It's time Pune Warriors live up to their billing

Rewind two seasons: Pune Warriors India in a striking black jersey were expected to take the Indian Premier League by storm. Despite boasting Graeme Smith, Yuvraj Singh, Robin Uthappa, Angelo Mathews and Ashish Nehra, the Warriors flattered to deceive. They finished ninth in a ten-team tournament and exited with a whimper. Well, not entirely.

The signing of Sourav Ganguly, mid-way through IPL IV, provided entertainment to fans and tabloids alike. In the absence of Yuvraj, he skippered Pune last season with his 'hair' worth the gate fee alone. Performances did not improve however, and Pune finished ninth and last.
Fast forward another year and the Warriors will have another shot at IPL glory. Pune boast the largest squad heading into the latest edition. At first viewing, it appears as if they have complemented quality with quantity.

Strengths:
Ganguly looks set to don the mentor's hat this season, leaving Yuvraj Singh the mission of galvanizing the team. Well they can ask for no better man than Yuvraj, who successfully fought and beat cancer, for inspiration.

With injury ruling Michael Clarke out of the entire season, Sri Lankan all-rounder Angelo Mathews has been appointed as captain. Arguably, this is a shrewd move by Warriors management as it frees Yuvraj from the burden of captaincy and allows him to play his natural game. And Mathews can only benefit from 'white lightening' Allan Donald's promotion from bowling coach to head coach.

IPL veteran Abhishek Nayar could prove a canny purchase during the latest round of auctions and Pune fans will be hoping that Marlon Samuels recovers from the eye injury he suffered during the Big Bash League. Steven Smith impressed last season and will be hoping to continue that form this year as well.

Do the positives end there? Pune fans will be hoping not but 'T20 specialists' Robin Uthappa, Ashoke Dinda and Wayne Parnell have faltered more often than they have triumphed. They have the temperament but their ability to carry form throughout a two-month period is questionable.

After the auctions, when the player transfer window was still open, Pune swapped Ashish Nehra for Delhi Daredevils batsman Ross Taylor. Masterstroke, some would say. Taylor is a top quality international player who can prove deadly in the shorter versions of the game. His unbeaten 131 against Pakistan in the 2011 World Cup stands out as one of the best-ever ODI innings'.

The Warriors have also signed Aaron Finch as replacement to Clarke. Clarke is a world-class player but his compatriot Finch is better suited to the Twenty20 format. In the recently concluded Big Bash League, the Melbourne Renegades opener was named Player of the Series. And suddenly, teams facing the Pune Warriors are facing a daunting challenge.

Bhuvneshwar Kumar is another member of the unit who deserves a special mention. The Uttar Pradesh medium pacer recently made his debut for India in all formats of the game and has performed admirably. The Warriors are well-equipped in the spin department as well with Rahul Sharma and recent signing Ajantha Mendis in their ranks.

Weaknesses:
Pune Warriors find it difficult to hit back hard after defeats. Each team has a taste of losses during the course of the tournament but must find a way out of them. Pune will need to the most. After all, their infamous record of 4 wins and 9 defeats in 2011 and 4 wins and 12 defeats in 2012 does not make for much of a memory.

Pune Warriors will play their home matches at the picturesque Subrata Roy Sahara Stadium on the Mumbai-Pune expressway. Located on the outskirts of the city, Pune fans travel long and hard to support their falling franchise and will expect befitting performances from the home side.

All that remains to be seen is whether Pune can work as a cohesive unit. Player-for-player they have one of the best T20 sides in the IPL. But the past two seasons have suggested that they are unable to maintain the early momentum they generate.

Hot players:

Yuvraj Singh:
Sentimentality aside, Yuvraj's return to the cricket pitch is a boost to the struggling Pune Warriors franchise. He opted not to be captain, which may seem a wise move considering the southpaw is not back to his expected form and fitness. Yuvraj has played 56 IPL ties in a career that has taken him from Punjab to Pune. Yet, he hasn't - and must be itching to - taste success in the IPL. There were glimpses of the Yuvraj of old during the ODI series' against Pakistan and England. He steps into an ailing franchise, and will need to re-earn his reputation as one of the cleanest hitters in world cricket.

Robin Uthappa:
Pune Warriors are the third Indian Premier League side Robin Uthappa has played for in five seasons. His first, with Mumbai Indians was a success, his next two, with Royal Challengers Bangalore were moderate, and the last two, with Pune, have been a bit underwhelming. Yet, in a disappointing IPL 5 for Pune, Uthappa was their top run-getter with 405 runs from 16 games. He also has over 1500 runs in 74 IPL ties, including six half-centuries. At 27, one would have to assume that his best years are ahead of him. The flamboyant Coorgi has every attribute for success and is an extremely dangerous player in this format of the game.

Bhuvneshwar Kumar:
In the 2008-09 Ranji Trophy season, Bhuvneshwar Kumar became the first bowler to dismiss Sachin Tendulkar for a duck in first-class cricket. Bhuvneshwar's rise in international cricket has been meteoric. In December he made his T20 and ODI debuts. In February-March he played all four Tests against Australia. In a decidedly average Indian bowling line-up, Bhuvneshwar stands out among peers. He will be looking to take this form into the IPL, an arena which he hasn't truly conquered. But the form that the 23-year-old has demonstrated recently makes him a potent threat in IPL VI.

Steven Smith:
The Australian version of Ravindra Jadeja - criminally underrated and often derided, Steven Smith looks the part in Twenty20 cricket. That is not a slight on the 23-year-old, who showed against India that he can adapt to the longest format of the game as well. Smith epitomizes T20 cricket. Watching him in a single match and the highs, lows, acrobatics, nonchalance, aggression and exuberance is all packaged into one young Aussie who will shoulder the weight of Pune expectations. Last season Smith was a revelation for the Warriors, a lone bright spark in a mediocre campaign. This year, all eyes will be on the all-rounder as he attempts an encore from 2012.

Ross Taylor:
In the player transfer window following the 2013 IPL player auctions, Pune swapped their pacer Ashish Nehra for Delhi Daredevils batsman Ross Taylor. The coup could prove to be the difference between mediocrity and excellence. Taylor hasn't exactly set the IPL alight with a return of 895 runs in 46 games, but on his day the Kiwi is head and shoulders above contemporaries. . Taylor is a top quality international player, who can prove deadly in the shorter versions of the game. His unbeaten 131 against Pakistan in the 2011 World Cup stands out as one of the best-ever ODI innings'. As a former New Zealand captain, Taylor is an on-field leader. Providing solidity up the batting order, courage is his best quality - something the Warriors will need a lot of if they are to arrest their slump.

Ajantha Mendis:
The moniker of mystery spinner is likely to stick with Ajantha Mendis for the rest of his career. His first few victims in international cricket included Sachin Tendulkar, Sourav Ganguly, Rahul Dravid and VVS Laxman. A lot was expected of Mendis, but the only 'mystery' that remains is his slump over the past few years. When Pune Warriors picked up Ajantha Mendis in the recent IPL auction, few questions were asked but a few eyebrows were raised as well. Mendis' capture could prove decisive for Pune in the final reckoning. He will probably play second fiddle to Rahul Sharma - a potent T20 spinning combination. Mendis also holds the record for the best figures in a T20I innings with his 6/8 against Zimbabwe in the 2012 World T20 opener.

Full Squad:

Indians: Abhishek Nayar, Ali Murtaza, Anustup Majumdar, Ashok Dinda, Bhuvneshwar Kumar, Dheeraj Jadhav, Eklavya Dwivedi, Harpreet Singh, Ishwar Pandey, Krishnakant Upadhyay, Mahesh Rawat, Manish Pandey, Mithun Manhas, Parveez Rasool, Rahul Sharma, Raiphi Gomez, Robin Uthappa, Shrikant Wagh, Tirumalasetti Suman, Udit Birla, Yuvraj Singh

Foreigners: Ajantha Mendis, Angelo Mathews, Kane Richardson, Luke Wright, Marlon Samuels, Michael Clarke, Mitchell Marsh, Ross Taylor, Steve Smith, Tamim Iqbal, Wayne Parnell.