MI-RPS promise blockbuster

After an enthralling affair, dotted with some brilliant individual performances and thrilling encounters in the league stage, the tenth edition of the Indian Premier League is set for the final phase.

The play-offs begin with Qualifier 1 between Mumbai Indians and Rising Pune Supergiant here at the Wankhede Stadium on Tuesday and the battle is going to be intense and exciting at the same time.

Mumbai, always strong title contenders, have lived up to their reputation. While fortunes fluctuated for all the other teams, Mumbai enjoyed a consistent run to be the first side to seal the play-offs berth. Six of their ten victories came successively, reflecting their dominance in the league phase, and the hosts will be keen to take a big step towards their third title.

Incidentally, if there is one team that has troubled Rohit Sharma's men this season then it has to be Pune. The Supergiant have emerged winners in both the meetings between these two teams and Tuesday’s contest comes as a best chance for Mumbai to exact revenge. Despite starting their campaign with a defeat to Pune, Mumbai’s rise to the top of the table is an excellent example of team work. Mumbai’s batting has looked solid and youngster Nitish Rana deserves great credit for it.

The southpaw from Delhi, with 333 runs under his belt, has been one of the finds of the season. Rana has been terrific during the chases and his quick-scoring ability can upset the rhythm of the opposition’s attack.  

Kieron Pollard (362 runs) has stood out with his calculative innings which have often bailed Mumbai out of trouble.

In the bowling department, Mitchell McClenaghan has been Mumbai’s strike bowler. The left-arm Kiwi pacer has been good both in the powerplays and during the fag end of the innings, helping his team defend modest totals. Jasprit Bumrah, with his guile and variations, is a tough nut to crack during the death overs. The good form of Pandya brothers – Hardik and Krunal -- makes Mumbai a well balanced team.

The journey of Pune to the knockouts has been an inspiring one. Following a disappointing debut season, where they finished seventh, not many tipped Supergiant to come this far. Steve Smith’s men shrugged off a slump in the initial half of the season and found a suitable combination at the right time.

Pune though will badly miss two of their chief architects behind their success -- Ben Stokes (316 runs and 12 wickets) and Imran Tahir (18 wickets) – both out due to national duties. It will be a test for the Pune bench strength to fill the void left by the duo.

Steve Smith (420 runs) has led from the front while Rahul Tripathi has been a revelation. Slamming blazing knocks against quality bowling, Tripathi has caught the attention of all. Manoj Tiwary and the seasoned Mahendra Singh Dhoni have essayed little gems in the middle order and the duo can prove dangerous any time.

Jaydev Unadkat’s menacing show couldn’t have come at a better time for Pune and the visitors will be hoping the likes of Shardul Thakur and Daniel Christian play fine support to the left-arm seamer.

Though the losing team will get another chance in Qualifier 2, both sides will be eager to go all out to seal a final berth in what promises to be a cracker of a Maharashtra derby.