IPL 5 – Pune http://www.senore.com/Cricket/Warriors-c861 vs Mumbai Indians - Match Preview
Pune Warriors and Mumbai Indians will face each other today in the 45th fixture of the fifth season of the Indian Premier League (IPL) at Subrata http://www.senore.com/Cricket/Andrew-Symonds-c44611 Sahara Stadium, Pune.
Considering the current form of both the teams, Mumbai holds a slight edge over Pune. The visitors are currently placed at number three in the points table with 10 points after nine matches. http://www.senore.com/Cricket/Harbhajan-Singh-c61453 and company are rated amongst the favourites of
the tournament because of the big names they possess.
Pune, on the other hand, was off to a brilliant start in the tournament but has lost momentum in the recent fixtures. As a result of this, the Warriors have slipped down to the eighth spot and have merely eight points after 10 games.
The Warriors may not have many big names in their ranks but the likes of http://www.senore.com/Cricket/MJ-Clarke-c1978, who has
boosted the batting strength of the team.
There are some question marks over the batting-order of former Indian captain, http://www.senore.com/Cricket/Sourav-Chandidas-Ganguly-c90746. Cricket analysts feel that the left-hander has gone past his best in the game and he should allow the youngsters to bat higher up the order, so that they can keep
up with the required strike-rate. The left-hander has been scoring some useful runs but his pace of scoring is not up to IPL standards.
West Indian all-rounder, http://www.senore.com/Cricket/Marlon-Nathaniel-Samuels-c74804 will not take any further part in the cash-rich league because of his international commitments and it is most likely that Ryder, who missed the last game due to illness, will replace him in today’s encounter.
Pune’s premier player, Uthappa has expressed his disappointment over his team’s performances in the last couple of matches but he understands that things can go wrong at times. He is confident that Pune will bounce back hard in the event.
"One always plans to succeed but the success rate may not always be nine on 10. IPL comes with certain pressure, but we've played well overall and haven't been dominated by any team," said Uthappa.
On the other side of the coin, Mumbai has faced a massive setback in shape of a shoulder injury to http://www.senore.com/Cricket/KA-Pollard-c1754, who is one of the most important players for the franchise. The hard-hitting batsman did not play the last game against Deccan and it remains
to be seen whether he is fit enough to play against Pune or not.
http://www.senore.com/Cricket/Ambati-Rayudu-c1007, the right-handed middle-order batsman, has been a revolution for the Indians as he played some crunch knocks at the depth of the innings, to rescue his team. Rayudu believes that the team management has been extremely supportive with him and
this is the reason why he is able to perform so well.
He expressed, "I am very thankful to MI, especially http://www.senore.com/Cricket/Chinnadupargea-Sachin-c50607 sir, for giving me this opportunity. MI gave me a chance when I needed one."
http://www.senore.com/Cricket/Mumbai-c820 in the current season but he has not lived up to his potential. The right-handed batsman is one of the most talented young cricketers in the world. If Mumbai is to do well in the remainder
of the tournament, Rohit must get going.
One can expect a close battle today between two very good teams, as both of them are looking for two precious points.
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