So it’s that day we have been building for since the last couple of months – the Big IPL 2017 Final. And what’s more, it’s going to be a local derby.
Everyone expected Mumbai Indians to make it here, but I don’t think there are too many who would have thought that Rising Pune Supergiant would make it so far, having disappointed for much of the early stages of IPL 10.
Well, they did and they do have a great record against Mumbai Indians. They have won four out of the five games they have played against the Mumbai team.
This season, Rising Pune have won home and away in the league stage against their local rivals. They then went on to beat Mumbai in front of their home crowd at the Wankhede in the first qualifier.
This just goes to show that Mumbai Indians – who remain the slight favorites to win the IPL 2017 – have a real fight on their hands. Pune are without their talismanic player, all-rounder Ben Stokes, but they are still very good.
While Steven Smith is their official captain, there is no question that MS Dhoni is the spiritual captain of the Pune side. Dhoni is at a stage in his career where he is looked upon as a living legend of Indian cricket, one of the greatest players to have played for the country.
It is a privilege to watch him in action, to see him turn out for India or for his IPL team. The crowds know that he won’t be around for much longer and so support him at full throttle every time he plays.
Indeed, there were chants of “Dhoni! Dhoni!” at the den of the Mumbai Indians, Wankhade, by supporters of the Mumbai Indians, the last time the two teams played. Such is the massive support this man enjoys in India.
This could be the last IPL final MS Dhoni is a part of. So ladies and gentlemen, drop everything and watch the live telecast of this match at 8 pm tonight on Sony Six! It’s been a hell of a ride so far, and we hope that this wonderful season of the IPL gets the cliffhanger of a final that it truly deserves!
The Teams
Mumbai Indians: 1 Parthiv Patel (wk), 2 Lendl Simmons, 3 Rohit Sharma (capt), 4 Ambati Rayudu, 5 Kieron Pollard, 6 Krunal Pandya, 7 Hardik Pandya, 8 Karn Sharma, 9 Mitchell Johnson/Mitchell McClenaghan, 10 Lasith Malinga, 11 Jasprit Bumrah
Rising Pune Supergiant: 1 Ajinkya Rahane, 2 Rahul Tripathi, 3 Steven Smith (capt), 4 Manoj Tiwary, 5 MS Dhoni (wk), 6 Dan Christian, 7 Washington Sundar, 8 Shardul Thakur, 9 Lockie Ferguson, 10 Jaydev Unadkat, 11 Adam Zampa
Watch the IPL 2017 FINAL between Mumbai Indians and Rising Pune Supergiant tonight at 8 PM live on Sony Six!
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