Rising Pune Supergiant have managed to win against Mumbai Indians in both the league matches this season.
Today table toppers Mumbai Indians get ready to take on 2nd place Rising Pune Supergiant at the Wankhede Stadium on May 16 in Mumbai.
While Mumbai finished with 10 wins in 14 matches, RPS managed 9 wins. Both the sides have been equally impressive and have delivered some standout performances with the bat and the ball.
After a disappointing season in 2016, MI bounced back in style as they achieved the best ever start to a season in this tournament. They lost the first match but then went on to win five in a row after that. They were the first team to win 9 matches and reach 18 points and qualify for the playoffs.
Mumbai have solid squad which is full of experience and also youngsters brimming with enthusiasm and drive to win and take the team towards the title. The youngsters would be bolstered by the presence of experienced heads in Rohit Sharma, Harbhajan Singh, Kieron Pollard, Ambati Rayudu, Lasith Malinga as the business end of the IPL gets underway. All have them have won two IPL crowns and are expected to be part of starting XI come Tuesday.
On the other hand Rising Pune Supergiant have the most number of match winning players among all the teams in IPL. Ajinkya Rahane and Rahul Tripathi can provide quick starts, creating pressure early on for the bowlers. The middle order is a strong combination of experience and quality with the likes of Steve Smith, MS Dhoni, Ben Stokes and Manoj Tiwary which have the ability to chase any target when performing at their best.
The in-form bowling attack doesn’t need any introduction with Jaydev Unadkat, Adam Zampa, Ben Stokes and Shardul Thakur all in great touch as we saw in the previous match against Kings XI Punjab.
Batting Performances:
Simmons and Pollard will look to make a comeback in the qualifier after not delivering with the willow in the last match. Rohit will hope to convert his short innings into bigger one. Rising Pune Supergiant’s batsmen didn’t get much opportunity to bat in the last match, Dhoni will be looking to fire some runs and Smith needs to chip in by spending more time at the crease and play a captain’s knock on the big occasion.
RPS, on the other hand, found a gem in their batting line-up in the form of Rahul Tripathi. He has provided the best starts to his side and has gone on to produce a few amazing innings.
Ben Stokes, who was the most expensive buy at the auction proved his worth with a few match-winning performances with the bat and the ball. Unfortunately, RPS would have to do without him for the playoffs as he has flown back to England for national duty.
Best Performances by both teams:
For Mumbai Indians, last match’s highest scorer Ambati Rayudu will be the player to watch out for, also the fiery pair of Parthiv and Simmons will prove to be a key factor in Mumbai’s innings. The dashing middle order features Pollard and Pandya brothers can’t be ignored as all three will come out roaring for Tuesday’s encounter. For RPS, the focus will be on their batting line-up — Rahane, Dhoni, Smith and Manoj Tiwary. Their bowling can be equally destructive, with Unadkat and Thakur opening the attack, followed by Zampa’s match turning spells.
Predicted winner: Mumbai Indians. If they do win, this would be their first win against RPS this season.
Leave a Reply