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Gayle relishing Twenty20 showpiece

Chris Gayle believes the second ICC World T20 tournament is the ideal stage for up-and-coming players to showcase their worth.

West Indies captain Gayle, who recently caused a stir by revealing a preference for 20-over cricket over more traditional forms of the game, is excited by the exposure of the second global gathering in England this month.

West Indies are in the toughest of all groups and take on Australia on Saturday at the Oval as well as Sri Lanka.

Despite their challenging draw, however, and a terrible set of results since arriving on tour here in April, Gayle views this international competition as a shop window for future franchise deals in a fast-changing 20-over market.

I try to stick to my strength, says Gayle

"It's a huge thing," said Gayle. "It's good for players to be able to make a name for themselves in this format of the game. You never know what the future might hold for them."

Gayle's hundred against South Africa two years ago remains the only one in Twenty20's short international history and he will be employing his usual method of brute force rather than adopting any of the trendy flicks and sweeps of his contemporaries.

"The only extra option for my game is to try to pick up more singles," Gayle said. "I am not too much into the fancy strokes. I try to stick to my strength, which is power: once I get it right I will clear the boundary, so I have to back myself in certain situations.

"I am an attacking person, and hopefully that can bring a lot of joy and smiling in the crowd. The environment is brilliant when Twenty20 is going on. When Test match cricket is going on it is a bit more laid back and quiet."

Gayle sat out the warm-up thrashing by England in midweek after blitzing seven sixes in an unbeaten 88 against Scotland - and will return to lead a team including fellow Indian Premier League players Dwayne Bravo and Fidel Edwards.

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Shane Warne's tactics give Rajasthan Royals an edge over Adam Gilchrist's Deccan Chargers when the two face off on Monday.

Both the sides are smarting from defeats in previous matches.

Warne and Gilchrist, two men who never got along while playing together for Australia, lock horns as rival skippers at Kimberley's De Beers Diamond Oval for the second time in IPL as the race for the semifinals heats up.

Warne had the last laugh in the previous encounter and Gilchrist would be eager to get even with the man with whom he shared one of the most successful partnerships as a wicketkeeper for Australia but could never get along beyond that.

In fact, the Warne-Gilchrist rivalry adds a different dimension to the contest between two sides, evenly matched as far as batting is concerned.

Deccan batting looking good

For Deccan, Andrew Symonds has made a late entry to the team and has made a brilliant start, scoring a 36-ball 60 in the match against Kings XI Punjab.

Gilchrist, himself, has been in a good touch and Herschelle Gibbs hasn't done too bad either. Add to this, Rohit Sharma's consistency and Deccan's line-up looks formidable.

But Rajasthan's batting is no less with openers Naman Ojha and Graeme Smith in fine form. In Yusuf Pathan, Rajasthan has the aggressor who can change the course of a match. Warne, himself, is no novice with the bat.

Bowling could be the difference

It is the bowling, perhaps, which gives Rajasthan the slight edge.

Pacer Amit Singh -- reported for suspect action but allowed to play until the IPL technical committee decides on his fate -- has wrecked havoc whenever he has been given the ball.

Left-arm spinner Ravindra Jadeja is also among the wickets and adding to the team's bowling strength is the captain-cum-coach Warne himself.

In contrast, pace spearhead R P Singh has not been too consistent for Deccan.

The part-time spin of Rohit and Symonds cannot be relied upon to win matches, especially the close games, as was proved in the last-over loss to Kings XI Punjab, even though Gilchrist insists that bowling is not a concern.

That Gilchrist is an inspiring leader cannot be doubted considering the way he has turned Deccan into a competitive team after last season's flop show but Warne's ability to surprise the opposition will give him the edge in MOnday's match.

Approaching milestones
- For both the teams, the forthcoming encounter would be a vital one. Both teams have won five games each so far in the second edition of the IPL.
- Deccan Chargers, in case of a win, would be registering their first victory over Rajasthan. Rajasthan have won all the previous three encounters against Deccan Chargers - by 3 wickets at Hyderabad; by 8 wickets at Jaipur and by 3 wickets at Port Elizabeth.
- Adam Gilchrist (691) requires only 9 runs to complete his 700 runs in the IPL.

Head to head

	P	W	L	NR	Win%
Deccan	23	7	16		30.43
vs Rajasthan	3		3		0.00
Rajasthan	25	17	7	1	68.00
vs Deccan	3	3			100.00