The pitch at the Maharashtra Cricket Association (MCA) Stadium here was in the news for all the wrong reasons during the first India-Australia Test in the last week of February
IPL 2017
Pune: The pitch at the Maharashtra Cricket Association (MCA) Stadium here was in the news for all the wrong reasons during the first India-Australia Test in the last week of February. No one eventually took ownership of the square turner that was produced for the series opener, which later rated poor by ICC match referee Chris Broad.
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Five weeks later, the stadium is set to host its first IPL game of the season, and the pitch has become a point of interest. The Rising Pune Supergiant's season-opener against Mumbai Indians on Thursday will be played on the wicket adjacent to the one that was used for the Test, and doesn't look to turn much.
Two curators!
For the first time, the MCA has appointed two curators for the entire duration of the IPL this season. Former Maharashtra skipper Surendra Bhave has joined Pandurang Salgaoncar who has been in charge of the wicket in this stadium since its inauguration in 2012. Bhave comes in with a degree in pitch-making, and had prepared the pitch for the India-Sri Lanka ODI in 2005 at the Nehru Stadium.
And while both curators remained tight-lipped about the surface on offer for tomorrow's tie, it looks very similar to the one that was used for Supergiant's four home games last season.
It was a bit on the slower side, and didn't have anything much for the bowlers. At the same time, it wasn't easy to hit on the up either and was on the slower side.
Blessing in disguise
That might just suit the Supergiant bowlers though, because bowlers like Rajat Bhatia and South African Imran Tahir don't give the batsmen any pace to work with.
It would be a test for the Mumbai Indians batting line-up, especially when a number of their top batsmen are short on match practice.
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