Pune Warriors upbeat about IPL 2012

After raising expectations with their upset win over Mumbai Indians at the Wankhede, Pune Warriors India will take on Kings XI Punjab in their first home match of the Indian Premier League (IPL) at Subrata Roy Sahara Stadium here on Sunday. Playing before their home crowd for the first time ever should boost the confidence of the home team.

In their first match, Pune’s bowlers took the match away from Mumbai, but similar performance was missing from their batsmen. “It was a difficult pitch to bat on, but our spinners did a good job. There is no need for us to worry about batting,” said Ganguly on Saturday.

Ganguly also added that Ashish Nehra is fit to play, though he said the team is yet to be decided. “Ashish is match-fit and ready for the tournament, but the playing XI will be decided tomorrow (Sunday) as with so many good players in the side, it is difficult to choose the final team,” he added.

After their loss against Rajasthan Royals, Adam Gilchrist-led Punjab did not practise on the eve of the match. On their opponents scoring 160 while chasing the target of 198 against Rajasthan, Ganguly said, “The pitch in Jaipur is very good, hence it is easy to score runs there,” he added.

Though the Warriors have a 100 per cent record against their opponents from north, they will not be taking things lightly. Pune have played two matches against Punjab in the last season and they have won both of them.

As it will be the first match at the stadium, knowing the pitch will be a learning process for the skippers. That makes the toss tricky.