Rajasthan Royals:

Strengths:
The Rajasthan Royals have a captain who is one of the best in the business, but then again, he will need to lead from the front. Apart from the captain Shane Warne, Yusuf Pathan’s bold and audacious hitting will make him a dangerous customer for the opposition and on grounds which support his brand of batting, things will become really difficult for the opposition.
But Rajasthan’s biggest strength is that they do not possess too many super-stars like some of the other names. Their basic strategy is to make the most of their limited players, and that is precisely how they had won the first edition of the tournament. In the second IPL, they had picked up a side more suitable for the Indian conditions but with the tournament moved to South Africa, they had ha their difficulties. Now, they should relish the Indian conditions and they will be followed with quite a lot of interest in the tournament.

Weaknesses:
Their middle-order looks a tad weak. Over-reliance on Yusuf Pathan could be an issue and if Graeme Smith or Swapnil Asnodkar are unable to recapture their form of the past, things could get really difficult for the Rajasthan side.

Players to watch out for:
Pathan without doubt. But apart from Pathan, it will be interesting to see whether two of the older guys, Warne himself and Damien Martyn, are able to make their age a non-issue and deliver for the side. warne’s shoulder needs to hold up, but in his own words, the more he bowls, the better it gets and hence he could be the bowler to look out for.

Kings XI Punjab:

Strengths:
The captain has changed from Yuvraj Singh to Kumar Sangakkara, and one gets the feeling that unlike Brendon McCullum , Sangakkara will be able to unite the team much better than what Yuvi managed in the second edition. That should also take the load off Yuvraj Singh’s shoulders and allow the Punjab team to enjoy his stroke-play.

Weaknesses:
The absence of Brett Lee will hurt, as would the presence of a half-fit Irfan Pathan. Unfortunately for the Punjab side, their bowling could be an issue as neither is it strong nor does it consist of players who can bottle ends up even in this format of the game. With not too many wickets to show for, and with the runs leaking at both ends, things could get very difficult for even someone like a Yusuf Abdullah, who is not used to bowling in Indian conditions.

Players to watch out for:
Yuvraj Singh, if fit, would be raring to go. He hasn’t had a great last one year, and with injuries having taken over, he is struggling to make it count. So will Kumar Sangakkara and S Sreesanth, all of whom have much to prove in their own little ways.