At long last, the IPL 2017 playoffs are upon us as the 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.
IPL live score: Mumbai Indian vs Rising Pune Supergiants match updates and ball by ball commentary
Their batsmen have looked extremely solid and have come up with the goods whenever necessary. Lendl Simmons who recently replaced Jos Buttler has been in good form and has given his side the much-needed start at the beginning of the innings.
Nitish Rana, the uncapped player has been a revelation for MI as he has produced quite a few match winning knocks. The bowling department too has been superb as the likes of Jasprit Bumrah, Harbhajan Singh, Karn Sharma and Mitchell Mccleneghan have ripped through opposition line-ups.
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.
Date: May 16th, 2017
Venue: Wankhede Stadium, Mumbai
Timing: 20:00 IST
If MI bat first
Prediction: 180+
The last match at the Wankhede was an absolute belter of a pitch with a total of 463 runs being scored when KXIP defeated the home side last week. If the pitch remains completely unchanged, we could expect another run fest.
We could expect Lendl Simmons to go after the bowlers right from the start and Parthiv complement him as well. Rohit Sharma will look to get some runs on the board as well while Rana, Pollard and co would look to continue the flow of runs.
If RPS bat first
Prediction: 180+
Tripathi will have to get off to a flying start given Ajinkya Rahane’s poor form with the bat, off late. Steve Smith and MS Dhoni will look to provide some stability in the middle order while the likes of Manoj Tiwary and Dan Christian providing the finishing touches. We could expect a big score from them as well.
Predicted winner: Mumbai Indians. If they do win, this would be their first win against RPS this season.
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