Firstly, I dont really think that Pune even deserves a team. It is honestly unfair that rather than Pune, the team didnt go to a city in Gujarat or Uttar Pradesh simply because its very strange that one state should get two IPL teams with no further expansion taking place for many years. Its absurd that two cities, not 150 km from one another have IPL teams. There were other cities that deserved the IPL franchise over Pune and a city that hasn't hosted any international matches since November 2005 does.
I might be rather extreme in my views but I think that there is no logical reason for this to have happened except profit and well thats what the IPL is all about and therefore resign myself to this fate. I do hope that the Daredevils whip Pune team in every IPL from here to eternity. It would be so much fun to watch that. So lets see what happens.

Spot on! I for the one from Chennai wish Mumbai Indians to win for The Master and plan to go to Chepauk in Blue T shirts of MI. And in every city you ll find hardcore fans of SACHIN who ll pitch for the Master's team when his own is there. So don't know how Pune ld get it across Mumbai?

if ur frm pune i think ul wil support the team irrespective of whether sachin plays for mumbai or not..its simple and straight up!!..why is it so baffling?

I did my early schooling in Bombay, now known as Mumbai and my college in Poona as it was then known as. I myself hail from the South which perhaps allows me to be objective on such a subject. From what I have seen of these two places I think each has a distinct flavour in every sense of the word as also different kind of people though both are in Maharashtra.People in Pune do not seek anything from Mumbai loyalists as a result. They have their own in everything be it the Koregaon Parks or the Dorabjees. I am quite sure that they will have no problems about finding their own fan and financial following in the next edition of the IPL. Besides, there is a lot of money in Pune and I am fairly sure that they will get some valuable players on board.The Kanitkars and Jadhavs are a gutsy lot not just good cricketers.

The interesting thing about the Kochi franchise is that all but one of the co-owners are Gujarati businessmen. I wonder why they didn't collaborate to form an Ahmedabad franchise instead. Regarding the support for the Pune franchise, it is not uncommon to other sports - many times cities have multiple clubs (eg. Liverpool and Everton). The franchise should build its fan-base not based solely on the region, but based on the players and team dynamics. And the Sachin syndrome exists all throughout India - every city supports and roots for Sachin, a privilege that very few sportsmen in other sports have.

If there is a Pune team, why would I support Mumbai? That's crazy, man. Oh, I live in Bangalore, by the way.

only one way to get the fan following..............get TENDULKAR.

I am a Maharashtrian and from Pune and though I will cheer Sachin whenever,wherever and whomsoever he plays, I know which team I will be supporting come next IPL - Pune!! :)

I know, that was the first q struck me , when Pune team was announced. I am a die hard Sachin fan, but my home is Pune. What shld I do now?....hopefully there wont be any match between Pune and Mumbai and they will get 1 point each. ...:)

Maybe Pune IPL team would re-start the keen contest between Mumbai and Maharashtra Ranji teams. Sort of a Maharashtra Derby!

Yes, sure it is kind of confusing as to why Pune was picked-up instead of many other cities, which would have much larger as well as much needed fan-support-base. I suppose the truth is hidden from us and lies squarely in intricate corporate financial jigsaw. But then again the question is where is cricket heading to?

Cricket is a team game. (How many times do you need to be told that?) If you are supporting a team just because a certain someone plays there, that's "just not cricket".

I have the same feeling. Had it been Nagpur I would have understood the logic. But Pune is so close to Mumbai. In my opinion Ahmedabad and Lucknow/Kanpur should have been the 2 cities that should have been chosen.

I think the pune team will represent the rest of Mahrashtra. Mumbai Indians represents only mumbai and not the rest of Mahrashtra. Even in Ranji trophy Mumbai has a seperate team while the rest of Maharashtra have a seperate team. The pune team will give a platform for the players from remaining part of Maharshtra an opportunity to showcase their talents. It was high time Pune had an IPL team . If you see the Mumbai Indians team picked for todays match against DC, they have only two players from Maharshtra sachin and zaheer. I think the Pune team will have a strong fan base.

I could not agree with you more, that Ahmadabad should have been the perfect for next team. Given there is no team for Gujarat or any Gujarati to support. At the same time they are playing IPL games in Ahmadabad might as well let it be from there. It would be very premature to say but i do not see any kind of success in Pune, unless they can out bid the Ambani for SRT. (I don't think so,specially this season) Only way you can look at it is Sahara group has lots of money little loss will not make much different to their pocket.

I think Kochi team was a good choice but instead of Pune there should have been Ahemdabad team as there are many classy players from Gujrat, like Pathan bros or u can consider Pujara.Lucknow or Kanpur could have been possible but infrastructure is very poor and also airport is very far fron kanpur stadium.Also UPCA doesnt have their own stadium and they have to rely on govt all the time for stadium and they have to give some tickets to them so profitwise having kanpur or lucknow team eas not feasible.

people.... one thing all of you are forgetting.. after this IPL3, all the teams are going to be abolished.. & a fresh auction is going to take place sometime in sept or oct. who knows, Sahara might be able to buy sachin tendulkar also for the highest ever price.. & after that, can anybody say "we won't support Pune team..??"

Those who feel the presence of Sachin the reason why people from Pune will continue to support Mumbai don't know their cricket.

Even during the times of Sunil Gavaskar and before the rivalry between these two cities have been amazing.

Punekars will cheer for Sachin everytime he gets on the ground but will also always cheer for their team and hope for a win even if Sachin in the opposing team, the only difference being they will expect to see a Sachin century as well.

Hey guys.remember one thing.sahara purchased pune team for 10year.and i dont think sachin wil play that long.so as time pases pune wil definatly develop its own fan base.

I will support all the teams in ipl...bcoz,at last they have to play in indian team only...

Whether It is Pune or Some XYZ City.. It is so waste to expand more teams because now 8 TEAMS are good enough and any further expansion will lack the quality and interest.

Good post... Dr.Iyer I do agree with you that Sachin will have fan following every place in India and outside India as well. Let me try to put it in different way. Arsenal, Chelsea, Fulham, West Ham United and Tottenham Hotspur all are playing in Premier League. All these teams are London base. I haven’t seen EPL follower in London saying 'I do have 5 teams to support'. Mumbai and Pune are at least two cities. You don’t have to support team just because you are staying in same city. Do you? If yes then do you mean that as I am staying in UK I should not follow IPL as there are no team based in UK? Abhay Chattopadhyay what will you do if in next auction Sachin, Sehwag, Gauti and DK are taken by Pune team? Will you still want Delhi to win against Pune? It’s Sahara Group that has bought one team in IPL and they want their team home to be Pune. Remember Sahara does have lot of investment around Pune. Abhay cricket is passion/love/entertainment for us but its business from them.

Thanks for all your comments, but once again have to wonder (as asked in the original post), does the franchise plan on getting any support other than people with ties to Pune? As this is a "Pune" side as opposed to a "Maharashatra" side, the Mumbai - Maharashtra rivalry might not come into play.

Furthermore regarding the chance for Maharashtrians to showcase their talent, that depends entirely on the franchise owners. Are they going to be picking players like Dheeraj and Kedhar Jadhav, Khadiwale, Shrikande etc, or are they going to go the Rajasthan route and look outside of their state and possibly even appoint a foreign captain? If they do go with the former, it will definitely help to increase support from Maharashtra as opposed to Pune alone, but the problem is that I see them going for the latter option.

Its strange that only two cities believe that they can lay claim to Sachin. I'm from Delhi, but have lived in Pune, and know that when I was lucky enough to watch Tendulkar play against the Daredevils at the Kotla, I was praying that he decimated the Delhi bowling attack. Its just that he's Sachin and he is more than just a player, he is someone who makes you hold your head up high because he represents the best that this country has to offer, therefore this debate goes beyond him. We love watching the IPL because it gives us a chance to watch the best in action and by giving two cities in such close proximity teams, you deprive other, more deserving cities of the chance to experience the excitement. I cant support the Pune franchise, it'd be too hypocritical and Sachin could play for anyone and that team would become everyone's favorite, that just the power of the man. Logically, it makes no sense, but I may be the only one to hold that view.

First of all, this is a brilliant article! Kudos to that. I am from Pune but I am a die hard Sachin fan, though I do not like cricket much. I believe, most of the cricket fans in Pune will support for the new Pune team as it would be obvious to back your home team. But almost 90% are going to have a soft spot for the MI because of Sachin. Also one of the major reasons due to which Pune has got a new team is the new world class stadium being built on the outskirts of Pune. It is also evident that the IPL is taking its cue from the football leagues all across Europe, so it shouldn't be a surprise if the match between Mumbai and Pune becomes a war like situation. We can already see the effects the IPL is having when certain players are booed and sweared at in some cities even though they represent India. But there has to be an exeption to this rule, and it is for none other than the God of cricket, SACHIN RAMESH TENDULKAR.

Pune city itself has 4 million people. That is a good enough start. There has to be few more people from villages/towns in Pune district like Pimpri/Chinchwad area etc.

I'm from Kerala, but I dont think I will be able to support Kochi when Sachin is playing for MI. And in my wildest dream I dnt see any chance of Sachin playing for Kochi. So cheers MI :-)

instead of negative comments one should and must appreicate the spirit of Sahara Chief and definitely (inshallah) Pune will get support of whole Maharashtra which will allow Pune team to lead the IPL 4. Cheers..........

i am from andhra pradesh and i am one of the die hard fans of sachin tendulkar. it doesnt matter whether sachin plays for mumbai or pune.i support sachins team not mumbai or pune

Sahara will know from where they would get the max money and hence they have invested in Pune.. It is all about business..I don't understand all the discussions around this !! Waste of time !

Basically i belongs frm vidarbha,as thr is not d nagpur team playing, No doubt,i wil support mumbai,...its very bad,that pune has chosen over Ahamadabad....

itz matter of business guys... RR won the IPL1 bcoz they bought the team for less money and want to improve the stakes, second year itz deccan where they finished last in the table in first year, and whom do u guys think this year...MI(HIGHEST INVESTMENT) or CSK( DHONI & FRANCHISEE OWNER COMES INTO ACCOUNT)...anyway still ipl rocks and will forever bcoz we indians love cricket where it is a religion...cheers

Idont understand how pune gets a franchise when there is no team from U.P , GUJRAT,BIHAR because 2 teamsof one state makes no sense it would have been goodto have a team from north states to encourage. TO get support pune team should have sachin,zahher, manish pandey,rahul dravid,robin utappa , amitmishra,virat kohli and some good foriegn players .

such a weird article Consider any country in Europe it has ten football clubs in a city as small as Mumbai .... what is the way of askig for fanbase . You need to build it and it happens with time .

3 years back when the IPL started we thought it was not possible to root for your city as our minds were tuned to equate Cricket as being played between Countries. We all know how much that has changed with the IPL. While I agree that Ahmedabad would have been a better bet, MI v/s Pune Peshwas could be interesting too :-)

And btw, lets take Sachin out of the picture. All India sways with his every bat swing.

- A Mumbaikar born in Pune with roots in Chennai an now living in Bangalore.

Sahara group hails from Lucknow. The problem with Lucknow/ Kanpur though is that the Stadium in Lucknow is very small & Kanpur has no airport. Would though have loved to see a Lucknow Nawabs team.

If you look at the English Premier League the there are many clubs situated at say 100 kms apart and still for every match the grounds are full...
same is going to happen in IPL now... and most importantly mumbai and pune are going to play only two matches with each other...