After the heroics of Yusuf Pathan and Kamran Khan in past seasons, Lumb may well emerge as the new poster boy for a side that regularly punches above its weight.

At the age of 29, R Satish's journey to prominence has been one full of dead-ends, detours and determination. Hailing from a modest background, from the town of Trichy in Tamil Nadu, Satish had to cycle 20 km everyday during his formative years just to have a chance to play the game. Despite breaking into the Tamil Nadu team in 2000-01, he was unable to become a permanent fixture in the side and migrated to Assam in 2003. Playing for a relatively weaker side, he averaged over fifty through two strong seasons, the highlight being an unbeaten 204 against his earlier team. He later broke away from the mainstream and joined the Indian Cricket League where he made waves with the Chennai-based franchise, and as the captain of the ICL India XI.

He returned to the Tamil Nadu side after BCCI's offer of amnesty to the ICL players and his second wind has been pivotal in the state's ascendancy in the domestic scene. A hard-hitting batsman who can hold his own with the ball, Satish is also a livewire in the field. He shone in all three facets of the game, as Tamil Nadu clinched the recently-concluded Vijay Hazare Trophy, and goes into the IPL in the middle of a purple patch.

Purchased by the Royal Challengers Bangalore for $220,000, Morgan is undoubtedly the biggest steal of the 2010 auction. An Irish import to England colours, he brings to the table the rare ability to play innovative, yet risk-free, shots under pressure. He announced himself on the international stage with a breathtaking 67 off 34 balls that eliminated South Africa from the Champions Trophy in 2009, followed by a mauling of the same attack in a Twenty20 fixture in Johannesburg.

While those knocks proved that he could come up trumps against the best bowlers in the world, his contrastingly calm and collected century in an ODI chase against Bangladesh epitomised his ability to adapt to the situation. The stand-out feature of his innings was the ability to manufacture shots, such as the powerful, yet carpet-bound, reverse-sweeps in front of square, through packed off-side fields. Such innovation will come in handy for Bangalore, who have their share of correct batsmen in Jacques Kallis and Rahul Dravid.

Mohnish Mishra is a hard-hitting batsman who made a name for himself as a T20 opener while playing in the ICL. He rejoined the BCCI fold last year to play first-class cricket for Madhya Pradesh. In six T20 games for Madhya Pradesh, he averages 41.80 at a strike rate of 155.97 and from 16 List A games, he averages over 50 at a strike rate of 97.

Gilchrist, his IPL captain, has already said he is really impressed with Mishra's batting prowess but it's to be seen whether Mishra gets a chance to make a name for himself in this IPL.

In 2009, R Ashwin's role in the IPL was limited to one excellent spell against Punjab, but circumstances suggest he could be crucial to Chennai's campaign this year. While his bowling has crossed the barrier that separates adequate from effective, he has improved immeasurably with the bat. The highlight of his domestic season was the Duleep Trophy semi-final where he struck two fighting half-centuries apart from contributing six vital second-innings scalps.

While Ashwin is at the peak of his powers, it helps his cause that there may be a slow-bowling vacancy in the Chennai ranks with their first-choice spinner, Muttiah Muralitharan, not in the best of form. Shadab Jakati stepped up well last season with his incisive left-arm spin, which could be complemented by Ashwin's off-breaks delivered from a high trajectory. If Ashwin is included ahead of Murali, it will also open up an overseas slot for Chennai.