Dale Steyn is hoping his knowledge and understanding of his former Indian Premier League franchise will stand him in good stead when Bangalore and the Deccan Chargers clash on Thursday.
The South African pace ace was released by the Royal Challengers in the IPL off season and was subsequently snapped up by the former champions at January's player auction. He now finds himself playing against rather than alongside Virat Kohli and a host of other Indian youngsters retained by Bangalore for the fourth edition of the Twenty20 tournament.
"There are analysts talking about this all the time and it's no secret how to get a player out. If you are playing together with other players in a team and then playing against them at another level, you can use your knowledge of their game against them," he told the Deccan Chronicle.
While Bangalore failed to reach a final during Steyn's three seasons with them, his new franchise clinched glory in the 2009 final and the 27-year-old star is looking forward to his stint with the triumphant bunch, led by Sri Lanka's former limited-overs captain Kumar Sangakkara.
"The nice thing is that there is a new team, new environment. I feel really good playing for a team that has already won the trophy," he added.
" With Kumar being the captain, we have a good chance of doing really well."
Shikhar Dhawan, meanwhile, has insisted that his shift from the Mumbai Indians to the Chargers is going according to plan and, if availed the opportunity against Bangalore, the 25-year-old batsman will do his best to repay the faith shown in him by the Bangalore brains trust.
"I play domestic cricket and IPL with the same attitude of giving my best. I get so involved in the game that I really don't feel the pressure. As a professional cricketer, you need to be flexible and mould yourself according to the needs of your team. Deccan Chargers is my new family now," he enthused.
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