TheSportsCampus

Scooch on over, make some room, there is a new addition to the Indian Premier League family. It was an expensive baby; the stork had to be paid with a whopping 370 million of the big fish! But don’t worry about setting up a cradle or perambulator; this infant won’t need any pampering (not that it will get any) because this kid was born with a full set of adult teeth!

Yes, the Pune Warriors are the new kids on the block. The team has been christened Sahara Pune Warriors after Sahara Adventure Sports Limited won out on the bidding war with Videocon Group Limited. The Pune franchise is the most valuable of the current lot, financially, what with the stratospheric price tag and a squadron of 30 players. Only time and matches will tell how effective a bunch of players have been signed, but on paper, this team looks quite massive.

Captaining the young side will be the current cynosure of the international circuit, Yuvraj Singh. His magnum opus has just come in the form of the Man of the Tournament in the World Cup 2011, and he will lead the side with a new and more mature head on his shoulders. With three past players of international repute in Geoff Marsh, Pravin Amre and Dermott Reeve coaching the side, the team should warm up to the big stage in no time.

Batting:

The Pune Warriors have laid their hands on a mighty bunch of batsmen well-suited for the Twenty 20 format. While Australian batsmen Callum Ferguson and Tim Paine will not be available for selection till the end of their Bangladesh campaign, the other foreign players are worth the bundle they have come for. A few fulsome imports have also been made by the franchise and fitness-permitting, they look to have a strong bench.

South African lefty Graeme Smith will begin proceedings at the top. Smith did not have the most prosperous of World Cups, but with an average of 33, he is just 42 runs short of reaching 1,000 runs in T20 internationals. When the meatiness of his bat meets his record in the shorter format, the explosion can be match-winning. Alongside him at the opening slot will be Robin Uthappa, brought over for a heady $2.1 million. Known for meeting the ball head on, thwacking front-foot sixers  off the quickest bowlers, the aggressive Uthappa was instrumental in leading India to its T20 World Cup victory in 2007, and has been a match winner for Bangalore for over two seasons. Australia’s second-choice wicket-keeper Tim Paine should don the gloves for Pune on his return from Bangladesh and can play both in the top or lower order. Then the mighty Yuvraj Singh at no.4, of six-maximums-in-an-over fame, will look to scatter the field and crowd with his silken brand of hitting.

The middle order does not let up, made up of pulverizers and stabilizers alike. Kiwi all-rounder Jesse Ryder will probably not get a look in with the bevy of foreign all-rounders squeezing the XI for space, but he brings in an adamant cricketing mindset along with some wobbly medium pace and the capacity to bludgeon the ball out of the park. IPL centurion Manish Pandey is essentially a middle-order batsman, and though he was used up top by the Bangalore Royal Challengers, the Pune XI may not be able to accommodate him at the top. Veteran domestic all-rounder Mithun Manhas will lend his sturdy batsmanship at no. 6, in addition to offering his off-breaks. Pune’s 7^th position in the line-up is blessed, spoilt for choice. Sri Lankan all-rounder Angelo Mathews is currently out with a quad injury, and will make the selection simpler for co-contender Nathan McCullum, the muscular Kiwi all-rounder. Abhishek Jhunjhunwala, previously with Rajasthan Royals, is also a finisher.

The local batting bench includes hard-hitting Assamese batsman Dheeraj Jadhav, young all-rounder Harpreet Singh, 22-year old opening bat Harshad Khadiwale, spare wickie Eklavya Dwivedi, attacking batsman Mohnish Mishra, medium-pace all-rounder Shrikant Mundhe, Maharashtran off-spinning all-rounders Ganesh Gaekwad and Shrikant Wagh.

Bowling:

A slew of left-arm bowling roam the Pune Warriors dressing room. In South African Wayne Parnell, Pune has bought a consistent, wicket-taking left-handed all-rounder. Parnell, the youngest South African to have landed a national contract, heads the bevy of all-round talent in the Warriors’ ranks. Along with Parnell, came Protean fast-bowler Alfonso Thomas, and though he is not likely to find a spot in the starting XI, he is a T20 stalwart with 112 wickets at an average of 18.97. One more left-arm pacer comes in the form of Indian veteran Ashish Nehra, MS Dhoni’s pick of death bowlers. Wagh is another southpaw pacer. The team waits on Mathews’ fitness, but when healthy and rearing to go, the right-arm medium pacer can bowl with surprising variety. Raw left-arm speedster from UP Kamran Khan could joust with UP team-mate Imtiyaz Ahmed and right-handed Sachin Rana. The medium pace of Bhuvneshwar Kumar, which picked Sachin Tendulkar for a duck in a domestic match, could also speak for itself.

Former West Indian spearhead Jerome Taylor, known for his accuracy, pace and skiddiness, has been signed, and national-duty-permitting, he will get a game in. He has not played international cricket for some time now, and may not be the premier choice fast bowler to start with.

Murali Kartik stands as the sole specialist spinner in the squad, and the Pune franchise may find themselves wanting, when push comes to shove, in this department. He will, however, have Nathan McCullum’s off-break for support. Other spinners in the squad include Rahul Sharma, who has played for Deccan Chargers previously, Manhas, Mishra, offie Ganesh Gaekwad and the chief-arm-turner Captain Yuvraj.

Squad:

Batsmen: Yuvraj Singh(capt), Mitchell Marsh, Jesse Ryder, Graeme Smith, Eklavya Dwivedi, Robin Uthappa, Callum Ferguson, Manish Pandey, Harpreet Singh, Dheeraj Jadhav, Abhishek Jhunjhuwala, Harshad Khadiwale, Mithun Manhas, Rahul Sharma, Mohnish Mishra.

Bowlers: Ashish Nehra, Wayne Parnell, Imtiyaz Ahmed, Kamran Khan, Jerome Taylor, Murali Kartik, Bhuvneshwar Kumar, Alfonso Thomas, Shrikant Wagh, Sachin Rana, Shrikanth Munde.

All Rounders: Tim Paine(wk), Ganesh Gaikwad, Nathan McCullum, Angelo Mathews.

Support Staff: Head Coach: Geoff marsh, Assistant Coach: Praveen Amre, Additional Coach: Dermot Reeve.

Likely Playing XI: Graeme Smith/Jesse Ryder (in middle order), Robin Uthappa, Tim Paine / Eklawya Dwivedi (wk), Yuvraj Singh (c), Manish Pandey, Mithun Manhas, Nathan McCullum/Angelo Mathews, Wayne Parnell, Murali Kartik, Sachin Rana/Kamran Khan, Ashish Nehra.

Players to watch:

Yuvraj Singh: For Pune to upset the established order and create a flutter among the ranks, Yuvraj Singh’s all round abilities need to shine. His bowling has come of age and Pune would be hoping that his Midas touch of the World Cup continues in the IPL. A terrific fielder plus the captain of the team, he would be the single handedly their Most Valuable Player.

Robin Uthappa: Having been out of the action for some time now, Uthappa would like to remind the world and particularly to the selectors of the national team that he’s still amongst the best when it comes to power hitting. Having won Bangalore many matches with his clean striking, Pune would be hoping that he continues to torment the bowlers.

Schedule:

Pune start their IPL journey with their first home game on April 10 against their Captain’s ex-team Kings XI Punjab. They will ease their way into the tournament with a couple of home games against Kochi Tuskers Kerala and Delhi Daredevils before the first high-profile ‘Maharashtrian Derby’ on the 20^th against Mumbai at the Wankhede stadium. Their first game outside of Mumbai is on the 25^th against the massive Chennai Super Kings, the reverse fixture of which will come two days hence.

Meeting with the Royals of the tournament, Bangalore and Rajasthan, is preceded. The second half of the derby is on May 4 with a visit to Mohali straight after. Home and away ties against the Deccan Chargers are clubbed, as Kolkata Knight Riders beckon at the Eden Gardens and the Chargers in Hyderabad. Pune Warriors end their league phase in Delhi on May 21.

How the performances of debutants Pune will pan out is a tough thing to predict but Maharashtra’s second franchise will surely add more spice to the bhel already dished out by Mumbai!

Home fixtures: To be played at Dr DY Patil Sports Academy, Mumbai
Sun Apr 10 vs Kings XI Punjab, 8pm
Wed Apr 13 vs Kochi Tuskers Kerala, 8pm
Sun Apr 17 vs Delhi Daredevils, 4pm
Wed Apr 27 vs Chennai Super Kings, 4pm
Wed May 4 vs Mumbai Indians, 8pm
Mon May 16 vs Deccan Chargers, 8pm
Thu May 19 vs Kolkata Knight Riders, 8pm

Away fixtures:
Wed Apr 20 vs Mumbai Indians (Wankhede), 4pm
Mon Apr 25 vs Chennai Super Kings (Chepauk), 8pm
Fri Apr 29 vs Royal Challengers Bangalore (M Chinnaswamy), 8pm
Sun May 1 vs Rajasthan Royals (Sawai Mansingh), 4pm
Sun May 8 vs Kings XI Punjab (PCA), 8pm
Tue May 10 vs Deccan Chargers (Rajiv Gandhi International Stadium), 4pm
Sat May 21 vs Delhi Daredevils (Feroz Shah Kotla), 8pm