Mumbai, Pune, Hyderabad, or Kolkata- Who will win IPL 2017?

Mumbai Indians

Form Guide - W-W-W-L-L-W

Strengths - Although Mumbai have lost both the games in the league stages to Pune, they have a lot of experience of playing in the playoffs earlier, unlike their opponents- Rising Pune Supergiant, which will play its first and maybe last, playoff match. Playing the first qualifier at home will also add to their strengths. Mumbai's biggest strength has been their strong middle order coupled with a versatile bowling attack. In their last league match, with a second string team, Mumbai proved that they have enough resources to get the job done, which will give them confidence going into the playoffs.

Weaknesses - While they have a very good middle-order, their opening pair doesn’t paint a confident picture. Further, although playing at home always helps, it also comes with its own pressure and Mumbai should be careful about that. They had also let the momentum shift at the fag end of the tournament, only to get back in the last game.   

Performance - 14 - 9 - 5 - 0

Pune’s fortunes have been on the upswing this season and they defeated Kings XI Punjab in a must-win final game to book a berth in the playoffs. In the tournament, they secured 18 points from 14 games. 

They have been in a marauding form lately, having won five out of their last six games. So they have the perfect momentum going into their first playoffs.  

Strengths - Pune have a perfect blend of experience and youngsters in their ranks and their spectacular rise to the top-two in the league was a complete team effort. Although Ben Stokes and Imran Tahir will be unavailable due to national commitments, players like Rahul Tripathi, Daniel Christian, Washington Sundar, and Jaydev Unadkat have already proven their mettle. Their youngsters are not really out and out stars and their unpredictability adds to the drama and the opponents should have a cautious look at that. Pune, in the form of Adam Zampa, too, have gotten a like-to-like replacement for Tahir and will look forward to maintaining their unbeaten record at Wankhede. 

Sunrisers Hyderabad

Performance - 14 -8 - 5 -1

Form Guide - W-W-L-L-W-W

The tournament didn’t transpire the way the way it started for the defending champions. They lost their mettle in the middle but did well to not slip the chance completely. With two wins in last two games, Hyderabad is in much better shape now. 

Weaknesses - David Warner and Shikhar Dhawan have proved to be quite an assured presence at the top of the order, but they will still have to be wary of being overly reliant on the duo. If their batsmen can help post par totals on the board, more often than not, their bowlers will be expected to defend.

Kolkata Knight Riders

Kolkata started the tournament on a good note, but towards the end of the league stages, their reckless approach hurt them big time as a result of which they failed to finish in the top-two of the league.

Form Guide - W-L-L-W-L-L

Strengths - KKR is a very well-rounded team with a lot of match-winners with both bat and ball. That their homework has been exemplary cannot be ignored, but what adds value to the team’s chances are the batsmen’s ability to take the bowlers down on any given day. With Lynn firing at the top-order and Gambhir in good nick, KKR is primed for success, albeit they have let the momentum slip at the twilight of the league stage. 

Weaknesses - Sunil Narine and Chris Lynn have become indispensable members of the playing eleven and KKR have enjoyed a lot rides on the back of the duo. There is no real backup-up option available for Gambhir to feel comfortable as Manish Pandey and Robin Uthappa are still unpredictable. 

Qualifier 1 - Mumbai Indians vs Rising Pune Supergiant

Pune were the only team to do the double over their derby rivals this season, but the wins had more to do with individual brilliance rather than a well oiled team effort. It took two huge sixes in the last over by Steve Smith to secure the first win while a breathtaking 7-run penultimate over built the base for Pune to halt Mumbai's six-match winning streak. However, with their best bowler and the most expensive player missing, it will require a monumental team effort to stop the Mumbai juggernaut at the Wankhede. The biggest trouble in playing against Mumbai is that no matter how many wickets you take, batsmen just keep coming out swinging and no target appears to faze them. In the absence of Stokes and Tahir, Pune are in for a huge reality check in the first qualifier. 

Eliminator 1 - Sunrisers Hyderabad vs Kolkata Knight Riders 

This is a tough one. Both teams won their respective home games against each other this season. While one has arguably the best bowling attack in the league, the other has the most explosive batting attack. The two teams will face off at the Chinnaswamy stadium which is not the same flat track it has been in previous years. However, the boundaries are still one of the shortest in India. Hyderabad did secure their title at the same ground last year but this is a much better bowling unit than the one that RCB had come up against. If Lynn and Narine start well, Hyderabad might be in for a rough night in Bengaluru this time around.

Eliminator 2 - Rising Pune Supergiant vs Kolkata Knight Riders

In the two matches they have played this season, the side chasing has won the game. It was a 158-run partnership between Gambhir and Uthappa that won the game for the Knight Riders in Pune while a scintillating 93 by Tripathi secured the two points for the Supergiant in the reverse fixture. Again in Bengaluru, one would have to put their money on KKR because of their talented pace attack and the two big hitters at the top of their order. Pune will desperately want Tripathi to shine again, but with just Smith and Dhoni after the youngster, it might be a step too far for the Pune team. And again they will need to come up with two bowlers who can try to recreate the magical spells of the departed English and South African duo.

Final - Mumbai Indians vs Kolkata Knight Riders

If two of the most consistent sides in the IPL History come up against each other in the final of IPL 2017, it will be a question of who rises to the occasion and who holds their collective nerve better. Given that Mumbai have preferred chasing in the tournament so far, the key for Kolkata will be to disrupt that plan by putting Rohit Sharma's side into bat, if they win the toss. If the KKR bowlers can then restrict the Mumbai batsmen to a subpar score, one would back the KKR top order to get the job done and seal their third title for the Shah Rukh Khan-owned franchise.