IPL teams can be disjointed - Berry

The fact that South Australia play together more regularly than some of the IPL teams will be an advantage for them going in to the Champions League Twenty20, their coach Darren Berry has said.

"Teams like [Royal Challengers] Bangalore, with Chris Gayle, AB de Villiers, Daniel Vettori and Dirk Nannes are very strong. However, we play together all year and have a great synergy. IPL teams can be full of stars but disjointed," Berry, who was formerly part of the coaching staff of IPL side Rajasthan Royals, told the Advertiser.

South Australia won the 2010-11 KFC Big Bash in Australia and were semi-finalists in the last edition of the Champions League Twenty20. They have won 15 of their last Twenty20 matches across the Big Bash and Champions League.

Berry said they would be aiming to win the tournament this time and that his side had enough backup to cover for Aiden Blizzard and Kieron Pollard, who will play for Mumbai Indians in the tournament. "We are going there [the CLT20] with the expectation that we will win it. If you go there saying you'll be okay, then that is all you will be.

"Taity [Shaun Tait] is the trump card with the pace, while Daniel Christian's played for Deccan [Chargers] in the IPL and his variety with bat and ball covers for Pollard."

Captain Michael Klinger, Berry pointed out, finished the third-highest run-scorer in last year's CLT20, while batsman Daniel Harris was named state Twenty20 player of the year in Australia. South Australia also have strong and varied spin options, who, he said, could prove handy in Indian conditions. "[Legspinner Adil] Rashid was underdone entering the Big Bash but will come straight from a county season with Yorkshire. [Left-arm spinner Aaron] O'Brien's been a standout Twenty20 bowler for us and Nathan [Lyon, an offspinner] will come from the Sri Lanka Test series."

Apart from the team combination, Berry said the research put in by the team's support staff could prove to be a big advantage. "It can be as simple research as knowing when Zaheer Khan is most likely to bowl a full toss. I pride myself on providing research as a coach."

South Australia's first assignment in this year's CLT20 will be a match in Kolkata on September 25 against the side they lost to in last year's semi-finals - Warriors from South Africa.