Who is the captain?

Jon Lewis. The model of consistency broke down last season with ankle injuries. Gloucestershire seemed to follow his lead

Who are the overseas players?

Marcus North, 28. Pushing hard on Australia's door until injury and a poor return for Western Australia lost him ground. It could be to Gloucestershire's advantage

Who has arrived?

Jack Russell, the former wicketkeeper, as team “mentor”. William Porterfield, the Ireland opener

Who has left?

None of the players, but Mark Alleyne, the coach, was sacked suddenly in February after 22 years at the club

What has the IPL/ICL done to them?

The ECB agreed to register Hamish Marshall, 29, as a Kolpak player only on Thursday. He played for the Chandigarh Lions in the ICL last year, but the real problem was that he last appeared for New Zealand on April 8, 2007, seven days after the April 1 cut-off. The ECB used its discretion because the infringement was viewed as marginal and the player has turned his back on New Zealand anyway

What is their nickname?

Gladiators

How did they fare last season?

LV County Championship: 7th, second division; NatWest Pro40: 6th, first division; Friends Provident Trophy: 3rd, South conference; Twenty20 Cup: finalists. Injuries to Lewis, Steve Kirby and Craig Spearman hurt them during a largely depressing season

What are their prospects?

Better in the championship if the best players stay fit. Promotion looks beyond them, though, and their main hope is in limited-overs competitions

What are their strengths?

Lewis is due a big season. Marshall and North offer the top order spine

What are their weaknesses?

The batting still looks susceptible to the spectacular collapses of last season. Not much to back up any injuries

One to watch

Vikram Banerjee (above), as with last season. The 24-year-old left-arm spinner took 26 first-class wickets at 45.30 and could gradually become a match-winner. Spent December with the ECB's Emerging Player Group in India