The franchise is incidentally named Pune Warriors India. However, they have been comprehensively defeated on the battlefield. A team which looked so promising at the start of the tournament, is now languishing at the bottom of the points table which leaves them to win five matches in a row to make it to the last four.
I believe that this Pune Warriors team is similar to what Kolkata Knight Riders was, in the inaugural season of the IPL. They managed to create all the hoopla in the media and started the season with a bang, winning two back-to-back matches. The team was hailed and said to have potential match-winners who could help win the IPL for the team.
But it all took a downward spiral as then Kolkata lost four matches in a row, which considerably reduced their chances of making it to the semifinals. Though Pune have lost seven matches in a row and are likely to lose more going by their current form.
One of the main reasons for Pune not being upto the mark is their batting line-up. They have power hitters who are ideal for T-20s. The names of Yuvraj Singh, Robin Uthappa, Manish Pandey and Jesse Ryder should give nightmared to opposition bowlers. But they are not being utilized well. While Ryder is rightfully opening the batting, the likes of Pandey and Manhas usually take up the third and fourth position while Yuvraj and Uthappa bat at 5 and 6 respectively.
A noted commentator said on television that an Ajay Devgan or Shah Rukh Khan never come in the last 15 minutes of a movie they are starring in. They have to be on screen right from the credits. Otherwise they are just making special appearances. This is the situation of Pune. Uthappa has to play at No.3 and Yuvraj at No.4. Only then can Pune put up a competitive total on the board. This is the mistake Pune has not rectified and it has cost them dearly.
Another reason for their failure is the captaincy of Yuvraj Singh. Yuvraj is a wonderful player, but as a skipper he is not inspiring. He himself said that captaincy brings out the worst in him, during the second season of the IPL when he led Kings XI Punjab. There is no positive body language in the field due to Yuvraj’s inertness. Individually every player in this team is capable of reaching great heights, but it takes a combination of all individual performances to win a game and Yuvraj is unable to help make a ‘team’.
The bench strength of Pune is commendable. However, Pune has not used it well. Players such as Callum Ferguson, Tim Paine, Nathan McCullum have not been given many chances. If Pune looked to experiment, they might have been winning atleast a few matches if not many.
Pune is in such crisis that they signed Sourav Ganguly as a replacement for Ashish Nehra, despite five matches remaining in the tournament. Ganguly was ignored in the auction, yet Pune want to play for some pride having nothing to lose.
Yet it understandable that Pune Warriors India is a new team in the IPL, and will learn from the mistakes of this season for a better performance next time. I only wonder if this is the last time Yuvraj may be captaining a side and Ganguly might just take over the team soon, if he is offered a contract for the next season. As the team has bright hopefuls in Rahul Sharma, Alfonso Thomas and Shrikant Wagh to take them to greater heights in the future.
I believe that this Pune Warriors team is similar to what Kolkata Knight Riders was, in the inaugural season of the IPL. They managed to create all the hoopla in the media and started the season with a bang, winning two back-to-back matches. The team was hailed and said to have potential match-winners who could help win the IPL for the team.
But it all took a downward spiral as then Kolkata lost four matches in a row, which considerably reduced their chances of making it to the semifinals. Though Pune have lost seven matches in a row and are likely to lose more going by their current form.
One of the main reasons for Pune not being upto the mark is their batting line-up. They have power hitters who are ideal for T-20s. The names of Yuvraj Singh, Robin Uthappa, Manish Pandey and Jesse Ryder should give nightmared to opposition bowlers. But they are not being utilized well. While Ryder is rightfully opening the batting, the likes of Pandey and Manhas usually take up the third and fourth position while Yuvraj and Uthappa bat at 5 and 6 respectively.
A noted commentator said on television that an Ajay Devgan or Shah Rukh Khan never come in the last 15 minutes of a movie they are starring in. They have to be on screen right from the credits. Otherwise they are just making special appearances. This is the situation of Pune. Uthappa has to play at No.3 and Yuvraj at No.4. Only then can Pune put up a competitive total on the board. This is the mistake Pune has not rectified and it has cost them dearly.
Another reason for their failure is the captaincy of Yuvraj Singh. Yuvraj is a wonderful player, but as a skipper he is not inspiring. He himself said that captaincy brings out the worst in him, during the second season of the IPL when he led Kings XI Punjab. There is no positive body language in the field due to Yuvraj’s inertness. Individually every player in this team is capable of reaching great heights, but it takes a combination of all individual performances to win a game and Yuvraj is unable to help make a ‘team’.
The bench strength of Pune is commendable. However, Pune has not used it well. Players such as Callum Ferguson, Tim Paine, Nathan McCullum have not been given many chances. If Pune looked to experiment, they might have been winning atleast a few matches if not many.
Pune is in such crisis that they signed Sourav Ganguly as a replacement for Ashish Nehra, despite five matches remaining in the tournament. Ganguly was ignored in the auction, yet Pune want to play for some pride having nothing to lose.
Yet it understandable that Pune Warriors India is a new team in the IPL, and will learn from the mistakes of this season for a better performance next time. I only wonder if this is the last time Yuvraj may be captaining a side and Ganguly might just take over the team soon, if he is offered a contract for the next season. As the team has bright hopefuls in Rahul Sharma, Alfonso Thomas and Shrikant Wagh to take them to greater heights in the future.
