IPL 2018: Man of the Match performances across a decade of IPL finals

#1 Krunal Pandya (2017)

Krunal is a utility player and a match winner

The 2017 IPL final- an all Maharashtrian affair- was contested between Mumbai Indians and the interim franchise Rising Pune Supergiants. In what seemed to be a one-sided match, Krunal Pandya’s batting brilliance, coupled with Pune’s lack of application turned it into a low-scoring thriller.

Batting first, Mumbai kept losing wickets at regular intervals as their top order failed. With power hitters Pollard and Hardik Pandya failing to make an impact, Krunal’s presence at the crease was Mumbai’s only hope for a decent total. Playing according to match situation, the elder Pandya batted intelligently as he scored 47 runs from 38 balls with 26 of those coming in boundaries.

Requiring just 50 from the final eight overs, Pune looked well on course for a victory when they started losing the plot. Mumbai’s disciplined bowling and fielding led to Pune’s collapse as they fell short of the modest 129 run target by just a solitary run.

Krunal Pandya was adjudged as Man of the Match and this was one of the reasons why Mumbai bought him back through their RTM for the 2018 IPL season.