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So, the Prince of Kolkatta is going to play this IPL after all. The man sure knows how to stay in the news. Personally, I am not too fond of Ganguly, and I am going to earn the ire of his fans by saying this. But one thing that I do credit him with, he is definitely the come-back man of Indian cricket. I mean after all the drama in the auction and subsequent requests by the Kochi franchise to get him onboard, out of the blue he has been taken in by Pune Warriors. Surely that is testament to Ganguly’s ability to polarise support.
Speaking of support, it would be interesting to see which team will Kolkatta fans go for when Pune and KKR meet next. Team loyalty is definitely going to be a major issue considering Ganguly is West Bengal’s favorite son. This is where I think that IPL’s charm lies. It pits one Indian against another. Although the situation here is still way better than say soccer in England. But you never know. Cricket is where the passion still is for most Indians. No matter what they say about other sports in the country or dwindling fans at the stadiums for test matches. The IPL is living proof that cricket is what attracts Indians to stadiums.
Coming back to the topic, Dada’s role in the Pune team hasn’t been made very clear and is open to a lot of speculation. Pune’s current downfall is not helping Yuvraj and Dada’s presence in the dressing room may cause some concerns and split the squad into different factions. This of course depends if Ganguly is looking to become the captain. For Pune’s sake, I hope not. There is no point in creating differences in a franchise which is only just beginning to find its feet. For Ganguly’s sake, I hope he quickly gets back to basics. He has been out of international or domestic cricket for too long and half the IPL is over with Pune now with no chances of making it to the play-offs.
My personal view is that Ganguly should take over as a mentor to the Indian youngsters in Pune’s squad, especially those who are note playing. Ganguly is a rare breed of leaders, one who evokes fierce loyalty from his colleagues. The fact is that Saurav Ganguly’s inclusion can either be a blessing or a curse depending on how he is utilized. Pune’s team management have a big task on their hands.
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