Pune: Pune Warriors India host Delhi Daredevils on Sunday in a match which will decide who takes the last spot in the sixth edition of the Indian Premier League. Both teams have a tournament to forget, each picking up just three wins in 15 matches and it's hard to say who is the favourite going into this match. Ideally, it has to be the team with fewer shortcomings. But looking at both teams and their performance so far, one finds very little to choose from.
Delhi's batting has completely fallen apart this season. Virender Sehwag, who in his day scared the daylights out of bowlers, seems to have lost everything which made him one of the most fearsome cricketers in the world. Mahela Jayawardene too has failed to live up to his huge experience and reputation. The youngsters in the team, most notably Unmukt Chand, also have been disappointing. Australian dasher David Warner has been the only Delhi player among the runs but no support at the other end for him has put his efforts into the background.
Delhi's bowling - comprised of Umesh Yadav, Morne Morkel, Irfan Pathan and Ashish Nehra - is pretty good but hasn't been complemented at all by their batting. As for Pune, just reverse the picture. Their batting has been fairly good with Aaron Finch and Robin Uthappa in decent form, but their bowling has been a big concern.
It's very important that the two teams go into the
02:30 PM, May 18, 2013
Ranchi: Defending champions Kolkata Knight Riders came close to making it a hat-trick of unlike victories in their attempt to stay alive in IPL 6, but up against the team most likely to be beaten they ended up losing by seven runs. Chasing 171 to keep their flickering hopes of qualifying for the play-offs alive, KKR crashed from the favorable position of 127 for 3 in the 16th over to...
07:38 PM, May 15, 2013
Pune: Mumbai Indians are inching closer to book a berth in the top four. With eight wins from 12 matches, one more victory will almost guarantee them a place in the play-offs. Pune Warriors' miserable run on the other hand, just does not seem to end. However, they will be keen on spoiling the party by registering an upset win over their neighbours. Pune have tried everything that there is...
06:31 PM, May 10, 2013
Jaipur: Despite suffering their seventh straight defeat in the ongoing Indian Premier League, Pune Warriors India captain Aaron Finch seemed quite content and said they can "still take a few positives" from the five-wicket loss to Rajasthan Royals. "We still can take a few positives from the match despite the fact that it was the same old story with losing after being so close," Finch told reporters after the last-over...
12:19 PM, May 06, 2013
Jaipur: Rajasthan Royals are in a habit of achieving difficult tasks with relative ease. They did the same against Pune Warriors on Sunday, chasing an imposing total of 179 with one ball to spare and moving to the fourth spot in the points table. Considering the amount of runs to be scored, it was expected that Shane Watson would open the batting for Rajasthan with Ajinkya Rahane (67 off 48),...
11:26 PM, May 05, 2013
Jaipur: Pune Warriors India are already out of play-offs contention but they can very well spoil Rajasthan Royals' party when these sides meet here at the Sawai Mansingh Stadium on Sunday. Rajasthan have won six of their 10 matches so far and need to win at least two of their remaining five matches to put themselves at ease. On paper, it doesn't look like a big task but it wouldn't...
07:12 PM, May 05, 2013
Jaipur: Pune Warriors India are already out of play-offs contention but they can very well spoil Rajasthan Royals' party when these sides meet here at the Sawai Mansingh Stadium on Sunday. Rajasthan have won six of their 10 matches so far and need to win at least two of their remaining five matches to put themselves at ease. On paper, it doesn't look like a big task but it wouldn't...
07:32 PM, May 04, 2013
Live updates from Game 46 of IPL 6 between Pune Warriors and Royal Challengers Bangalore at the Subrata Roy Sahara Stadium, Pune on Thursday. Having lost eight of their ten matches, Pune are lying at the bottom and playing for self esteem. RCB will look to change their fortunes at away venues; they have six wins in ten matches though and are lying at No. 2. ...
07:20 PM, May 02, 2013
Pune: Sri Lankan allrounder Angelo Mathews has stepped down as Pune Warriors' skipper for the rest of the IPL 6 season. Mathews, who was appointed as captain before the start of the current season, has formerly given the team's reins to stand-in skipper Aaron Finch. "I would like to confirm that I have decided to stand-aside as Pune Warriors franchise captain for the rest of the current season to ensure...
06:40 PM, May 02, 2013
Raipur: The IPL bandwagon came to the capital of the state of Chhattisgarh in central India, Raipur, and the venue allotted to Delhi Daredevils as their home away from home provided them the platform for just their second win of the season. On its IPL debut, the Shaheed Veer Narayan Singh Stadium threw up an engaging match that ended with Delhi beating Pune Warriors by 15 runs to keep alive...
11:35 PM, Apr 28, 2013
Live updates from Game 39 of Indian Premier League season six between Delhi Daredevils and Pune Warriors India being played at Shaheed Veer Narayan Singh International Stadium, Raipur on Sunday. A lacklustre Delhi will look to change their fortunes when they face an equally out-of-sorts Pune. The match will also mark the debut of a new venue, the International Cricket Stadium in the capital city of Chattisgarh. Both the sides...
07:20 PM, Apr 28, 2013
Bangalore: Pune Warriors` stand-in captain Aaron Finch blamed his batsmen and bowlers for the crushing 130-run defeat to Royal Challengers Bangalore in the Indian Premier League (IPL) here on Tuesday. "I don`t think it is just the bowling, it is also our batting that let us down a couple of times. We tried to chase 120 and 126 in previous games which we should have won. It is just disappointing...
09:19 AM, Apr 24, 2013
Bangalore: After registering a facile win over Rajasthan Royals, table-toppers Royal Challengers Bangalore will look to continue their winning streak when they face Pune Warriors in Game 31 of IPL 6 on Tuesday. A confident RCB are on a roll after winning five matches they have played at home this season and would not want to fritter away their best chance to gain two more vital points here. Unlike the...
06:49 PM, Apr 22, 2013
Mohali: In his first match of the season - and much belated, many will say - England's Twenty20 journeyman Luke Wright experienced almost the full gamut of emotions that an allrounder can. Batting for the first time in the IPL, Wright made an immediate impact with the bat as he smacked 37 off 10 to turn a fighting total into a dominating one. But 20 overs later, Wright wore a...
11:35 PM, Apr 21, 2013
Mohali: Struggling Pune Warriors got a big boost as Yuvraj Singh, who is recovering from a back injury, is likely to play against Kings XI Punjab on Sunday, said batsman Aaron Finch. "I think Yuvi [Yuvraj] should be fine. He has been training for the last couple of days and his back seems to be improving. We are very hopeful that he will play tomorrow. He brings lot of experience...
11:47 PM, Apr 20, 2013
Pune: What looked to be the two weakest IPL teams after their standings in the last season - bottom and second from bottom - Pune Warriors and Sunrisers Hyderabad clash at the Subrata Roy Sahara Stadium in game one of Tuesday's double-header seeking to outdo the each other. Pune are coming off an upset win over two-time IPL winners Chennai Super Kings while Hyderabad's last match was a huge defeat...
04:07 PM, Apr 16, 2013
Chennai: Clutch innings from two Australian imports at either end of Pune Warriors 20 overs set up a match-winning total of 159 for 5, which was made to appear like a lot more for Chennai Super Kings against a superb catching performance. Aaron Finch took on a strong CSK bowling attack from the start, dominating an opening stand worth 96, and after a flurry of wickets it was Steven Smith's...
11:25 PM, Apr 15, 2013
Pune: Rajasthan Royals skipper Rahul Dravid on Thursday attributed his side's seven-wicket defeat at the hands of Pune Warriors in their IPL match here to the batting collapse in the second part of their innings but vowed to bounce back in the tournament. "We just kept losing wicket and that cost us dear. Just when we thought we could accelerate, we lost Ajinkya Rahane, we lost (Stuart) Binny and then...
12:04 AM, Apr 12, 2013
