IPL-10 ,2nd match privew RPS vs MI, Pune.
Last season, Rising Pune Supergiants (as was their name in IPL 2016) started their campaign on a bright note, overpowering then defending champions Mumbai Indians by a comfortable margin. Things, however, took a slide after that as they had to endure difficulties on different fronts - injuries, poor form, matches being moved out of Maharashtra - and almost finished with the wooden spoon, if not for Mahendra Singh Dhoni's heroics against Kings XI Punjab in their last game. With a hope of starting afresh, the team underwent an overhaul of personnel and also named a new captain in Steven Smith, whose incredible form with the bat and shrewd captaincy is what Supergiant will be banking on to end their two-year IPL journey on a high.
Mumbai Indians, who have been notable for turning things around after uneventful starts to their recent campaigns, will be eager to hit the straps straight away. Inconsistency was a major factor that led to Mumbai's early exit last season and they will be keen to avoid such a situation by starting with a bang and sustaining the momentum. Unlike most of the teams, who have been hit by a spate of injuries, Mumbai have the luxury of a full-strength squad (Lasith Malinga and Asela Gunaratne will miss the first match due to national duties) with players who have played important roles in the team's past successes.
Among the new recruits for Pune is England all-rounder Ben Stokes, who will be itching to showcase his devastating abilities with the bat. An economy of 9.03 in T20Is does not promise anything special, but his bowling would provide an extra dimension to a seam attack that was substandard last season, barring an impressive Ashok Dinda. The spin department is depleted with R Ashwin pulling out of the tournament, which puts extra pressure on Adam Zampa and Imran Tahir to step up and make an impact. Pune have a quality batting order with the presence of Ajinkya Rahane, Mayank Agarwal, Faf du Plessis, Smith and Dhoni, but the adaptability of the batsmen will be key as a cursory look at their the line-up also suggests an uni-dimensional model, with the exception of Stokes, who can provide the explosions in the back end.
Despite boasting of a proven batting order, the lack of form of their batsmen, saving Rohit Sharma and Ambati Rayudu, had a cascading effect which dented Mumbai's progress in 2016. The bowlers did a decent job but the dearth of support from the other department meant that their performances did not translate into prosperity. Going in with a similar line-up for this season, along with the addition of talented names like Nicholas Pooran, Asela Gunaratne and a host of skillful domestic players, Mumbai have all bases covered. Whether they can string in all-round efforts and come up with clinical executions is something that will be answered in the days to come.
Rising Pune Supergiant: The hosts will have the headache of choosing between Adam Zampa and Imran Tahir as their overseas spin presence. The Australian leggie made a big impact in the limited opportunities provided to him last year while Tahir's status as the No. 1 ranked T20I bowler speaks for itself. Skipper Smith, Stokes and Du Plessis are the other players who will, in all likelihood, complete the overseas quota allowed. With R Ashwin's services not available and Murugan Ashwin released from the team, left-arm spinner Ankit Sharma is likely to feature in a good number of games for Pune.
Probable XI: Ajinkya Rahane, Faf du Plessis, Steven Smith (c), Mayank Agarwal, Ben Stokes, MS Dhoni (wk), Rajat Bhatia, Ankit Sharma, Ashok Dinda, Adam Zampa/Imran Tahir, Shardul Thakur.
Mumbai Indians: Lendl Simmons had played a key role in Mumbai's successful campaign in 2015, but with Jos Buttler capable of doing a fair amount of damage with the bat, Mumbai too face a combination conundrum of their own. With a seam department - Mitchell McClenaghan, Tim Southee, Jasprit Bumrah - that performed consistently last year, Mitchell Johnson might find it hard to break into the eleven while it remains to be seen if Malinga would be slotted in immediately once he is available.
Probable XI: Rohit Sharma (c), Parthiv Patel (wk), Lendl Simmons/Jos Buttler, Ambati Rayudu, Krunal Pandya, Hardik Pandya, Kieron Pollard, Harbhajan Singh, Jasprit Bumrah, Mitchell McClenaghan, Tim Southee.
Rising Pune Supergiant: The hosts will have the headache of choosing between Adam Zampa and Imran Tahir as their overseas spin presence. The Australian leggie made a big impact in the limited opportunities provided to him last year while Tahir's status as the No. 1 ranked T20I bowler speaks for itself. Skipper Smith, Stokes and Du Plessis are the other players who will, in all likelihood, complete the overseas quota allowed. With R Ashwin's services not available and Murugan Ashwin released from the team, left-arm spinner Ankit Sharma is likely to feature in a good number of games for Pune.
Probable XI: Ajinkya Rahane, Faf du Plessis, Steven Smith (c), Mayank Agarwal, Ben Stokes, MS Dhoni (wk), Rajat Bhatia, Ankit Sharma, Ashok Dinda, Adam Zampa/Imran Tahir, Shardul Thakur.
Mumbai Indians: Lendl Simmons had played a key role in Mumbai's successful campaign in 2015, but with Jos Buttler capable of doing a fair amount of damage with the bat, Mumbai too face a combination conundrum of their own. With a seam department - Mitchell McClenaghan, Tim Southee, Jasprit Bumrah - that performed consistently last year, Mitchell Johnson might find it hard to break into the eleven while it remains to be seen if Malinga would be slotted in immediately once he is available.
Probable XI: Rohit Sharma (c), Parthiv Patel (wk), Lendl Simmons/Jos Buttler, Ambati Rayudu, Krunal Pandya, Hardik Pandya, Kieron Pollard, Harbhajan Singh, Jasprit Bumrah, Mitchell McClenaghan, Tim Southee.
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