Join the Pune Warriors in the Battle of IPL 2013

Pune’s association with cricket has been legendary. The sport here is a legacy of the British Raj, having bred and pitched many iconic cricketers from the illustrious DB Deodhar to Chandu Borde and Hemant Kanitkar and even Chetan Chauhan. That the sport should have evolved with the times in the city which embraced the test and one-day formats of cricket with such élan isn’t surprising. Its many cricketing clubs and the well-known Maharashtra Cricket Association have kept the popularity of the game alive. The Pune Warriors, Pune’s own very IPL team owned by the Sahara India Pariwar and headed by Angelo Mathews for the sixth season of the Indian Premiere League, IPL 2013, will be playing several exciting matches in the snazzy and state of the art sports facility, the Subrata Roy Sahara Stadium.

The state of the art Subrata Roy Sahara Stadium in Pune | Photo Credit: BPositive / Wikimedia

The IPL season has only just begun and frantic fans across the country are falling over each other rooting for their favourite teams. Cricket is nothing short of a religion in India, and today, this new age religion has evolved a new age ‘tirth yatra’ agenda. Instead of traveling to the four holy dhams, fans today want to travel to various cities to catch a match live and live it up with all the attendant glamour and excitement that is an inevitable part of the cricketing party called IPL!

Living It Up in Pune

As a modern city, Pune boasts of great restaurants, bars and hip hang outs. Those looking forward to catching a match live in Pune will be spoilt for choice when it comes to hotels – there’s one to fit every pocket and several located close to the stadium. A great budget hotel is Ginger Pune, for those not keen to shell out too much. However, those hoping to live in relative comfort can check in at the St. Laurn Suites or head to the Le Meridien for the ultimate in luxury.

Considering the IPL will not take up all your time and you are keen to explore the city a bit, head to Paasha at the JW Marriot on Senapati Bapat Road for some scrumptious North Indian cuisine. However, if you like to mix things up a bit, the Radio Shack in Koregaon Park is another great option.

Pune also boasts a great nightlife and there are a lot of choices centered around the popular Koregaon Park. Some of the must visits include Malaka Spice in Koregaon Park and 11 East Street Café in Camp Cantonment.

Staying Ahead

The road to the Subrata Roy Sahara Stadium on the days of the scheduled matches in bound to be crowded, so keep enough time in hand to get there, clear security and find your seats. Taxis and public conveyance is available at the railway station as well as the Pune Airport. You can also arrange for conveyance at the hotel. Do start at least three hours ahead of the match keeping in mind the traffic situation. People also have the option of driving in from Mumbai on the day of the match.

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