PWI vs RR: Need to promote Pandey, Uthappa up the order above Ganguly & Clarke

Pune Warriors India have lost five matches in a row, home and away. The situation warrants drastic changes in the matches ahead, starting with the Tuesday's tussle against Rajasthan Royals at home, writes The Hindu.

“Mithun Manhas is an experienced first-class batsman in Ganguly's squad, capable of taking calculated risks. He can be assertive in chasing targets or setting totals if the team management shows more faith. Manish Pandey and Robin Uthappa are explosive talents who feed off each other's energy when taking apart attacks in tandem. They should be promoted up the order instead of trying to accommodate famous names like Ganguly or Michael Clarke,” says a Hindu report, adding that thought the captain top-scored in the loss to KKR with 36 off 35 balls, his strike rate does not place him in the same class of other batting captains in this edition.

The DNA writes that that the hosts, who have lost their last five matches, will look to break their losing trend and come back on track before it is too late.

“We’ve lost some matches, which we should have won. We know that it is now difficult for us to qualify for the playoffs, but if we get going, I feel we still stand a chance to make the cut,” said Warriors’ Ashoke Dinda. “And if we win these four matches, I am sure, we will win the championship,” he added.

Pune, who are second from the bottom in the points’ tally, will have to work on their batting, which has let them down. “We have lost some close matches while chasing. We’ve done well in bowling but it is a team game and we need to do well as a team,” Dinda added.

Dinda said his inclusion in the playing XI is doubtful. “The playing XI will be decided before the match, but my inclusion is doubtful, as I still have to wait for my fitness report,” he added.

If comments on the internet and blogs are any indication, fans are already bidding adieu to the Deccan Chargers from IPL V, says a report in Hindustan Times. But despite having won only two matches out of 11 and languishing at the bottom of the table, the team management is putting up a brave front.

“The team is positive, one can never predict in IPL. One's fortunes could easily turn around,” assistant coach Kanwaljit Singh said on Monday. The former Hyderabad off-spinner's optimism could have well stemmed from the fact that their opponents for Tuesday, Kings XI Punjab, have bounced back after a poor start.

Meanwhile although the Indian Premier League has emerged as a money-spinning mix of cricket and entertainment, over its five seasons it has also been synonymous with cricketers either hiding injuries or rushing their return after layoffs, says a report in Hindustan Times.

The first such case of IPL V was out in the open on Monday as Ashok Dinda, the Pune Warriors’ pace spearhead, admitted that he made a premature return from the side strain he suffered midway through the tournament. “It takes a bit of time to recover from side strain. Had we kept on winning, perhaps I wouldn’t have come back as early as I did. But the situation was such that I had to take the chance,” Dinda, who missed five games after emerging the pick of the bowlers early on, said on Monday. “I’m not sure if I will be fit for tomorrow’s (Tuesday) game."