IPL 2012 - Ganguly to lead Sahara Pune Warriors

Former India captain Sourav Ganguly will be leading Sahara Pune Warriors in the IPL's fifth season in the absence of the injured Yuvraj Singh. Ganguly, who joined the Warriors in the second half of their campaign last year, had already been appointed as a mentor by the franchise and will be involved in multi-tasking in the absence of a head coach. 

"His experience will count for the team in the absence of Yuvraj," Abhijit Sarkar, corporate head at Sahara group that owns the franchise, told ESPNcricinfo. "We need someone who can motivate the team. And Ganguly is active as a player and he can perform the leadership duties better than someone sitting on the bench outside the field," Sarkar said. Former Australia opener Geoff Marsh, who was Warriors' head coach last year, had to leave after the franchise decided not to renew his contract. 

The Warriors, who were involved in a bitter dispute with the BCCI, ahead of the IPL players' auction, have brought the South African pair of Allan Donald and Paddy Upton to the coaching bench. Donald, the former South African fast-bowling spearhead, will be the bowling coach while Upton, who was part of Gary Kirsten's coaching staff for India till last year's World Cup, will serve as mental-skills coach while simultaneously performing the duties of a fielding coach and also a trainer. 

One of the team officials said Ganguly was the biggest name on the team roaster in the absence of Yuvraj and he had the capability of bringing together players from different continents and make them work for one goal. "To get the best out of international players and domestic Indian players and make them work for one goal is a difficult task and someone like Ganguly, a former India captain, who has a lot of respect was in a good position to do it," the official said. Also, he felt, Ganguly's experience at Kolkata Knight Riders in the first three years of the IPL, would allow him to perform the leadership role easily . 

Meanwhile the Warriors' squad will start their camp from March 26 at their new home ground in Pune. Upton will multi-task as fielding coach, mental skills coach and even as a trainer.

Indian Premier League 2012 Fixtures - IPL 2012 Schedule

Date and Time	Match
Wed Apr 4           14:30 GMT | 20:00 local 20:00 IST	1st match - Chennai Super Kings v Mumbai Indians MA Chidambaram Stadium, Chepauk, Chennai
Thu Apr 5           14:30 GMT | 20:00 local 20:00 IST	2nd match - Kolkata Knight Riders v Delhi Daredevils Eden Gardens, Kolkata
Fri Apr 6           10:30 GMT | 16:00 local 16:00 IST	3rd match - Mumbai Indians v Pune Warriors Wankhede Stadium, Mumbai
Fri Apr 6           14:30 GMT | 20:00 local 20:00 IST	4th match - Rajasthan Royals v Kings XI Punjab Sawai Mansingh Stadium, Jaipur
Sat Apr 7           10:30 GMT | 16:00 local 16:00 IST	5th match - Royal Challengers Bangalore v Delhi Daredevils M Chinnaswamy Stadium, Bangalore
Sat Apr 7           14:30 GMT | 20:00 local 20:00 IST	6th match - Deccan Chargers v Chennai Super Kings Dr. Y.S. Rajasekhara Reddy ACA-VDCA Cricket Stadium, Visakhapatnam
Sun Apr 8           10:30 GMT | 16:00 local 16:00 IST	7th match - Rajasthan Royals v Kolkata Knight Riders Sawai Mansingh Stadium, Jaipur
Sun Apr 8           14:30 GMT | 20:00 local 20:00 IST	8th match - Pune Warriors v Kings XI Punjab Subrata Roy Sahara Stadium, Pune
Mon Apr 9           14:30 GMT | 20:00 local 20:00 IST	9th match - Deccan Chargers v Mumbai Indians Dr. Y.S. Rajasekhara Reddy ACA-VDCA Cricket Stadium, Visakhapatnam
Tue Apr 10           10:30 GMT | 16:00 local 16:00 IST	10th match - Royal Challengers Bangalore v Kolkata Knight Riders M Chinnaswamy Stadium, Bangalore
Tue Apr 10           14:30 GMT | 20:00 local 20:00 IST	11th match - Delhi Daredevils v Chennai Super Kings Feroz Shah Kotla, Delhi
Wed Apr 11           14:30 GMT | 20:00 local 20:00 IST	12th match - Mumbai Indians v Rajasthan Royals Wankhede Stadium, Mumbai
Thu Apr 12           10:30 GMT | 16:00 local 16:00 IST	13th match - Chennai Super Kings v Royal Challengers Bangalore MA Chidambaram Stadium, Chepauk, Chennai
Thu Apr 12           14:30 GMT | 20:00 local 20:00 IST	14th match - Kings XI Punjab v Pune Warriors Punjab Cricket Association Stadium, Mohali, Chandigarh
Fri Apr 13           14:30 GMT | 20:00 local 20:00 IST	15th match - Kolkata Knight Riders v Rajasthan Royals Eden Gardens, Kolkata
Sat Apr 14           10:30 GMT | 16:00 local 16:00 IST	16th match - Delhi Daredevils v Deccan Chargers Feroz Shah Kotla, Delhi
Sat Apr 14           14:30 GMT | 20:00 local 20:00 IST	17th match - Pune Warriors v Chennai Super Kings Subrata Roy Sahara Stadium, Pune
Sun Apr 15           10:30 GMT | 16:00 local 16:00 IST	18th match - Kolkata Knight Riders v Kings XI Punjab Eden Gardens, Kolkata
Sun Apr 15           14:30 GMT | 20:00 local 20:00 IST	19th match - Royal Challengers Bangalore v Rajasthan Royals M Chinnaswamy Stadium, Bangalore
Mon Apr 16           14:30 GMT | 20:00 local 20:00 IST	20th match - Mumbai Indians v Delhi Daredevils Wankhede Stadium, Mumbai
Tue Apr 17           10:30 GMT | 16:00 local 16:00 IST	21st match - Rajasthan Royals v Deccan Chargers Sawai Mansingh Stadium, Jaipur
Tue Apr 17           14:30 GMT | 20:00 local 20:00 IST	22nd match - Royal Challengers Bangalore v Pune Warriors M Chinnaswamy Stadium, Bangalore
Wed Apr 18           14:30 GMT | 20:00 local 20:00 IST	23rd match - Kings XI Punjab v Kolkata Knight Riders Punjab Cricket Association Stadium, Mohali, Chandigarh
Thu Apr 19           10:30 GMT 16:00 IST	24th match - Deccan Chargers v Delhi Daredevils Venue TBC
Thu Apr 19           14:30 GMT | 20:00 local 20:00 IST	25th match - Chennai Super Kings v Pune Warriors MA Chidambaram Stadium, Chepauk, Chennai
Fri Apr 20           14:30 GMT | 20:00 local 20:00 IST	26th match - Kings XI Punjab v Royal Challengers Bangalore Punjab Cricket Association Stadium, Mohali, Chandigarh
Sat Apr 21           10:30 GMT | 16:00 local 16:00 IST	27th match - Chennai Super Kings v Rajasthan Royals MA Chidambaram Stadium, Chepauk, Chennai
Sat Apr 21           14:30 GMT | 20:00 local 20:00 IST	28th match - Delhi Daredevils v Pune Warriors Feroz Shah Kotla, Delhi
Sun Apr 22           10:30 GMT | 16:00 local 16:00 IST	29th match - Mumbai Indians v Kings XI Punjab Wankhede Stadium, Mumbai
Sun Apr 22           14:30 GMT 20:00 IST	30th match - Deccan Chargers v Kolkata Knight Riders Venue TBC
Mon Apr 23           14:30 GMT | 20:00 local 20:00 IST	31st match - Rajasthan Royals v Royal Challengers Bangalore Sawai Mansingh Stadium, Jaipur
Tue Apr 24           10:30 GMT | 16:00 local 16:00 IST	32nd match - Pune Warriors v Delhi Daredevils Subrata Roy Sahara Stadium, Pune
Tue Apr 24           14:30 GMT | 20:00 local 20:00 IST	33rd match - Kolkata Knight Riders v Deccan Chargers Eden Gardens, Kolkata
Wed Apr 25           10:30 GMT | 16:00 local 16:00 IST	34th match - Kings XI Punjab v Mumbai Indians Punjab Cricket Association Stadium, Mohali, Chandigarh
Wed Apr 25           14:30 GMT | 20:00 local 20:00 IST	35th match - Royal Challengers Bangalore v Chennai Super Kings M Chinnaswamy Stadium, Bangalore
Thu Apr 26           14:30 GMT | 20:00 local 20:00 IST	36th match - Pune Warriors v Deccan Chargers Subrata Roy Sahara Stadium, Pune
Fri Apr 27           14:30 GMT | 20:00 local 20:00 IST	37th match - Delhi Daredevils v Mumbai Indians Feroz Shah Kotla, Delhi
Sat Apr 28           10:30 GMT | 16:00 local 16:00 IST	38th match - Chennai Super Kings v Kings XI Punjab MA Chidambaram Stadium, Chepauk, Chennai
Sat Apr 28           14:30 GMT | 20:00 local 20:00 IST	39th match - Kolkata Knight Riders v Royal Challengers Bangalore Eden Gardens, Kolkata
Sun Apr 29           10:30 GMT | 16:00 local 16:00 IST	40th match - Delhi Daredevils v Rajasthan Royals Feroz Shah Kotla, Delhi
Sun Apr 29           14:30 GMT | 20:00 local 20:00 IST	41st match - Mumbai Indians v Deccan Chargers Wankhede Stadium, Mumbai
Mon Apr 30           14:30 GMT | 20:00 local 20:00 IST	42nd match - Chennai Super Kings v Kolkata Knight Riders MA Chidambaram Stadium, Chepauk, Chennai
Tue May 1           10:30 GMT | 16:00 local 16:00 IST	43rd match - Deccan Chargers v Pune Warriors Rajiv Gandhi International Stadium, Uppal, Hyderabad
Tue May 1           14:30 GMT | 20:00 local 20:00 IST	44th match - Rajasthan Royals v Delhi Daredevils Sawai Mansingh Stadium, Jaipur
Wed May 2           14:30 GMT | 20:00 local 20:00 IST	45th match - Royal Challengers Bangalore v Kings XI Punjab M Chinnaswamy Stadium, Bangalore
Thu May 3           10:30 GMT | 16:00 local 16:00 IST	46th match - Pune Warriors v Mumbai Indians Subrata Roy Sahara Stadium, Pune
Fri May 4           14:30 GMT | 20:00 local 20:00 IST	47th match - Chennai Super Kings v Deccan Chargers MA Chidambaram Stadium, Chepauk, Chennai
Sat May 5           10:30 GMT | 16:00 local 16:00 IST	48th match - Kolkata Knight Riders v Pune Warriors Eden Gardens, Kolkata
Sat May 5           14:30 GMT | 20:00 local 20:00 IST	49th match - Kings XI Punjab v Rajasthan Royals Punjab Cricket Association Stadium, Mohali, Chandigarh
Sun May 6           10:30 GMT | 16:00 local 16:00 IST	50th match - Mumbai Indians v Chennai Super Kings Wankhede Stadium, Mumbai
Sun May 6           14:30 GMT | 20:00 local 20:00 IST	51st match - Royal Challengers Bangalore v Deccan Chargers M Chinnaswamy Stadium, Bangalore
Mon May 7           14:30 GMT | 20:00 local 20:00 IST	52nd match - Delhi Daredevils v Kolkata Knight Riders Feroz Shah Kotla, Delhi
Tue May 8           10:30 GMT | 16:00 local 16:00 IST	53rd match - Pune Warriors v Rajasthan Royals Subrata Roy Sahara Stadium, Pune
Tue May 8           14:30 GMT | 20:00 local 20:00 IST	54th match - Deccan Chargers v Kings XI Punjab Rajiv Gandhi International Stadium, Uppal, Hyderabad
Wed May 9           14:30 GMT | 20:00 local 20:00 IST	55th match - Mumbai Indians v Royal Challengers Bangalore Wankhede Stadium, Mumbai
Thu May 10           14:30 GMT | 20:00 local 20:00 IST	56th match - Rajasthan Royals v Chennai Super Kings Sawai Mansingh Stadium, Jaipur
Fri May 11           14:30 GMT | 20:00 local 20:00 IST	57th match - Pune Warriors v Royal Challengers Bangalore Subrata Roy Sahara Stadium, Pune
Sat May 12           10:30 GMT | 16:00 local 16:00 IST	58th match - Kolkata Knight Riders v Mumbai Indians Eden Gardens, Kolkata
Sat May 12           14:30 GMT | 20:00 local 20:00 IST	59th match - Chennai Super Kings v Delhi Daredevils MA Chidambaram Stadium, Chepauk, Chennai
Sun May 13           10:30 GMT | 16:00 local 16:00 IST	60th match - Rajasthan Royals v Pune Warriors Sawai Mansingh Stadium, Jaipur
Sun May 13           14:30 GMT | 20:00 local 20:00 IST	61st match - Kings XI Punjab v Deccan Chargers Punjab Cricket Association Stadium, Mohali, Chandigarh
Mon May 14           10:30 GMT | 16:00 local 16:00 IST	62nd match - Royal Challengers Bangalore v Mumbai Indians M Chinnaswamy Stadium, Bangalore
Mon May 14           14:30 GMT | 20:00 local 20:00 IST	63rd match - Kolkata Knight Riders v Chennai Super Kings Eden Gardens, Kolkata
Tue May 15           14:30 GMT | 20:00 local 20:00 IST	64th match - Delhi Daredevils v Kings XI Punjab Feroz Shah Kotla, Delhi
Wed May 16           14:30 GMT | 20:00 local 20:00 IST	65th match - Mumbai Indians v Kolkata Knight Riders Wankhede Stadium, Mumbai
Thu May 17           10:30 GMT | 16:00 local 16:00 IST	66th match - Kings XI Punjab v Chennai Super Kings Himachal Pradesh Cricket Association Stadium, Dharamsala
Thu May 17           14:30 GMT | 20:00 local 20:00 IST	67th match - Delhi Daredevils v Royal Challengers Bangalore Feroz Shah Kotla, Delhi
Fri May 18           14:30 GMT | 20:00 local 20:00 IST	68th match - Deccan Chargers v Rajasthan Royals Rajiv Gandhi International Stadium, Uppal, Hyderabad
Sat May 19           10:30 GMT | 16:00 local 16:00 IST	69th match - Kings XI Punjab v Delhi Daredevils Himachal Pradesh Cricket Association Stadium, Dharamsala
Sat May 19           14:30 GMT | 20:00 local 20:00 IST	70th match - Pune Warriors v Kolkata Knight Riders Subrata Roy Sahara Stadium, Pune
Sun May 20           10:30 GMT | 16:00 local 16:00 IST	71st match - Deccan Chargers v Royal Challengers Bangalore Rajiv Gandhi International Stadium, Uppal, Hyderabad
Sun May 20           14:30 GMT | 20:00 local 20:00 IST	72nd match - Rajasthan Royals v Mumbai Indians Sawai Mansingh Stadium, Jaipur
Tue May 22           14:30 GMT | 20:00 local 20:00 IST	Qualifier 1 - TBC v TBC (1st v 2nd) M Chinnaswamy Stadium, Bangalore
Wed May 23           14:30 GMT | 20:00 local 20:00 IST	Eliminator - TBC v TBC (3rd v 4th) M Chinnaswamy Stadium, Bangalore
Fri May 25           14:30 GMT | 20:00 local 20:00 IST	Qualifier 2 - TBC v TBC (Winner Eliminator v Loser Qualifier 1) MA Chidambaram Stadium, Chepauk, Chennai
Sun May 27           14:30 GMT | 20:00 local 20:00 IST	Final - TBC v TBC MA Chidambaram Stadium, Chepauk, Chennai