Deccan Chargers (DC)

deccan chargers

Hyderabad Deccan Chargers

Hyderabad has a very formidable team in Sunrisers Hyderabad at the moment. They have won a tournament in David Warner’s leadership, and remain a candidate to lift the trophy every single season. However, their old team Deccan Chargers was also a very good side. They are the only side who were a part of the initial eight teams of the Indian Premier League, but no longer exist now.

Poor in 2008, on top of the world in 2009, and dead by 2012 – this is how one can describe Deccan Chargers’ journey in the IPL. Though the IPL is a very profitable venture now, it has seen its share of tough times. The owners of Deccan Chargers had to deal with financial problems and decided to sell the franchise.

They eventually put up a newspaper advertisement, giving out details about the auction. But the auction was of no avail, as the lone bidders, PVP Ventures saw their bid declined. Deccan Chargers’ management stated that they were not satisfied with PVP’s plan to divide the amount into two parts and pay in a span of ten years. BCCI decided to step in later and announced that the side has breached contract terms. They were subsequently terminated, and the matter went up to court. Eventually, a new entity called Sunrisers Hyderabad came into being.

Let us have a detailed look into the IPL-winning franchise:

#Owners

Deccan Chronicle Holdings Limited

The side was owned by Deccan Chronicle Holdings Limited. Deccan Chronicle is an Indian newspaper which started out pre-Independence, in 1938. They derive their name from the Deccan Plateau of India. They have their headquarters in Secunderabad, Telangana. DCHL had to pay US$107 million to acquire the franchise. Currently, DCHL is owned by SREI.

#Brand

deccan chargers

The Chargers logo featured a raging bull. In their first season, they had a colour combination of beige and black for their jersey. But after a horrific outing, they decided to change their kit. Blue and silver were used from them, and luckily, their fortunes changed for good. They colours of the logo was also changed from red and beige to white and blue. They had a pacy theme song in ‘Go Chargers Go’.

#Seasons

ipl-cup-image

After the squads were made for the very first edition of the IPL, many predicted that Deccan Chargers will go on to win the tournament. Despite having a squad full of talented superstars, they were very poor on the field. In 14 matches, they managed to win only 2 games. They hence finished last in the points table.

But things changed in the next season. With the change in both venues and in their branding, the Chargers got a breath of fresh air. Though they were not the best of teams in the league phase, they were definitely a lot better than their old self. They managed to win half of their games and ensure a place in the semi-finals. In the semi-final, they defeated the table-toppers Delhi Capitals at the SuperSport Park in Centurion.

They met Royal Challengers Bangalore in the final at Johannesburg’s New Wanderers Stadium. Batting first, the Chargers could only manage 143 runs. However, they managed to win the game by six runs, thanks to some brilliant and disciplined bowling. They managed to keep hold of their good form in the next season as well.

This time, they finished 2nd in the league stages. However, this time they were defeated in the semi-finals by Chennai Super Kings, who eventually went on to win the trophy. They were once again back to their disastrous self in 2011. They could only manage 6 wins out of their 14 games. As a result, they finished seventh in the points table. In their last season in 2012, they got worse. The Chargers won only 4 games and finished in the eighth place.

#Key Players and Coaching Staff

Deccan Chargers

Deccan Chargers were coached by the former Australian national team coach Darren Lehmann. Most of what they have achieved in their short lifespan is due to the heroics of Adam Gilchrist. Barring him, Herschelle Gibbs and Rohit Sharma were also brilliant with the bat in their trophy-winning season. With the ball, RP Singh did all the wonderful work.

Pragyan Ojha was also an important member of the side. Had it not been for his match-winning spell in the final, the result might have been different. 2010 was the year when Andrew Symonds played to his full potential. The year also saw the rise of Tirumalasetti Suman. Ojha was once again brilliant with the ball, and Chargers found another superb pacer in Ryan Harris. Over the years, Chaminda Vaas has also been impressive for them.