After fighting his way back into the cash-rich Indian Premier League (IPL) former India skipper Sourav Ganguly says he is happy to return and wants to deliver.
Ganguly will play for debutants Pune Warriors India replacing pacer Ashish Nehra, who has been ruled out of the event with a finger injury he sustained during India's World Cup semi-final win over Pakistan in March.
Ganguly was up for the auction at a base price of $ 400,000 but remained unsold, leading to a wide public uproar and road protests in Kolkata, Ganguly's home town.
The inspirational leader was also set to join debutantes Kochi Tuskers Kerala after the auctions but the move was objected to by three franchisees and hence the IPL governing council had no choice but to reject Kochi's application.
In an interview to Mid-day, Ganguly said: "I was approached by Pune yesterday (on Tuesday). They wanted to know whether I was available or not. I told them I was available. That's how I am going to play for Pune Warriors."
He added: "Yes, I am happy to be back. I want to deliver. I am ready for IPL."
Being asked about where he would prefer to bat, Ganguly said: "I'm very flexible with that (position in the batting order). Let's see what the team management tells me. I am ready for everything."
So far, Ganguly has an impressive IPL record. In 40 matches, he has scored 1097 runs at an average of 28.64.
His return has come at the right time for Pune, who have lost six matches on the trot and would love to get their campaign back on track.