IPL 2017 Final, RPS vs MI Match Prediction: Who will win today's match between Rising Pune Supergiant and Mumbai Indians

After 45 days and 59 matches, the tenth edition of the Indian Premier League is left with the two best teams that will take on each other in the finals at the Rajiv Gandhi International stadium in Hyderabad later today (May 21).

The match between Mumbai Indians and Rising Pune Supergiant has more significance as RPS might be playing their last match as a franchise while Mumbai won’t be having the same bunch of players representing the franchise next season as a fresh auction is set to take place ahead of the eleventh edition.

Both the teams began their IPL campaign by facing each other and have crossed paths on two more occasions in the tournament. Steve Smith's Pune defeated Mumbai on all three occasions but their fourth match has more significance than all the other three matches combined.

Mumbai finished the league stage as the table toppers and were beaten by Pune in Qualifier 1. They were given a lifeline by finishing first as they got one more chance of making it to the finals. In the second qualifier, Mumbai annihilated Kolkata Knight Riders and reached their fourth IPL final. They were heavily reliant on their bowlers in most of their matches as their batsmen were inconsistent throughout the tournament.

Parthiv Patel is the leading run scorer for the Rohit Sharma-led team with 391 runs in 13 matches while the others have contributed in patches. Rohit failed to set the tournament on fire while the likes of Lendl Simmons and Ambati Rayudu had just one good knock before giving away their wickets cheaply. Pandya brothers’ contribution in the tournament was very crucial in Mumbai finishing at the top. Youngster Nitish Rana had a great start to the tournament before he was dropped from the team after a string of low scores.

Extra cover: IPL 2017 Finals RPS vs MI: Mumbai Indians (MI) Today's probable playing 11 against Rising Pune Supergiant (RPS)

With the ball, pacers Mitchell McClenaghan and Jasprit Bumrah have done the majority of the damage as the duo has taken 37 wickets in between them. They’ve been backed well by the spinners - Karn Sharma, Krunal Pandya and Harbhajan Singh - who have played their part for the team. Sharma missed the first few matches and when he got the nod, he came out all guns blazing and kept Harbhajan on the sidelines with his bowling. The only area of concern will be the form of Lasith Malinga as the Sri Lankan was far from his best in the ongoing season.

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On the other hand, each and every single member of the Pune team, right from skipper Steve Smith to rookies Washington Sundar and Rahul Tripathi have done their job to perfection. They will be missing the presence of all-rounder Ben Stokes and leg-spinner Imran Tahir, who have left the tournament mid-way to take part in an ODI series between England and South Africa.

Jaydev Unadkat is Pune’s best bowler in the tournament with 22 wickets in 11 matches, just four wickets behind the purple cap holder, Bhuvneshwar Kumar. Along with Unadkat, Tahir, Stokes, Shardul Thakur, Dan Christian and Washington Sundar have chipped in with wickets whenever needed. With the bat, Smith is the leading run scorer with 421 runs under his belt and is followed by Rahul Tripathi, who is one of the finds of the tournament. Pune finished second in the league and reached the finals by beating Mumbai Indians in the first Qualifier.

Extra cover: Rising Pune Supergiant's probable XI against Mumbai Indians

Date: 21-05-2017

Time: 2000 (IST)

Venue: Rajiv Gandhi international stadium, Hyderabad

If RPS bat first

Prediction: 180+

At any cost, Pune will look to post a huge total on the board and put pressure on the opposition. Opener Ajinkya Rahane, who played a crucial inning in the first qualifier, will look to get some runs while Tripathi will look to find his lost touch back. Skipper Steve Smith is in due for a big knock and today could be the day when the Aussie decides to set the stage on fire. In spite of being a high-pressure match, anything less than 160 will make life difficult for the Smith and co.

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If MI bat first

Prediction: 170+

Mumbai Indians will look to score at least 170 runs if they want to get the better of RPS. Mumbai’s total will depend on how opener Lendl Simmons and Rohit Sharma play. The team management will also hope that the likes of Rayudu, Pollard and Hardik Pandya make some notable contributions so that they can beat Pune and win their third IPL title.

Predicted winners: Mumbai Indians

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