With the Pepsi Indian Premier League 2015 about to commence on April 8, teams and players will be looking for fresh starts. While some like the Kolkata Knight Riders and Chennai Super Kings will look forward to continue their dominance in the tournament, those like the Delhi Daredevils will be looking to make amends. And though the first match is still a couple of days away, teams have already begun the process regrouping and training. Players too are keen to showcase their skills as they engage in the bat and ball duel in the IPL. While batsmen are happy to whack the ball, the bowlers are looking for ways to contain and take wickets. With spinners being singled out for special treatment by the batsman, some have kept the batsmen on a tight leash. Speaking about the role of spin in what is perceived to be a format dominated by batsmen, Delhi Daredevils’ leg-spinner Imran Tahir said, “It’s hard obviously, especially T20 cricket. But we have a key role to play. I think there is still a lot we bring to the table.” “Having variety is very important. If you don’t have variations you are not going to survive, especially playing in India as the Indian players are so good against spin,” he explained. Tahir, who comes into the league from playing for South Africa in the ICC Cricket World Cup 2015 said, “I have to adjust to the conditions very quickly. It’s big difference from T20 to fifty-over cricket. (But) if you back yourself you can do well.” “A lot of left-arm spinners from India have had a lot of success (in the T20 format). So according to me all type of spinners have a big role to play. T20 is a good challenge. But you need to go there with a big heart and that’s the only thing I can say about it.” Discussing plying his craft in T20 and how the game has transformed, he added, “It’s not like you are going to give flight to the ball and the batsman is going to defend. If you give flight then it is going to go for six here. I think even in Test cricket you can’t be a classical spinner like you were twenty years ago. So your pace needs to be very good for all the formats.” While the bowlers are finding ways to contain the batsman, the willow wielders say that it is not all about the big hitting. Asked how much he practices power-hitting, Shreyas Iyer, who will be wearing the DD jersey for the first time, said, “I guess power-hitting is not that important. You just need to time the ball, need to find the middle of the bat frequently and just play in the gaps.” Senior player, Manoj Tiwary too echoed his team-mate’s thoughts and elaborated, “We don’t practice power-hitting, it is more about the timing. I am more of a timer than a power-hitter. We do see a lot of power-hitting from the physically stronger-built players. But as players we have to know our strengths. At times it (power-hitting) is required at the back-end and we do have to at times practice that, just to have muscle memory built in your body.” With the season set to kick-off, Daredevils, who finished at the bottom of the points table last season, are hoping to put forth a better performance. Tahir who was part of DD for a few games last season said, “As a team we need hope that we come back strong. From what I see we all put in our hard work and as team we are gelling really well. We are hoping for a good season. Look, we are working hard. No one can guarantee who is going to win, especially in IPL (which is a dynamic tournament). We are working hard and hoping that we can deliver on the day. And if we deliver on the day I am sure we will be the better team all the way long in the IPL” “Hoping for good this year,” Imran Tahir signs off with a positive note.