The Rising Pune Supergiant will take on Mumbai Indians in the final of IPL 2017 on May 21 at the Rajiv Gandhi International stadium in Hyderabad. Steve Smith’s side have had a brilliant outing this year and would be looking to get their hands on the trophy.
This is most likely RPS’ last season in the IPL and they would look to sign off on a winning note. However, they will have their task cut-out as Mumbai Indians will be out seeking revenge having lost to RPS thrice this season already.
Let’s take a look at the probable playing XI for RPS for the IPL 2017 final:
Ajinkya Rahane stepped up when it mattered most as he scored a magnificent half-century in the first qualifying match which was held in Mumbai. He revived RPS’ innings after they had lost two quick wickets. He would look to replicate the innings in the final as well against the same bowling line-up.
Rahul Tripathi has been one of the finds of the tournament and has performed exceptionally well by giving his side the much-needed start at the beginning of the innings on multiple occasions. He has not been at his best for the past few matches and will look to turn things around in the final.
Steve Smith has not been at his fearless best but despite that is that top scorer for the Rising Pune Supergiant in this year’s IPL. With 421 runs to his name in 14 matches, he will look to score big in the final and guide his side to victory and lift the trophy for the first, and what could be the last time.
Manoj Tiwary has been one of the most underrated batsmen in this year’s IPL. He was used as a finisher for most of the tournament and achieved a lot of success doing so with the bat. He made a major contribution last time around too scoring a half century and guiding his side to a total of 163
MS Dhoni has had spurts of success in the tournament but has been the difference between the two sides whenever he has performed. His quickfire knock of 46 in 27 deliveries against Mumbai in the first qualifier was the reason why RPS crossed the 150 run mark and thus ended up winning.
Dan Christian has not had the desired effect with the bat but has performed decently well with the ball picking up a few wickets and having a good economy rate. He will look to improve on his batting performance in the final.
Washington Sundar was the unlikely hero in the previous encounter against MI as he ripped through their batting line-up to guide his side to the final. What was even more impressive was that he gave away only 16 runs in his four overs along with picking up 3 wickets. He will look to make a mark for himself in the final as well.
Lockie Ferguson played his first match against Mumbai last time around and bowled quite well in the three overs he was given. He has the ability to bowl really quick and pick up wickets at regular intervals and that could help his side in the final.
Adam Zampa has featured in only 5 matches so far and would not too happy with what he has achieved so far. He has picked up five wickets and conceded runs at over 8 an over. He would look to turn things around in the final and help his side lift the trophy.
Shardul Thakur has been quite expensive but has picked up a lot of wickets in the tournament so far. He will look to contain the opposition's run-rate as well this time around and make a mark for himself.
Jaydev Unadkat has had a spectacular season despite not performing too well in the domestic season prior to the IPL. He has picked up a wicket in every match of the tournament which even included a hattrick against the Gujarat Lions. With these performances, he could soon make a comeback to the Indian cricket team.
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