IPL 2017 | Match 28 Preview: Mumbai Indians vs Rising Pune Supergiant
Having won two games in a row, Rising Pune Supergiant travel to the Wankhede Stadium to take on Mumbai Indians in the second Maharashtra derby of IPL-10. Mumbai lost the previous encounter at the MCA Stadium in Pune by seven wickets and will be looking for revenge on their home ground.
Buoyed by their victory over defending champions Sunrisers Hyderabad on Saturday, Pune will be high on confidence going into tonight’s encounter. But it certainly won’t be easy against the current table-toppers who haven’t lost a game since their last meeting.
Head to head:
Pune lead 2-1.
Last Meeting:
Steve Smith’s 84* helped Pune chase down 184 with 7 wickets and one ball to spare in the second match of IPL 2017 in Pune.
Fan Predictions:
As part of the preview, we bring to you fan predictions for the talking points of the ame. The predictions are sourced from the newest fantasy game on the block – Nostragamus. If you want to make your predictions and win prizes, click here.
Who will win?
 © NostragamusOne way or another, fireworks are expected to explode when the Rising Pune Supergiant take on the Mumbai Indians at the Wankhede. Mumbai Indians are currently on a roll, winning 6 on the trot after losing their opening match against Pune. But, that was at Pune, and this is at Mumbai, where the might of Delhi succumbed to the bouncy wicket, scoring just 128 while chasing down 143. If Mumbai’s bowling unit doesn’t do its job, the batting unit surely will – they effortlessly chased down 199 in just 15.3 overs at Indore against KXIP. For these reasons, we believe that Pune will fall short in this game.
Fan verdict : Mumbai Indians to clinch the Maharashtra derby – 62%
Who will hit more sixes?
Options : MS Dhoni or Kieron Pollard
For the Mumbai team, Kieron Pollard was counted on to add the much-needed middle-order solidity, and he has delivered in some style. Coming in at no.7 or no.6, or even no.5, he has taken his time to settle in the middle, and even cut loose once to smash 70 off 47 when the chips were down against RCB. He has hit 11 6’s in the 6 times he has stepped out to bat, failing to hit a 6 only once against Delhi. Dhoni, on the other hand, picks & chooses his moments to slog like a general, like against SRH, when he het 61 at a strike rate of 179, including 5 4’s and 3 6’s. It’ll come down to the situation finally, but we can’t see Dhoni prevailing against the Mumbai team.
Fan verdict : Captain Cool to prevail against the West Indian – 52%
Predicted Playing XI:
Mumbai Indians: MI are expected to play the same side that beat Delhi Daredevils by 14 runs on Saturday.
Parthiv Patel (wk), Jos Buttler, Nitish Rana, Rohit Sharma (C), Kieron Pollard, Hardik Pandya, Krunal Pandya, Harbhajan Singh, Jasprit Bumrah, Mitchell McClenaghan, Mitchell Johnson.
Rising Pune Supergiant: RPS have managed to get some much-needed momentum to their campaign and are unlikely to change their winning combination.
Ajinkya Rahane, Rahul Tripathi, Steve Smith (C), MS Dhoni (wk), Manoj Tiwary, Ben Stokes, Daniel Christian, Washington Sundar, Shardul Thakur, Imran Tahir, Jaydev Unadkat.
Key Players:
Jos Buttler (MI): The hard-hitting English opener is known to take the bowlers on. He scored a quickfire 28 against Delhi Daredevils on
MS Dhoni (RPS):Â The former India skipper has fond memories of the Wankhede Stadium as he hit the winning strike over the ropes against Sri Lanka when India won the World Cup in 2011. After finding his form against SRH in the last game with a match-winning 61 off just 34 balls, MSD will be looking to continue his love affair with the Wankhede.
Pre-Match chatter:
“It’s a long way to go (to the playoffs). We have a very liberal management and a very liberal team. So, fresh start every time”, MI pacer, Mitchell McClenaghan.
Time: 8 PM
Venue: Wankhede Stadium, Mumbai
TV Listings: Sony Six HD, Sony Six, Set Max, Sony ESPN
