The Maratha chiefs asked Raghunath Rao to lead their army to stop Abdali, but he asked for a huge amount of money, which the treasury was unable to provide him. Raghunath refused to go, leading to Nana Saheb appointing Bhau as the commander of the Maratha army, under the overlordship of the Peshwa prince Vishwas Rao. On their march towards North India, Bhau striked up alliances with other smaller kingdoms and the Maratha chiefs outside Pune, and the army grew in size. Maharaja Suraj Mal, the Jat king of Bharatpur, also joined the Marathas. Abdali on the other hand, allied with kings who were angry with the Marathas for their haughty and arrogant behaviour in the past. Both sides sought the help of Shuja-ud-Daulah, the Nawab of Awadh, considered to have one of the strongest armies in North India.