IPL 2017 Final: Stephen Fleming concedes that RPS missed Ben Stokes in the final

What’s the story?

Stephen Fleming, the chief coach of the Rising Pune Supergiant, rued the absence of all-rounder Ben Stokes following his team’s narrow defeat to the Mumbai Indians in yesterday’s final. He said that losing wickets at key junctures and not being able to build big partnerships hurt his team’s chances of winning the coveted trophy.

In the post-match press conference, Fleming conceded, “We were a batsman short with Ben Stokes not being a part. We were playing an extra bowler and were aware of it when chasing 130. The best way to have gone about the chase was to build a couple of partnerships. We saw Steve Smith and Ajinkya Rahane come close to doing that but we lost wickets at key times and it kept Mumbai Indians in the game.”

The context

Pune had been one of the top teams this season. After enduring a difficult start to the campaign, they found the perfect balance at the right time and made their way into their first ever IPL final in only their second season. In the all-important match, they were up against two-time champions Mumbai Indians, a team they had already defeated thrice this season.

Things were going according to plan for them, having restricted Mumbai to a mere 129 and being on top of the run chase. However, a brilliant bowling display from Mumbai at the death saw Pune losing the match by the narrowest of margins as they fell short by just one run.

The heart of the matter

Stokes, who was later named the Most Valuable Player of the Tournament, had been instrumental in Pune’s fortunes this year. The talismanic all-rounder, who commanded the highest bid at the auctions, scored 316 runs at an average of 31.6, claimed 12 wickets and was exceptional in the field.

However, he had to leave the tournament prematurely and join his national team to prepare for the upcoming ICC Champions Trophy. The league match against Kings XI Punjab was the last match he played in the IPL.

Fleming was further asked whether it would have been beneficial for Stokes to stay back and play the remaining games. The former Kiwi captain said, “There are gains by being together as a side. You also relish the opportunities to play finals in pressure situations. You learn a lot. We would have loved having Stokes for the full time but we knew he would not be there throughout. We did not spend too much time lamenting that. From his point of view, he would have loved this situation. He is a big game player.”

He also reckoned that the team failed to kill the game and that did not help their cause.

What’s next?

It is highly unlikely that the Pune franchise will take part in next year’s IPL with the Chennai Super Kings and the Rajasthan Royals coming back into the fold of things. The Gujarat Lions, as well, are set to miss out as neither the committee nor the broadcasters are keen on having a 12-team meet.

Author’s take

Stokes’ absence was no doubt felt by Pune. The Englishman had helped his side through the tournament with superb performances in all fronts of the game. However, at the same time, no team playing in an IPL final should be fickle enough to let one player’s absence hurt them so much.