The Rising Pune Supergiant started off their campaign in the tenth edition of the IPL with a comprehensive seven-wicket win over the Mumbai Indians at Pune.
Steve Smith, captain of the Rising Pune Supergiant, led from the front as he scored an unbeaten 84 off 54 balls to guide his team in chasing down a huge total of 185 runs. He was well supported by Ajinkya Rahane who chipped in with a quickfire 60 off 34 balls.
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Extra Cover: IPL 2017: Rising Pune Supergiant vs Mumbai Indians, 5 Talking Points
Earlier, the Mumbai Indians, riding on contributions from the whole batting unit, scored 184 runs after being put into bat.
Here’s a look at the performances of the players from both the sides:
Rising Pune Supergiant
Steve Smith – 9
Steve Smith and his love affair with the Indian pitches continues as he leads his side to a comfortable victory over the Mumbai Indians. Coming into bat at number three, the Australian batsman anchored the chase and scored an unbeaten 84 off 54 balls with seven fours and three sixes. He was dropped on 36 by Nitish Rana on the square leg boundary and made full use off this opportunity and guided his team to their first win on the home turf.
Extra Cover: IPL 2017, RPS vs MI: SK Player of the Day, Steven Smith for his nerveless finish
Imran Tahir – 9
The South African legspinner was at his very best in the opening match as he rocked the Mumbai batting unit by picking up three crucial wickets in quick succession. The No. 1 T-20I bowler in the world surprisingly went unsold in the player auction but was named as a replacement for Mitchell Marsh just before the start of IPL. He returned with figures of 3 for 28 in his 4 overs spell.
Ajinkya Rahane – 8
Rahane started off from how he had left in Dharamshala in the final Test of the India-Australia series as he smashed a quick 60 off 34 balls, which included six boundaries and three sixes. The 28-year-old’s aggressive knock set the platform for the amazing run chase.
Ben Stokes – 7
Ben Stokes had a fairly decent outing in his IPL debut as he was in the thick of things right from the start of the match. He was at his aggressive best while fielding on the boundary ropes and with his strong throwing arm helped the team cut down on extra runs. He was a touch expensive with the ball as he returned with figures of 1 for 36 in his four overs. He scored 21 off 14 balls and was involved a crucial partnership of 50 runs for the third wicket with Smith.
Rajat Bhatia – 7
A veteran of the domestic circuit, Bhatia put all his experience into play as he put the brakes on the scoring rate of the Mumbai Indians with his cutters and slower deliveries. He picked up two crucial wickets in the middle overs and gave away just 14 runs in his three overs. Although he was guilty of putting down a catch of Parthiv Patel early in the innings, he caught Nitish Rana safely on the deep mid wicket boundary later in the innings.
MS Dhoni – 5
Relieved of the captaincy duties for the tenth edition of the IPL, Dhoni was not his usual best behind the wicket as he dropped a low chance off Kieron Pollard in the 18th over of the innings. He remained unbeaten on 12 along with Smith as the Supergiant chased the target in the last over.
Adam Zampa – 5
The young legspinner from Australia grabbed the headlines last season as he picked up six wickets for 19 runs against the Sunrisers Hyderabad. The 25-year-old has not started the 2017 season too well as he was guilty of bowling a few short deliveries in his three-over spell. H returned with figures of one for 26 in this three overs.
Mayank Agarwal – 4
Playing his first match for the Rising Pune Supergiant, Agarwal did not have a great start with the bat as he was dismissed for 6 in the run chase. Agarwal, though, pulled off a spectacular catch at the long on boundary to dismiss Kieron Pollard in the 19th over. Diving low in front and pulling it inches off the ground, the catch could well be the catch of the season.
Deepak Chahar – 2
The 24-year-old from Rajasthan did not have a great start to the tenth edition of the tournament as he failed to settle into his bowling rhythm. He leaked 21 runs in the two overs and did not complete his full quota of overs.
Ashok Dinda – 2
The right arm medium pacer from Bengal would like to forget this opening match as quickly as possible. He was smashed for 30 runs in the final over of the innings by Hardik Pandya which included four sixes and one boundary. He was a bit unlucky as Parthiv Patel was dropped off his bowling for 13. He returned with dismal figures of none for 57 in four overs.
Manoj Tiwary – Not Applicable
The experienced middle order batsman was not required to bat in the run chase.
Mumbai Indians
Hardik Pandya – 8
The all-rounder from Baroda was making a comeback from an injury and was the best player for the Mumbai Indians in their opening game. He scored a destructive 35 off 15 balls which included 30 runs in the last over of the innings. Although, he will be expected to be a bit more consistent with his line and length and contribute more with the ball as he was a touch expensive in his four overs as he gave away 36 runs.
Jos Buttler – 7
The wicketkeeper-batsman from England gave his team an explosive start at the top of the order and scored 38 in just 19 balls. He would consider himself a bit unlucky as he was adjudged lbw off Tahir with the replays suggesting the ball had hit the bat. His wicket slowed down the run rate for the Mumbai Indians
Jasprit Bumrah – 6
The yorker specialist was very economical in his four overs but failed to break any partnerships. He was unlucky as Tim Southee dropped MS Dhoni off his bowling in the 19th over. He returned with figures of none for 29.
Nitish Rana – 6
The aggressive left-handed batsman scored a well crafted 34 in 28 balls to contribute to the first innings total of the side. He had a mixed day on the field as he caught a blinder to dismiss Ajinkya Rahane for 60 but soon dropped Steve Smith for 36 which proved too costly as he went on to score an unbeaten 84.
Kieron Pollard – 6
Pollard has been the mainstay in the Mumbai batting unit since a long time. Coming in at number 6, he scored an aggressive 27 in his 17 ball stay at the crease. He survived twice as he was once not given lbw by the umpire off Tahir and once when Dhoni failed to grab a low chance. His bowling though was not at its best as he gave away 30 runs in his two overs.
Parthiv Patel – 5
The little dynamite opened the batting for the Mumbai Indians and was involved in a solid opening stand of 45 runs along with Jos Buttler. He scored 19 in his 14 ball stay before being clean bowled by Tahir.
Mitchell McClenaghan – 5
The left-arm pacer from New Zealand failed to create any impact with the ball and was bowling all around the wicket which made it difficult for the captain to set fields. Although he picked up the wicket of Mayank Agarwal, the rest of the bowling was way below par.
Tim Southee – 4
The right arm medium pacer failed to utilise the swing on offer with the new ball and could not create any inroads in the batting order of the Supergiant. He was smashed for 34 runs in his four-over spell. To make things even worse, he dropped MS Dhoni in the penultimate over of the match.
Rohit Sharma – 3
The Mumbai Indians captain returned to competitive cricket after a long injury lay-off. He did not last long with the bat has he was dismissed for 3 runs. His captaincy too failed to help Mumbai Indians get over the line despite scoring 184 runs in the first innings.
Ambati Rayudu – 3
The right-handed middle-order batsman has been a seasoned player for the Mumbai Indians. He came into bat with the score reading 63 for 3 but failed to bail his side out of trouble as he struggled in his 12-ball 10-run stay.
Krunal Pandya – 2
Krunal did not enjoy a great day at office as he struggled with both bat and ball for the Mumbai Indians. He scored 3 off 5 balls and never looked comfortable at the wicket. His bowling too did not help his side as he leaked 21 runs in his two overs.
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