What a difference a year makes. Last season, Delhi Daredevils got their first win in their third game against Pune Warriors in Navi Mumbai. They ended at the bottom of the table with just four victories and their squad was criticised for being frail in the batting department. This time around, with their new acquisitions yet to arrive due to international commitments, Virender Sehwag's team has started out well, upsetting the Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR) on Thursday.

The team led by Virender Sehwag got an excellent performance out of their bowlers and fielders, and opener Aaron Finch and Man of the Match Irfan Pathan shone with the bat. They now run into last year's Indian Premier League and Champions League Twenty20 runners-up Royal Challengers Bangalore, a team that looks fearsome no matter which department of the game one looks at.

Right at the top of the order, they have the most amazing power hitter in the world of cricket in Chris Gayle, while their middle order consists of one of the most improved batsmen in Virat Kohli and South African AB de Villiers. In the bowling department, a fitagain Zaheer Khan leads a strong pace contingent that also includes Karnataka pacers R Vinay Kumar and Abhimanyu Mithun, while captain and left-arm spinner Daniel Vettori is joined for this year by the legendary Sri Lankan Muttiah Muralitharan. On Friday, when asked about the availability of key players like Gayle and Zaheer, who have been recovering from injuries, captain Vettori played his cards close to his chest, saying: 'We will get a better idea tonight as to how they are doing.'

In the net session at the M Chinnaswamy Stadium, Gayle could be seen hitting the net bowlers and some teammates too with his customary nonchalance. There was a threatening cloud hovering over the ground in the afternoon and it drizzled in the evening on Friday. The Daredevils chose not to practice as they flew in only in the afternoon, after a late finish in Kolkata on Thursday.

Their main strength, for now, is their pace battery, led by South African Morne Morkel and Umesh Yadav, who can both beat the batsmen with sheer pace, like they did against KKR while sharing five wickets between them. Irfan bowled only one over on Thursday, but would be hoping there is some help for the seamers, because on a flat pitch it would certainly be advantage Bangalore. But then there is the Sehwag factor. And if Bangalore can get him early, they would be able to say 'well begun is half done'.