The Rising Pune Supergiant outdid most expectations and toppled the Mumbai Indians who were the better team on paper. The third Maharashtra derby of IPL 2017 had the same result as the previous two, with RPS winning by 20 runs.
Riding on Ajinkya Rahane’s 43 balls 56, the Pune Supergiant put on 162 on the board. After losing the inform Rahul Tripathi and skipper Steven Smith, Rahane and Manoj Tiwary steadied the ship with a vital 80-run partnership. Run-scoring wasn’t as easy and Pune needed something special towards the end.
MS Dhoni did just that and added to his trysts with the Wankhede. He scored a 26 ball 40 while Tiwary played a solid knock of 58 runs and gave his bowlers something to defend. Dhoni has once again stepped up in the big match and has strengthened Pune's middle order.
Mumbai Indians' most consistent batsman this season, Parthiv Patel took to the Pune bowlers right away. But Washington
Having lost 5 wickets for 75, Mumbai were always going to struggle. Parthiv bowed out after making 52 off 40 and was the only highlight of MI’s batting. The batting seemed to falter while chasing what was considered a par score. In earlier matches, Mumbai has found a way out of tough spots and stayed afloat with the likes of Pollard and Rohit playing responsible innings.
Chennai Super Kings are the only other team to beat the Mumbai Indians thrice in a season
Mumbai failed to apply themselves in a tricky chase and will now have another shot at the final. They’ll face the winner of the Eliminator between Sunrisers Hyderabad and Kolkata Knight Riders at Bangalore on 19th May.
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