IPL 2017, Highlights MI vs RPS, Qualifier 1 in Mumbai, cricket score and updates: Pune win by 20 runs, qualify for the final

Washington Sundar (17y 223d) is now the youngest ever player to win a Man of the Match award in IPL.

Teams to beat Mumbai Indians thrice in a single IPL season:

Chennai Super Kings in 2014

Rising Pune Supergiant in 2017*

MS Dhoni’s finals in T20 cricket:

WT20 2007, WT20 2014

IPL 2008, 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2015, 2017*

CLT20 2010

Asia Cup 2016

Washington Sundar is adjudged the Man of the Match for his match-winning spell

Teams who had won the first qualifier and gone on to win the IPL title:

2011 – CSK 

2012, 2014 – KKR 

2015 – MI 

Will RPS win in 2017? 

Teams who had lost the first qualifier and gone on to win the IPL title:

2013 – Mumbai Indians 

Will MI repeat it in 2017 also?

MS Dhoni will play his seventh IPL final this year – the most for any player.

2008, 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2015, 2017*

So RPS have gone three out of three against Mumbai Indians. Without Tahir and without Stokes. Once again, faced with a slower wicket, RPS bowlers used cutters brilliantly, and have gone from seventh last year to the final this year. What a transformation.

Overheard a Mumbai fan saying,“We lost to Pune to make them feel better.”  Well, whatever makes THEM feel better. 

Can’t help but think of Dhoni’s shots and Sundar’s double-strike that proved to Pune’s win. For Smith and Co, they’ve gone 3-0 against Mumbai this season!!

A comprehensive win for RPS. 3 wins in 3 matches against MI for them. On a slow wicket they applied themselves better. Rahane and Tiwary showed that patience was the key. Dhoni and Tiwary’s late flurry put the scoreboard pressure on MI. The MI batsmen played some poor shots under pressure but they were also bogged down by bowlers’ accuracy and discipline. Allow in all it was a clinical performance from RPS, MI get another chance abs would look to make amends in Bangalore.

That is it! Rising Pune Supergiant defeat Mumbai Indians, for the third time in IPL 2017, to qualify for the final. They won the match by 20 runs.

After 19 overs,Mumbai Indians 133/8 ( Mitchell McClenaghan 12 , Jasprit Bumrah 14)

McClenaghan slogs across the line again, Rahane hares across from deep mid-wicket, catches the ball but loses control and goes over the boundary. But he threw the ball back to Smith. Smith thinks Mitchell is gone but Rahane signals that its a six. And the replays confirm the same as he had steppe on the advertising board.

Fans are filing out of the Wankhede in the droves right now, with defeat right around the corner. Bumrah’s six could help Mumbai inch closer to the Pune total, but that isn’t going to change their destiny.

After 18 overs,Mumbai Indians 124/8 ( Mitchell McClenaghan 5 , Jasprit Bumrah 12)

Bumrah hits a six and the crowd has something to cheer for. 13 runs come off Christian’s over.

Frequency of people leaving has increased. Bumrah tries to provide some cheer to the ones staying put, with a six over deep mid-wicket.

After 17 overs,Mumbai Indians 111/8 ( Mitchell McClenaghan 4 , )

A wicket and four runs off Unadkat’s third over. His consistency continues.

OUT! A slower one around off, Karn looks to slog across the line but miscues it. The ball goes towards the off side. MS Dhoni runs to his left to catch it.

Some of the fans are leaving. They think it’s a foregone conclusion now. It’s almost 11.30 pm and people are looking to catch the trains.

After 16 overs,Mumbai Indians 107/7 ( Mitchell McClenaghan 2 , Karn Sharma 2)

McClenaghan and Sharma try to go for the big shots but Christian bowls brilliantly. Only 4 runs off the over.

Washington Sundar conceded 16 runs today from four overs which is the joint fewest by any bowler from four overs having an age less than 20. The fewest is 15 conceded by Kamran Khan at the age of 18 years and 44 days while playing for Rajasthan Royals against Kolkata Knight Riders at Cape Town in 2009.

Jaydev Unadkat has not taken a wicket for the first time in 11 matches. Ben Stokes’ four overs are not available. Yet RPS have excelled at defending a middling total on a slowish pitch. This is Hyderababd all over again. This time, Shardul Thakur chipping in with a couple in one over.

Krunal and Parthiv walk back to the dugout, both holing out to long-off while attempting big hits against off-cutters. Only a miracle can save Mumbai now. Let’s see how far McClenaghan and Co guide the home side.

That might be it for MI and the people in the stands have started to realise that as Parthiv holes out to long off. “Chalo bhai Chalo gharpe, aab isme Kuch nahi hai,” shouts a fan.

After 15 overs,Mumbai Indians 104/7 ( Mitchell McClenaghan 1 , Karn Sharma 0)

This over has potentially sealed it for Pune. Shardul removed both Parthiv Patel and Krunal Pandya and gave only five runs in his third over.

OUT! That is the final nail on the coffin. The knuckle ball again and Parthiv Patel tries to go over long off but mistimes it. Christian runs ahead from long off and pouches it.

Well, well Pune…Pune chants have begun . Shardul sends back Krunal to jolt MI. Onus on Parthiv from here on now.

The crowd finds its voice as Krunal hits back to back fours off Christian. Mumbai…Mumbai chants echo again. And then Parthiv here a standing ovation for his 50. He is fighting out in the middle. RPS still has a slight upper hand having clinched 5 MI wickets.

OUT! The slower one does the trick! Krunal aims to go over long off but doesn’t connect it well. Holes out to Christian in the deep.

After 14 overs,Mumbai Indians 98/5 ( Parthiv Patel (W) 49 , Krunal Pandya 15)

Parthiv slices Christian over covers for a single. 1, 1L, 2: next three balls. FOUR! Krunal opens the face of the bat and guides one past third man for a boundary. FOUR! Misjudgement from Shardul Thakur in the deep. Parthiv pulls one hard over mid-wicket, Shardul runs in not being able to comprehend the pace of the ball and the ball goes over him for a boundary. He also hurt his head in the process.

Sundar completes a brilliant spell – 4-0-16-3. He gets a warm applause from the crowd. The crowd has gone pretty quiet.  78 needed Off 42, it’s getting tougher for MI. They need to make sure that the boundaries keep coming. Parthiv is fighting it out in the middle but is handicapped with wickets falling at the other end. Time for Krunal to accelans may be let Parthiv play the anchor.

I’ve always maintained since he came into the side, Washington Sundar is responsible for the tight power play overs he bowls, as well as RPS’ better show in the death. The overs he gets through at the start allows Smith more options at the death. And tonight, he has been rewarded for good bowling throughout the season.

After 13 overs,Mumbai Indians 85/5 ( Parthiv Patel (W) 48 , Krunal Pandya 4)

Fires one at 96 kph, Krunal looks to nudge it away but it takes the outside edge and goes towards short third man one. Another single is taken off the second ball. Krunal looks to go big but Sundar bowls a fast one and the southpaw has to block it, Pandya lofts one in the air and it falls well short of the long off fielder. Another run taken. A single to end Washington Sundar’s best bowling performance in T20 cricket. His figures are 4-016-3.

Smith couldn’t have timed his decision to bring Sundar back into the attack, with two left-handed batsmen at the centre. Mumbai, in the meantime, are struggling to gather runs, and another wicket at this stage could potentially signal the end of their hopes of a direct entry into the final.

After 12 overs,Mumbai Indians 81/5 ( Parthiv Patel (W) 46 , Krunal Pandya 2)

Ferguson comes into the attack and removes the dangerous looking Hardik immediately. He slides a wide to Krunal Pandya first up. Jaffa! Angles a length ball, which is going away, the southpaw looks to run it down but gets beaten. Krunal flicks the next ball through square leg to get off the mark with a single. Ferguson bowls a lot of wides. Even the last one is a wide down the leg side but the umpire decides to end the 10-ball over. Strange.

What was Hardik thinking? This wasn’t even a spinner bowling! There is a long on in place and he still tries to go for that shot, hands it straight into the fielder’s hand off Ferguson. Parthiv can’t do much but watch in disappointment from the other end. Krunal and Parthiv at the crease now, two lefties, time to get Sundar back on?

OUT! Hardik looks to loft Ferguson over mid off but times it too well and the ball goes straight to Christian at long on. He can’t believe his luck. Important breakthrough for Pune.

After 11 overs,Mumbai Indians 75/4 ( Parthiv Patel (W) 46 , Hardik Pandya 14)

Patel gets a leading edge off the first ball but it lands safe. Four runs off the over.

This is turning out to be a crucial stand between Parthiv and Hardik, and Krunal is all that stands, besides these two, between Pune and a ticket to Hyderabad. The batsmen have decided to adopt the conservative approach the the destruction by Sundar, getting the odd boundary to keep the required run-rate in check.

Hardik Pandya with 2 sixes and Parthiv with a four have injected some momentum into this slow-paced innings. MI still have decent batting depth but this partnership needs to continue for at least next 4-5 overs to give Mumbai a chance.

RRR creeping up to 10, but MI bat deep, with the Pandya brothers capable of winning games entirely of their own bats. Zampa isn’t likely to stem the run flow much, but if he does not get a wicket or two, this game will go deep. Still no sign of much dew.

After 10 overs,Mumbai Indians 71/4 ( Parthiv Patel (W) 44 , Hardik Pandya 12)

Zampa comes into the attack. Patel eases one down to long on for a single. SIX! Hardik is not going to stop. Smacks one with the spin over long off for a maximum. A dot is followed by two singles. Pandya punches one towards covers but Smith makes a sharpt stop there.

Youngest players to take three or more wickets in an IPL match:

17y 223d – WASHINGTON SUNDAR*

18y 44d – Kamran Khan 

18y 169d – Pradeep Sangwan

After 9 overs,Mumbai Indians 62/4 ( Parthiv Patel (W) 42 , Hardik Pandya 5)

Some respite for Mumbai. Shardul bowls a poor over and concedes 11 runs off the over. Important to not let go of the pressure.

After 8 overs,Mumbai Indians 51/4 ( Parthiv Patel (W) 36 , )

Another terrific over from Sundar. Three runs and a wicket off it. Time out has been taken.

Sundar gets his 3rd and it’s a HUGE one. Pollard trudges back to the dugout. Mumbai in trouble at 51/4. Spinners are playing a crucial role. MI may have missed Harbhajan tonight. Parthiv has slowed down because of wickets falling at the other end, nice sustained pressure from RPS bowlers. MI need to get into second gear, at least.

OUT! A 17 year old is tearing Mumbai apart. Tosses this one around off, Pollard clips it straight to Smith. Mumbai are four down already and need 112 runs in 72 balls.

Kieron Pollard becomes the second batsman to score 1000 runs at Wankhede Stadium, Mumbai after Rohit Sharma in IPL.

After 7 overs,Mumbai Indians 48/3 ( Parthiv Patel (W) 34 , Kieron Pollard 6)

FOUR! Pollard drives it past the mid off fielder for a boundary.  Six runs off the over.

After 6 overs,Mumbai Indians 42/3 ( Parthiv Patel (W) 33 , Kieron Pollard 1)

Game changing over this. Only 1 run and two wickets off it.

A topsy turvy power play. First MI in the ascendancy, then RPS hitting back with three wickets. And some luck involved in all three of them. Simmons the most unfortunate, and Rohit Sharma could be given an award for not being more livid. And Rayudu was just a smart catch off an average ball. Suddenly even steven again.

And just like that, in a space of a few deliveries, Mumbai have lost three quick wickets, putting Pune in the driver’s seat firmly. What an over by Sundar. The top-order conundrum once again hits Mumbai.

OUT! Rayudu looks to pull one but it goes into the hands of Steven Smith at mid-wicket. Sundar strikes twice in one over.

Stunned silence at the Wankhede as Sundar traps Rohit LBW. And then the RPS flags come out as Sundar sends back Rayudu too in yhe same over. Time for Pollard to play another crucial Innings.

OUT! Rohit succumbs to yet another poor decision. Sundar strikes! Sharma looks to sweep this tossed up delivery, gets a big inside edge which goes onto hit him on the pads. Sundar appeals and the umpire obliges. Rohit is disappointed with the decision and understandably so.

After 5 overs,Mumbai Indians 41/1 ( Parthiv Patel (W) 33 , Rohit Sharma (C) 1)

FOUR! Patel lofts one over covers for a boundary. Patel lofts one high up in the air but the ball falls safe in the deep. Two runs taken! Simmons departs for 5. Parthiv ends the over with a boundary.

OUT! Mumbai lose their first wicket. Parthiv looks to go down the wicket but hits it towards Shardul who gets his fingertips to it and parries the ball to the stumps at the non striker’s end. Simmons is way out of his crease and he will have to go. Parthiv is distraught but is not his mistake.

What an unlucky way to get out for Simmons. Parthiv almost looked distraught. The crowd has gone a bit silent. Time for RPS to apply relentless pressure.

Mumbai are off to an ideal start, with Parthiv punching above his weight to score at a strike rate of more than 200. Simmons, other end, struggled to connect, and found himself run-out at the striker’s end after backing up a little too much.

After 4 overs,Mumbai Indians 29/0 ( Lendl Simmons 5 , Parthiv Patel (W) 22)

WIDE! Ferguson strays this down the leg side, bowl that again says the umpire. Simmons pats one towards covers to steal a single. SIX! Short again and PP sends the ball over the leg side boundary for a maximum. Patel cuts it towards point to bring Simmons back on strike. Ferguson bowls another wide and two dot balls to finish the over.My word, the worth of this little innings from Parthiv Patel will be difficult to understand right now. Parthiv Patel has faced 11 balls to score 22 runs while Simmons has only managed 5 runs off 13 balls.

Fans are getting a bit involved now, Simmons leaves one off Ferguson and a fan stands up and shouts , “Areeee Kya leave Kar Raha hai yaar.”

The super-soppers were out during the mid-innings interval in a bid to minimise the dew factor, though that doesn’t quite mitigate it entirely. 

On a side note, there are those who enjoy the live action for free. I am talking about fans sitting on top of buildings enjoying the live action. 

After 3 overs,Mumbai Indians 20/0 ( Lendl Simmons 4 , Parthiv Patel (W) 15)

SIX! I am the boss, says Patel. Unadkat drops it short and Patel pulls it over mid-wicket to score his second maximum. Jaydev recovers well, gives only four runs off the last five deliveries.

After 2 overs,Mumbai Indians 9/0 ( Lendl Simmons 2 , Parthiv Patel (W) 7)

Washington Sundar will bpwl from the other end. Simmons gets off the strike with a run to mid-wicket off the second ball. SIX! First of Mumbai’s innings. Sundar bowls it full and around leg, Parthiv flicks it over the square leg for a maximum. There was a fielder in the deep but all he could do was see the ball sail over him. Another run to end the over. 8 off it.

Amidst cautious start, Parthiv Patel has brought the crowd to life with a couple of sixes. Seems like there are a lot of nerves in the stands. They are a tad quiet, might be the heat too. Bit as I type they start off with Mumbai…Mumbai chants.

After 1 overs,Mumbai Indians 1/0 ( Lendl Simmons 1 , Parthiv Patel (W) 0)

Unadkat begins with his customary slower ones. Simmons fails to get any bat to the ball on the first three deliveries. Runs down the fourth ball to third man for a single. Patel is again given the same treatment by Jaydev. Five dot balls and a run off the over.

Unadkat with a brilliant first over. He bowled the cutters to good effect and it was very clever of him considering that taking pace off the ball would be the way to go on this track.

The Pune players saunter out in the middle. Lendl Simmons and Parthiv Patel will open. Jaydev Unadkat to bowl the first over.

The Mumbai bowlers started excellently dismissing Tripathi and Smith in the first two overs. Then Krunal Pandya kept things tight in the middle. Scoring isn’t easy on this deck but dew will be an important factor. The hosts need to ensure that they don’t lose early wickets and begin cautiously. Can they do so or will Pune get those early inroads. Join us for the chase in a bit….

How many times do you see Bumrah go over 15 runs in death overs? Dhoni was not able connect at all initially but one good timed shot brought him in his elements. 150 seemed like a good score but Pune have got 12 runs extra. Momentum is with Pune thanks to some solid batting from Rahane, Tiwary and a quick fire innings from Dhoni. Rohit Sharma will rue the decision to go with Mitchell McClenaghan and not Lasith Malinga. But that is how it is, isn’t it? Those 26 runs in the 19th over may come back to haunt Mumbai in the chase.

Rising Pune Supergiant today:

1-6 overs: 33/2 (RR-5.50)

7-15 overs: 71/1 (RR-7.89)

16-20 overs: 58/1 (RR-11.60)

How a couple of overs can change the complexion of a total. And how the specter of MS Dhoni can put pressure on a bowler without him even doing anything. 

Make no mistake, the wides McClennaghan conceded were partly because of Dhoni’s prowess at hitting the yorker. When he finally did get bat on ball, he showed that its not just his reputation that is intact. It’s his skill too.

Dhoni and Tiwary have provided a crucial late surge. The last two overs might be the difference between the two sides. Tiwary batted through and kept ticking in the middle which was difficult considering the slowness of the wicket. Dhoni then did what he does best- provide an important finishing touch. 163 seems to be a competitive total and it might get tough for Mumbai given RPS’ bowling form.

After 20 overs,Rising Pune Supergiant 162/4 ( MS Dhoni (W) 40 , )

Smart work from Tiwary. Take a single off the first ball. SIX! Dhoni has had enough of the shortish deliveries, makes room for himself and dispatches the ball over covers for a maximum. Excellent running. Dhoni miscues a pull to mid-wicket and hares back for a second. SIX! Mumbai are in trouble here. 150 was looking difficult at one stage but Pune have already crossed 160. Smokes a length delivery over long on for a biggie. Bumrah ends the over with two well executed yorker. Runs Manoj Tiwary out on the last ball as he is a long way down backing up.

The venue might be Rohit and Co’s home turf, but the crowd was predominantly in support of Dhoni, whose fireworks along with the steady half-century by Tiwary has propelled RPS past 160 — which was a winning total the last time Pune played at the Wankhede. 

All set for the chase now!!

Mitchell McClenaghan becomes the first bowler to concede 500-plus runs in IPL-10.

Manoj Tiwary’s fifty from 45 balls today is the slowest by any RPS batsman in IPL. The previous record was held by Ajinkya Rahane who scored fifty in 43 balls against Gujarat Lions at Pune in 2016. 

After 19 overs,Rising Pune Supergiant 147/3 ( Manoj Tiwary 57 , MS Dhoni (W) 26)

FOUR AND A NO BALL! McClenaghan attempts a yorker but ends up bowling a full toss around leg, Tiwary heaves it away to the fine leg fence for a boundary. Free hit coming up! SIX! Tiwary makes full use of the opportunity, whacks a length ball over long on fof a maximum. Brings MSD on strike on the next ball with a single to long on. A quality yorker from the Kiwi and Dhoni fails to get any wood on the white object. SIX! A length ball will always be punished by this man, he smokes it over the mid-wicket fence for a maximum. WIDE! McCleneghan bowls it short and way outside off. WIDE! Pressure is on the Kiwi and it is showing! Risks another length ball on the fifth ball but fortunately gets away with it. SIX! Huge over and probably a match changing over for Pune! Dhoni hits this with all his power and the ball goes very high in the air but the power was such that it went over the long off fielder for a maximum. Twenty six runs off the over!

Dhoni and Tiwary finally manage to connect few. Tiwary with a six and a four and Dhoni a couple of sixes. McClenaghan completely lost his lengths and his awry bowling was punished. Big over for RPS, RPS can now look for 160-165.

“Mahi maar raha hai” says the announcer after that six over midwicket by MSD. The Dhoni chants are back. The super-expensive McClenaghan over, with 26 coming off it, is just what the visitors needed to get back on track after a few slow overs.

Dhoni is a known slow starter, but judging by how Tiwary is also struggling to time the ball, this doesn’t seem to be as good a batting wicket as was originally thought. RPS bowling has done well on such slower tracks, but they need a decent total to bowl at.

After 18 overs,Rising Pune Supergiant 126/3 ( Manoj Tiwary 50 , MS Dhoni (W) 14)

FOUR! Simmons good work in the deep is wasted by a small error. He hares across from fine leg after Tiwary goes after a length ball. Lendl gets to the ball but his feet touch the ropes at the same time. Boundary signalled. The ball is not coming onto the bat and Dhoni has had two wild swings only to miss it. He again looks to slog but only mistimes it to the leg side for a single. Another run to end the over.

Just 8 runs off the Bumrah over. They are just not able to connect anything. 150 looks tough unless one of Dhoni or Tiwary go all out and manage to connect a few.

After 17 overs,Rising Pune Supergiant 114/3 ( Manoj Tiwary 41 , MS Dhoni (W) 13)

WIDE! McClenaghan goes round the wicket and bowls it short. Dhoni tries to pull it away but connects thin air, Bumrah starts appealing for a caught behind. The umpire is not fooled by it and signals a wide. Dhoni bunts the first ball back to the bowler. Gets off the strike with a run to long on on the next. Tiwary tries to pull a short delivery but mistimes it to deep mid-wicket. One run taken! Dhoni comes down the track to this short delivery and miscues a pull to deep square leg for a run. Tiwary tries to tickle a delivery which was sliding down the leg side but misses. He thought it was a wide but the umpire doesn’t. Tiwary goes for a big hit on the last ball, ends up getting a single only. 5 runs off the 17th over.

RPS still not able to gain the momentum. Just 3 overs to go, 113 on the board right now, they need to desperately accelerate now with seven wickets in hand.

After 16 overs,Rising Pune Supergiant 110/3 ( Manoj Tiwary 39 , MS Dhoni (W) 11)

Quality spell from Krunal Pandya comes to an end. Pune seriously need to start attacking now. Krunal’s last over: 1, 0, 1, 0, 1, 2.

Dhoni launches it over deep mid wicket off Karn to bring up RPS’ 100. The crowd has something to cheer and two balls later, chants of Dhoni…Dhoni start off again. RPS are going at about 7 per over. They would look to up the ante now, may be Tiwary might spark the attack given he’s spent enough time on the wicket.

So much of the discussion has been about Rahane’s scoring rate, that we tend to forget another slow starter who has just walked in. The numbers say MS Dhoni has taken more time to get going this season than ever before. Tiwary too has gone at a run a ball today, slower than his season SR of 134 odd.

After 15 overs,Rising Pune Supergiant 104/3 ( Manoj Tiwary 36 , MS Dhoni (W) 9)

Karn Sharma to finish his quota. Tiwary drives the second ball to long on to bring Dhoni on strike. SIX! BOOM! Dhoni is away. Dances down the track and smashes it over cow corner a biggie. Two dots and one single to end the over. Karn Sharma finishes his four overs. His figures are 4-0-3-1.

After 14 overs,Rising Pune Supergiant 96/3 ( Manoj Tiwary 35 , MS Dhoni (W) 2)

Rohit goes back to his strike bowler for a wicket. Dhoni and Tiwary chose not to attack Bumrah. Happy with seven of this over.

MS Dhoni’s record in play-off/knockout matches in IPL: (Great)

Innings – 14 

Runs – 397

Average – 44.11

Strike rate – 139.78

The ropes are out in strategic timeout to minimise the effect of dew. Seems like 150 might prove to be a decent total on this surface.

Karn Sharma finally breaks the 80-run stand, and out comes the crowd favourite MSD. “Dhoni! Dhoni!” echoes around the stands. Perfect occasion for Mahi to return to form with the bat, which dipped slightly after the unbeaten 61 against SRH.

After 13 overs,Rising Pune Supergiant 89/3 ( Manoj Tiwary 30 , MS Dhoni (W) 0)

Swift running. Three couples to start Karn’s third over. Karn dismisses Rahane for 56. Huge chants of ‘DHONI, DHONI’ have begun already. Dhoni fails to read a googly on the last ball but it doesn’t cost him much. Time out taken!

It’s deafening inside the stadium, not because MI have taken Rahane’s wicket but because Dhoni has walked out to the middle. Chants of Dhoni… Dhoni are echoing inside. The crowd is back to life. Just when it looked like Rahane would up the ante, after his 50, Karn traps him LBW. RPS should make sure they don’t go into a shell here.

OUT! Moments after getting to his fifty, Rahane is trapped LBW by Karn Sharma. It was the wrong ‘un, Ajinkya failed to read it and played the wrong line while looking to work it away. The ball raps him on the pads, the leggie starts appealing and up goes the finger.

After 12 overs,Rising Pune Supergiant 83/2 ( Ajinkya Rahane 50 , Manoj Tiwary 30)

The time to up the ante has come for Pune. Rahane bunts the first delivery through mid on for a boundary. Tiwary ferociously sweeps the second ball for a boundary to mid-wicket. Misfield from Mitchell McClenaghan and fielding coach Jonty Rhodes isn’t happy. He failed to judge the backspin on the delivery and the ball beats him in the deep. Pune will take any kind of runs. Rahane slams his fifty.

Rahane’s first 50 was in the very first game of the IPL, that one also against MI. He really has stepped up when the team needed stability, but now the team needs speed.

FIFTY! Rahane brings up his second fifty with a single. Fine innings under pressure. He took minimal risks, picked bowlers to attack. He has laid the platform for Dhoni and Christian to fire.

Respect for Rahane. Not only does he join the 3,000-run club, but he has also led the counter-attack today, and he brings up his half-century in a crunch match. Some way to snap a lean patch with the bat. Pune though need to catch up on the scoring rate of they are to get to competitive total.

Rohit Sharma has been constantly wiping his face. Tiwary has change of gloves, enough evidence of how humid it is inside the stadium. Meanwhile, Rahane brings up his 50, he’s finally stood up on big stage. He needs to carry his bat through now. A bit of pressure released as 2 boundaries come in Krunal’s over.

After 11 overs,Rising Pune Supergiant 72/2 ( Ajinkya Rahane 44 , Manoj Tiwary 25)

FOUR! Malinga errs, bowls it short and wide, Rahane cuts it past the diving point fielder for a boundary. This pair milk five runs off the last four balls.

Tiwary has been so consistent for RPS this year. He has averaged 35, which considering he often bats in the second half of the innings,is outstanding. Again he has stitched together a partnership at a time of vulnerability.

Rahane and Tiwary have forged a formidable partnership, which is worth 50 in the 10th over, and have brought Pune back to their feet with some smart work — sticking to rotating the strike between themselves while punishing the bad deliveries, if any. 

Meanwhile, the Wankhede DJ played the perfect song for the evening — the ever-popular ‘Zingat’ that sees fans of both sides dance away to glory

With a sedate start, it was all quiet here until Sachin Tendulkar was shown on the big screen. And then Sachin…Sachin ensued!

Lowest powerplay scores for RPS in IPL-10:

33/2 v MI, TODAY*

35/1 v KXIP, Indore 

35/1 v SRH, Hyderabad

After 10 overs,Rising Pune Supergiant 63/2 ( Ajinkya Rahane 38 , Manoj Tiwary 22)

The pitch has been on the slower side and both these batsmen are not risking anything against the spinners. Sensible running between the wickets. Five singles off the over. Another successful one for Krunal.

After 9 overs,Rising Pune Supergiant 58/2 ( Ajinkya Rahane 35 , Manoj Tiwary 20)

SIX! Great timing! A pre meditated shot but executed brilliantly. Comes down the track to this length delivery and tonks it over long off for a maximum. Puts Hardik under pressure straightaway. Three singles follow. FOUR! Tiwary looks to drive this length ball but it catches the inside edge, beats the stumps and the keeper and runs away for a boundary. Good looking shot. Chips this length ball over covers for a couple. Excellent over for Pune, 15 runs came off it.

Krunal starts off well with just one run in the over. Manoj Tiwary tried a late cut and a reverse sweep in the over but both straight to the fielder. Batting isn’t easy out in the middle. Spinners might play a vital role throughout but Rohit winning the toss might be a crucial factor as the spinners might struggle to grip the ball in second half owing to dew. 50 comes up but it’s a very slow start for RPS.

After 8 overs,Rising Pune Supergiant 43/2 ( Ajinkya Rahane 27 , Manoj Tiwary 13)

After the time out, Rohit tosses the ball to Krunal Pandya. A left arm bowler against two right hand batsmen will make things interesting. Pune are struggling to not only find boundaries but also singles. Krunal is bowling tight lines. Five dots and a run in the 8th over.

Pune off to a disastrous start, losing the wickets of Tripathi and Smith, and barely utilising the fielding restrictions. Pressure’s on the tried-and-tested duo of Rahane and Tiwary at the moment, and it will take a serious counter-attack for them to swing things back in their favour.

After 7 overs,Rising Pune Supergiant 42/2 ( Ajinkya Rahane 26 , Manoj Tiwary 13)

Tosses it on the stumps, Rahane eases it to long on for a single. SIX! First of the innings. Tiwary charges down the track to this looped up delivery and lofts it over long on for a maximum. Karn continues to toss it up but only gives two runs of the last four deliveries. The umpire signals for time out. Crucial for Rahane and Tiwary to continue this partnership. They have the firepower of Dhoni and Christian later on.

Both batters were dismissed trying to close the face of the bat. For Tripathi, it was against his natural game; he has been so successful playing with the full face this year. Smith meanwhile always plays like that, so his dismissal was all the more bizarre.

After 6 overs,Rising Pune Supergiant 33/2 ( Ajinkya Rahane 24 , Manoj Tiwary 6)

A barrage of slower deliveries by Malinga. Good change of pace too. Four dots and two singles in the last over of the Powerplay. Top, top over from the Sri Lankan. An exemplary start for Mumbai, they have dismissed Tripathi and Smith and not allowed easy runs.

Seems like the pitch is on the slower side. The ball isn’t coming on to the bat as the batsmen would have liked. Few leading edges prove that. A sedate start for Pune. 31/2 from 5 overs. Doesn’t seem to be the pitch that was used for the MI vs KXIP game where around 450 runs were scored.

After 5 overs,Rising Pune Supergiant 31/2 ( Ajinkya Rahane 23 , Manoj Tiwary 5)

Time for spin then. Karn Sharma, who was chosen ahead of Harbhajan Singh, will roll his arm over. Starts with two dot balls. Tiwary uses his feet and flicks it through mid-wicket for a single. Risky but beautiful! Rahane goes back, makes room and plays the inside out drive with the spin through covers for a boundary. He is looking in good nick. Two singles to end Karn’s first over.

After 4 overs,Rising Pune Supergiant 24/2 ( Ajinkya Rahane 18 , Manoj Tiwary 3)

Rohit hands the ball to his best bowler Jasprit Bumrah. He starts with a loosener but gets away with it. It was bowled around leg, but Tiwary hits it straight to the fine leg fielder. Rahane rides the bounce and helps the next ball behind square for another single. Smart running on the fourth delivery! Tiwary pats the ball to the off side with soft hands and steals a single. They have stole another run. Rahane was trying to punch it but it takes the inside edge and falls back on the pitch. Tiwary calls his partner for a single and he responds. Edged… but falls safe. Manoj tries to clip a short delivery but it takes the leading edge and goes towards third man for another run.

In the league matches this season, Mumbai Indians bowlers have conceded 77 sixes which is least among all teams. 

Mitchell McClenaghan has now taken 10 wickets in powerplay overs which is the most by any player in IPL-10. The next best is Sandeep Sharma – nine. 

Ajinkya Rahane has been dismissed inside powerplay overs seven times in IPL-10 before today. Will he play a long innings today?

After 3 overs,Rising Pune Supergiant 19/2 ( Ajinkya Rahane 16 , Manoj Tiwary 0)

Rahane carefully defends the first two deliveries. Mitch angles a good length delivery and Rahane slams it over mid-wicket for his first boundary. Pristine timing! Rahane drives a full delivery through covers to score back-to-back boundaries. His innings will be vital for Pune now. Takes a brace off the fifth ball. Good over this for the visitors, 10 runs off it.

Quite a few RPS flags inside the stands and they are finally visible as Rahane hits a couple of fours off McClenaghan. Some relief for Pune after two early wickets.

Just heard the DJ trying to get the crowe to cheer for the vising team with chants of “RPS! RPS!”  The crowd responds with booes. 

Only for them to cheer loudly barely a delivery later as Smith gets a leading edge to get caught by Hardik at short third man.

Malinga gets the Big Fish. Smith is back in the hut. That’s why you always trust the Sri Lanka pacer despite being off colour in the tournament so far. Anxiety had gripped Wankhede as the ball flew high in the air off Smith’s top edge but most had started celebrating. What a start for MI. Rahane’s role becomes more crucial now.

Smith and Tripathi were RPS’ highest scoring batters this season. Now both back in the hut. If there was ever a time for Ajinkya Rahane to step up, it is now. He has had a patchy season, but on his home ground, needs to score big as well as fast.

After 2 overs,Rising Pune Supergiant 9/2 ( Ajinkya Rahane 6 , Manoj Tiwary 0)

Malinga will bowl from the other end. Rahane blocks the first delivery towards the off side. Three singles follow. Malinga was keeping it tight and Smith goes for the big shot. Pays a huge price for it, the Pune captain departs.Manoj Tiwary is the new man in. 3 runs and a wicket of the over.

OUT! Talk about the big match players. Lasith Malinga is not having the best of the IPL. But come the big match and he has stepped up. He bowls a back of a length delivery, which is slow, Smith tries to pull it away but is early into the shot. Far too early. It takes the leading edge and goes high up in the air. It was always going to be out, Hardik Pandya gets under it at point to complete an easy catch. Two wickets in two overs for Mumbai. Wankhede is buzzing!

McClenaghan provides the first smiles inside the stands as he cleans up the in-form Tripathi. Smith gets a rousing applause but it gets even louder as the announcer announce that Malinga will share the new ball. Just the start MI wanted.

Playing at their fortress of the Wankhede, and electing to field after winning the toss, Mumbai Indians were always at an advantage. And now McClenaghan removes the in-form opener Tripathi departs for a duck in the very first over. Need I say advantage Mumbai??

Meanwhile, what has missed out from the minds is that MI have gone for Karn over Harbhajan. Probably because Karn was looking good withe bat too. A tight Call considering the experience of Harbhajan and his good record in playoffs and might prove to be a brave one too.

After 1 overs,Rising Pune Supergiant 6/1 ( Ajinkya Rahane 4 , )

McClenghan starts the over with a full ball around off, Rahane taps it towards the off side for no run. A misfield from Krunal Pandya at square leg helps Pune to get off the mark. Rahane was looking to play the straight drive but it took the inside edge and went past the senior Pandya for a couple. Ajinkya nudges a good length ball to fine leg to bring Rahul Tripathi on strike. A leg bye is taken on the fourth ball. Mitch bowls it full and the ball swings away from Rahane, wide called! Brilliant fielding, Rahane drives it on the up but Rohit dives to his right to save a certain boundary. BOWLED’ EM! Tripathi departs. Brilliant start for the hosts.

OUT! Terrific delivery from Mitchell McClenaghan to get rid of the dangerous Rahul Tripathi. He attempted a similar delivery to Rahane but it went for a wide.  It was full, fast and swinging in, Tripathi tried to flick and missed it completely. Mitchell goes through his defence and starts celebrating. Huge blow for Pune, remember they have one batsmen short today.

The noise inside the deafening now as the players stride out to the middle. There are chants of Malinga…Malinga as he makes his way towards fine leg. Rahane too gets a warm reception.

Mumbai Indians have won three out of seven matches in play-offs in IPL. While they have lost three out of four matches against Rising Pune Supergiant in IPL. 

The Mumbai players stroll out in the middle amidst huge cheers. Rahul Tripathi and local boy Ajinkya Rahane arrive at the crease. The latter will take the strike. Mitchell McClenaghan will start the proceedings for his side. Time to roll…….

This was the Mumbai team bus entering the Wankhede stadium a few hours before the toss. A sea of blue surrounded the bus.

Just five minutes for the first ball. The Wankhede appears to be all set for the big game

Dhoni gets the loudest cheer of them all as the player names are announced here ahead of the start of play. Doesn’t matter which franchise he plays for, he is loved by one and all. 

Nitish Rana’s scores after scoring fifty v KXIP at Indore in IPL:

8, 3, 19, 27, 9 and 12. 

Moreover, Ambati Rayudu scored fifty in Mumbai Indians’ last match against Kolkata Knight Riders. Therefore, Mumbai Indians have decided to stay in with experienced Ambati Rayudu instead of Nitish Rana.

Harbhajan Singh was the most successful bowler (7 wickets) for Mumbai Indians in middle-overs (7-15) in IPL-10 and he is not playing today.

Toss Conundrum: 

Teams who batted first in qualifier-1 in IPL have won four times out of six.

Rising Pune Supergiant in IPL-10 while batting first:

Matches – 7, Won – 4, Lost – 3

Mumbai Indians in IPL-10 while fielding first:

Matches – 9, Won – 7, Lost – 2 

It’s still not a full house here. Some empty seats but those who have made it in, are enjoying themselves. It’s really humid inside the stands. Fans are perspiring profusely. The dew might play some role in the second half of the match.

Huge roar echoes around the Wankhede as Rohit elects to field first. Winning the toss at the Wankhede is always crucial given the dew factor that builds up later in the evening.

Pune will heavily miss Stokes this evening. Lets see if Lockie Ferguson makes up for his absence. Meanwhile, Mumbai Indians get all the regular players back such as Bumrah, McClenaghan, etc. Look forward to a cracker of a game

Well, a loud cheers goes up as Rohit Sharma wins the toss which is always crucial at the Wankhede and it’s a no brainer that Rohit opts to field. He might have won half the battle here. RPS have opted to strengthen the bowling replacing Lockie Ferguson for Ben Stokes. Mumbai bring back McClenaghan, Malinga, Parthiv and Bumrah which was pretty much expected. They don’t like to tinker much with their core and that’s what they have done here.

The DJ is busy firing away popular tracks like “Shape of you”, as the players practice on the field. Wankhede is predominantly blue right now, with a decent sprinkling of purple.

RPS made the expected change, drafting in Lockie Ferguson into the spot vacated by Stokes. But the bigger factor may be MI winning the toss and fielding first. On a ground where dew usually plays a big factor, the RPS batting will need 10 runs more than the par score to counter that.

Mumbai Indians: Parthiv Patel, Lendl Simmons, Rohit Sharma, Ambati Rayudu, Krunal Pandya, Kieron Pollard, Hardik Pandya, Karn Sharma, Mitchell McClenaghan, Lasith Malinga, Jasprit Bumrah

Rising Pune Supergiant: Ajinkya Rahane, Rahul Tripathi, Steven Smith, Manoj Tiwary, MS Dhoni, Daniel Christian, Washington Sundar, Lockie Ferguson, Shardul Thakur, Jaydev Unadkat, Adam Zampa

TOSS – Mumbai Indians won the toss and opted to field first.

Sachin Tendulkar is near the pitch side, having a word with Ravi Shastri and Danny Morrison. It is not a full house yet but people are thronging in from outside. Te crowds have started waving the flags in unison. Lovely sight this.

Looks like Pune might have decent support. Last time too the fans had made their way for the derby in numbers. 

Well, I am no stranger to Mumbai matches and as expected, the atmosphere has started building up well before the start of the MI vs RPS match at the Wankhede. The youngsters have filled the trains heading towards Churchgate. There were even chants of Mumbai…Mumbai as the train reached the station. A bunch of youngsters are reminiscing which all matches they have watched at the iconic venue and the memorable moments they were part of. This is Mumbai and its love for cricket!

Hello and welcome to the live blog of the first qualifier of the 2017 Indian Premier League. Rising Pune Supergiant demolished Kings XI Punjab to grab the second spot in the table, thereby giving them two chances to advance into the final. Steven Smith’s Pune will play against Mumbai Indians at Wankhede, a stadium where they are yet to lose a match. They have also won both their matches against Mumbai this season, a record which will give them a lot of confidence. Talking about Rohit Sharma and Co, after registering a emphatic victory at the Eden Gardens with a second string team, the morale must have boosted. They have a problem of plenty now which the team management would embrace with both hands. In home conditions, Rohit’s men are a side to beat. We are in for a humdinger. Stay with us for all the updates.