Deccan Chargers first-ever playing XI in IPL: Where are they now?

When the IPL had first begun in 2008, the Deccan Chargers (DC) franchise was termed to be the strongest. In their kitty, DC had mega stars like Adam Gilchrist, Herschelle Gibbs, and Shahid Afridi. In fact, to further strengthen themselves, DC had bought Andrew Symonds as their most expensive purchase of 2008. Even in their bowling, they had the legendary Chaminda Vaas, alongside India’s T20 World Cup hero RP Singh. However, despite having powerful personnel, DC finished last on the points table. By bagging just two wins, IPL 2008 turned out to be a debacle for the franchise. Overall, in the inaugural IPL season, the Hyderabad franchise kicked off by playing against the Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR). However, the Purple Army defeated the Hyderabad-based team by 5 wickets. Meanwhile, let’s check out the Deccan Chargers first ever playing XI and their current lives 1. Adam Gilchrist (wk) Adam Gilchrist. (Photo Source: Getty Images) Before joining the IPL, Adam Gilchrist had just hung his boots in international cricket in 2008. The legendary Aussie gloveman was also considered to be the best swashbuckling opener of his time. In IPL 2008, despite the franchise having endured an ordeal, Gilchrist scored a tally of 436 runs from 14 games. Particularly in his debut IPL match, the southpaw played a decent knock of 23 runs. This Aussie great is now a broadcaster, TV commentator, and business executive. Immediately post his retirement, Gilchrist had joined the Nine Network after which his commentary stints have been famous in the Big Bash League (BBL). At present, the former gloveman is a part of the commentary panel for FOX Cricket. Perhaps, by also being active outside of cricket, Gilchrist has served in many of the company directorships. The 50-year-old has been the director of Travelex and the ASX-listed sandalwood company, TFS Corporation. Apart from this, Gilchrist has also made appearances on the Australian comedy series – How to Stay Married. 2. Venugopal Rao Venugopal Rao. (Photo Source: Getty Images) As a local boy of the Andhra team, Venugopal Rao had started his IPL journey with DC. The batter, because of his flexibility, was seen performing many roles both in the middle-order and at the top. From his tally of 11 appearances, Venugopal scored 288 runs at an average of 36 for DC in the 2008 season. In his debut innings, the batter was dismissed cheaply, for 14 runs. However, with regards to his overall IPL career, Venugopal played till the IPL 2014 season. In 2019, by deciding to retire from all forms of the game, the 37-year brought curtains to his career after playing for two decades, scoring 7081 first-class runs by then. At the fag end of his career, Venugopal had also played corporate cricket for MRF. Perhaps now, in terms of his post-retirement life, the Andhra veteran is part of the Star Sports Telugu team as a commentator. In 2019, Venugopal had also expressed his desire for coaching stints. Meanwhile, the 39-year old was also part of DC’s winning squad in IPL 2009. 3. VVS Laxman (c) VVS Laxman Deccan Chargers. (Photo Source: Twitter) VVS Laxman started his IPL career with his home franchise. Despite not being part of the icon player’s list, Laxman was signed by DC as captain. Unfortunately, his captaincy stint in IPL 2008 only lasted six games. It was eventually passed on to Australia’s Adam Gilchrist. In his IPL debut, Laxman was, unfortunately, dismissed for a duck. However, when the legendary batter hung up his boots in international cricket, in 2012, he was immediately seen working as a TV commentator. From 2015 onwards, Laxman has been an analyst and broadcaster with Star Sports. Laxman has also been a part of the Cricket Advisory Committee (CAC), along with Sourav Ganguly and Sachin Tendulkar. Currently, the BCCI have also made Laxman in-charge of the National Cricket Academy (NCA) in Bengaluru. Apart from this, the 47-year old has reputedly been Sunrisers Hyderabad’s mentor in the IPL. 4. Andrew Symonds Andrew Symonds of the Deccan Chargers. (Photo by Graham Crouch-IPL 2010/IPL via Getty Images) Back in the 2000s, Andrew Symonds was regarded as the most destructive middle-order batsman. Known to play with a meaty bat and strong hands, Symonds used to smoothly clear the boundary ropes. Hence, considering his aggressive style of game-play, the Hyderabad-based franchise had gone full throttle to acquire this Aussie Hercules. Despite being the most expensive overseas player of IPL 2008, the all-rounder had only featured in a total of four games. In fact, Symonds batted only thrice and amassed 161 runs, including a mammoth hundred. Even in his debut innings, the Australian played a solid knock of 32 runs. Post his retirement, the Queenslander has made several guest appearances on the BBL as a commentator. The 46-year-old has also featured in the Indian reality show called ‘Big Boss’. Besides his media appearances, Symonds was also part of the Bollywood movie Patiala House in 2011. Recently, in January 2020, Symonds had played for Adam Gilchrist’s XI in the Australian Bushfire charity game. It has also been noted that the cricketer, besides the game of bat and ball, is also passionate about rugby. 5. Rohit Sharma Rohit Sharma of Deccan Chargers. (Photo by Tom Shaw/Getty Images) In the IPL, Rohit Sharma is the only cricketer to bag maximum trophies – five of them with the Mumbai Indians and one with the Deccan franchise. Initially, in his debut IPL year, Rohit was just 20 when DC had signed him. Overall, after Adam Gilchrist, it was Rohit’s remarkable batting that has made him the second-highest run-scorer of the team. After his stint with DC, Rohit was then seen climbing the ladder both in the IPL and in international cricket. For MI, he is now the most successful captain in IPL’s history. For Team India, the Hitman is now the full-time captain across all formats. Though Rohit’s inconsistency faced criticism during his formative days, he has been a top-notch performer for DC. All in all, by playing a total of 47 games, the 34-year-old scored 1219 runs at an average of 30.47. 6. Scott Styris Former New Zealand all-rounder Scott Styris. (Photo by SAJJAD HUSSAIN/AFP/Getty Images) From 2007-2010, Scott Styris had emerged as New Zealand’s best middle-order white-ball batter. The Kiwi had a sudden outburst of runs in the 2007 World Cup. Hence, considering his rich form, the all-rounder was taken on board by the Deccan team. Unfortunately, when the team was performing badly, even Styris endured a severe malfunction. From his total of eight games, the batter amassed only 112 runs. Even as a medium-pace bowler, Styris could only bag two wickets. After hanging his boots, Styris is now a full-time broadcaster and commentator. In recent times, he has been a part of Star Sport’s dugout commentary panel. Whether it is the IPL or Team India’s home season proceedings, the NZ cricketer is regularly spotted with his insightful analysis and predictions. Overall, his commentary stints have been enjoyed all around the world. 7. Arjun Yadav Bat and Ball. (Photo Source: Getty Images) Being a member of Hyderabad’s First-Class side, Arjun Yadav was picked by the Deccan franchise in IPL 2008. The cricketer, by having a solid physique, was known to be an all-rounder, who could bowl some handy off-breaks. In fact, when India had won the U-19 World Cup in 2000, Arjun was part of the winning team. In his debut IPL season, he was picked as a number seven who could provide some assistance in bowling. In total, the then 26-year-old featured in eight games, but nothing substantial had come from the cricketer’s performances. Meanwhile, Arjun is known to have retired from all forms of cricket in 2012. Post-retirement, the all-rounder had been the secretary of the India Cements team. Interestingly, Arjun also served as coach of the Hyderabad team in 2019. 8. Sanjay Bangar Sanjay Bangar. (Photo Source: Twitter/RCB) Sanjay Bangar featured in a total of 12 matches for the Chargers. In terms of his batting performances, Bangar’s highest score was 17, and in total, he amassed 49 runs. With his bowling, the all-rounder scalped four wickets only. Even in his debut game, Bangar contributed 14 runs in DC’s total of 110. However, post his retirement in 2013, the 49-year-old has been an impressive batting coach for various teams. Initially, by being in charge of the NCA, Bangar was appointed as India A’s consultant. By mid-2014, Bangar was picked to be the full-time batting coach of Team India till 2019. In the IPL, Bangar has served the same responsibilities for various teams. Interestingly though, the veteran is now also a broadcaster and analyst. He’s also a part of RCB’s support staff. Overall, during his five-year stint as India’s coach, the likes of Virat and Rohit routinely acknowledged his coaching style and work. 9. Chaminda Vaas Chaminda Vaas. (Photo by Santosh Harhare/Hindustan Times via Getty Images) By the time IPL first arrived, Chaminda Vaas was already a legend of the game. By bagging close to 400 ODI wickets till that time, Vaas was a vastly experienced white-ball pacer. Though the veteran barely played T20Is for Sri Lanka, his bowling was very economical. When the Hyderabad franchise signed him, Vaas enjoyed a satisfactory outing from his five games. In his brief appearances, the pacer scalped five wickets at a decent economy rate of 7.55. However, post his retirement, the 47-year-old has been a full-time bowling coach and consultant. In terms of his coaching stint, the former Lankan pacer was contracted to help the New Zealand team for a short period. In fact, till 2015, Vaas was with the Sri Lankan team as a bowling coach. Moreover, this Sri Lankan great has also had stints with the Ireland cricket team. Recently, citing salary issues, Vaas had vacated the national coaching position with the Sri Lankan side. 10. RP Singh RP Singh. (Photo by Tom Shaw/Getty Images) When the Deccan franchise bought RP Singh, the pacer just didn’t leave any stone unturned to perform commendably. As a top-notch swing bowler for Team India during that time, RP was seen amongst the wickets even in the cash-rich league. In fact, by also bagging the Purple Cap in the 2009 season, the speedster claimed 23 wickets from 16 games at an economy of 6.98. However, post his exit from the franchise in 2011, RP didn’t find an IPL team that could provide him the longevity. After DC, the left-arm pacer played for four different franchises. Eventually in 2018, RP hanged his boots as a 32-year old. Nevertheless, after his playing days, RP took up commentary, especially for Team India’s home season fixtures. Recently, the 36-year-old was also part of the BCCI’s CAC in 2021. 11. Pragyan Ojha Pragyan Ojha. (Photo by Robert Cianflone-IPL 2010/IPL via Getty Images) From the age of 13, Pragyan Ojha has been a local cricketer for the Hyderabad team. The spinner was initially paid a salary of around INR 10 lakhs for his debut IPL season. On his T20I debut, Ojha had scalped a four-wicket haul against Bangladesh at Trent Bridge. For the Deccan Chargers, he is still their highest wicket-taker. By playing a total of 56 matches till IPL 2011, Ojha accumulated 62 wickets. In fact, in IPL 2010, the southpaw also fetched the Purple Cap of the season. The spinner announced his retirement in 2020, despite just being 34. Post his retirement, Ojha has represented India Legends in the Road Safety World Series. Apart from this, the cricketer also provides spin consultation, along with being part of the IPL’s governing body. Often, Ojha is also seen as an analyst and broadcaster.

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