Sourav Ganguly has made an entry into IPL–IV, with Pune Warriors announcing on Tuesday that it had signed him on in place of the injured Ashish Nehra.
Named the icon of Kolkata Knight Riders in the first three seasons, Ganguly found himself out of the fourth edition as no franchise bid for him in the actions earlier this year.
Despite speculations that he was set to join one of the teams, nothing materialised for Ganguly who then took up commentary work.
“I was approached by Pune Warriors on Monday and I confirmed my availability. I am leaving for Mumbai late this evening and further details will be announced at a press conference,'' Ganguly told newspersons.
When contacted Pune Warriors Team director, Abhijit Sarkar, confirmed the news and said: “Sourav Ganguly is joining Pune Warriors as a replacement for Ashish Nehra. We received the medical report on Nehra and learnt that he will not be fit. At this juncture we felt Ganguly is the right choice,” he said.
Ganguly, however, is not likely to play for the new franchise against Mumbai Indians on Wednesday. “He will train with the team and the decision on when to play him will be taken by the coach Geoff Marsh and captain Yuvraj Singh,” he said.
Warriors is in a tight spot having lost six consecutive matches in the ongoing league. Under these circumstances, the franchise thought it better to have someone with experience to handle the team. Sarkar said Ganguly was the best cricketing brain in the country and taking him on board was not a gamble.
The team is beset with injury problems from the beginning. Sri Lankan Angelo Mathews, Aussie Tim Paine, South African Graeme Smith and now Nehra all are injured and unable to take further part in the IPL.
