The Pune Warriors had joined the Indian Premier League along with the Kochi Tuskers Kerala in 2011. While Kochi could play only one season in the IPL, Pune played in the competition for three years. Although the Pune-based franchise signed some big names, they could not qualify for the playoffs even once.
Yuvraj Singh was the face of this franchise while veteran players Michael Clarke, Graeme Smith, and Sourav Ganguly were also a part of this franchise. Even though Pune Warriors did not achieve much success, these five future stars came into the limelight while playing for the Pune-based team in the IPL.
5. Bhuvneshwar Kumar
Bhuvneshwar Kumar has been a vital part of the Sunrisers Hyderabad team since 2014. However, before becoming a part of the Orange Army, Kumar played for the Royal Challengers Bangalore and the Pune Warriors. Unfortunately, Kumar never got a chance to play for RCB.
Next, he switched to the Pune Warriors. In three seasons, Bhuvneshwar played 31 matches for the Pune Warriors, scalping 24 wickets. His economy rate was 6.72, while his best figures for the Pune Warriors were 3/18.
4. Rahul Sharma
Right-arm leg-spinner Rahul Sharma played six international matches for the Indian cricket team. He donned the Indian jersey in four ODIs and two T20Is. It is noteworthy that all of Rahul’s appearances for the Men in Blue came in the years 2011 and 2012.
Rahul was a part of the Pune Warriors team during that time. The right-arm leggie took 34 wickets in 36 matches for Pune. Apart from the Warriors, Rahul also featured in the Chennai Super Kings, Delhi Capitals, and Deccan Chargers squads.
3. Manish Pandey
Manish Pandey was the first Indian batsman to score a century in the Indian Premier League. But Pandey could not capitalize on that achievement. Later, he moved to the Pune Warriors franchise.
In 27 matches for the Pune Warriors, Manish aggregated 525 runs at an average of 23.86. He followed that up with some good numbers in the domestic arena and in IPL 2014 Final, he played a match-winning knock for the Kolkata Knight Riders.
2. Mitchell Marsh
Australian all-rounder Mitchell Marsh is the only player in IPL history who has played for the Deccan Chargers, the Sunrisers Hyderabad, the Pune Warriors, and the Rising Pune Supergiant. These four teams belong to two regions only.
Marsh achieved the most success when he was a part of the Pune Warriors team. The right-handed batsman scored 191 runs and scalped 14 wickets. His best figures for the Pune Warriors were 4/25.
1. Steve Smith
Currently, many fans consider Steve Smith as one of the best batsmen in all formats of cricket. The right-handed batsman had started his career as a leg-spinner.
Smith later transitioned into a top-order batsman. The fans saw Smith’s IPL heroics for the first time when he was a part of the Pune Warriors team. In 21 innings, Smith scored 521 runs at a brilliant average of 40.08 for the Warriors. He could not score a single fifty for the Pune Warriors, but his knocks proved handy in crucial moments.
Thus, these are the five players who came into the limelight during their IPL stint with the Pune Warriors.
