On this note, we bid you goodbye, see you guys tomorrow for Match 3 of IPL 2017.
No doubt about who will be the Man of the Match for today’s game. Smith will definitely be the one to win it.
Surely, a captain’s knock from Steven Smith as he finished the match with a six! Dhoni would be feeling like, “That’s my boy!’ Smith scores 84 runs from 54 balls, 7 fours and 3 sixes. This is a big win for Pune as they have won the first game on their home ground.
23:37 IST RPS win the match by 7 wickets!
23:37 IST Dhoni on strike, Pollard to bowl the last over, 13 runs from 6 balls. He hits the ball hard but gets a single from the first ball. Smith on strike, 12 needed from 5 balls. Smith moves across and guides the ball towards square leg, just a single! 11 needed from 4 balls. Another single, could not get it in the middle of the bat as the ball goes towards deep mid-wicket. 10 needed of 3 balls. Smith on strike, SIX! Whack, RPS needed it, that was right in the slot, poor ball from Pollard. SIX! It’s all over for Mumbai Indians, a flick towards onside and the ball goes sailing over fence for a maximum!
23:32 IST Bumrah to bowl the 19th over, Dhoni on strike, he takes a single towards long off. Smith on strike, he plays the ball towards deep mid-wicket, just a single there for him. Dot ball there as Dhoni swings and misses, appeal from Bumrah but the Umpire shakes his head. Next ball, another swing and a miss, pressure on Dhoni. FOUR! Dhoni connects this time, he hits that one towards square leg for a boundary. DROPPED! that should have been caught in the deep, Southee drops the catch, Bumrah is not happy at all, 13 runs from the last over.
23:27 IST Dhoni on strike, McClenaghan comes into bowl, starts off with a dot ball. He pulls the next one for a single towards square leg. Smith on strike, a short ball from him, golden dot ball for MI. He cuts the ball for a single towards point. Good over from McClenaghan so far. Quick single from Dhoni-Smith towards point, just 3 runs from the over so far. FOUR! RPS were in a dire need for boundary and Smith did exactly that, 20 runs from last two overs needed.
23:23 IST Bumrah continues, Smith on strike, he takes a single off the first ball. Dhoni too plays the ball on the onside and takes a single. Next ball, Smith pushes the ball towards deep mid-wicket, picks up a couple of runs. Swing and a miss! Smith could not get bat on that, no run. Overthrow! McClenaghan throws the ball wide off the stumps, a couple of runs for Smith. FOUR! Rubbing salts on wounds, guides the ball for a boundary towards third man.
23:18 IST Former skipper MS Dhoni comes into bat, but on the non-striker end. Smith takes a single towards square leg, brings Dhoni on strike. He pulls the first ball, picks up a couple of runs. Smith pushes the ball past the point fielder for a single. Smith mistimes the last ball, just a single taken off the last ball, 9 runs from the over.
23:15 IST Ambati Rayudu has been taken off the field on a stretcher!
23:13 IST WICKET! Ben Stokes c TIm Southee b Hardik Pandya 21(14)
23:13 IST Hardik Pandya comes into the attack, Stokes on strike. FOUR! Pollard misses the ball on the boundary, a rare sight on the cricket field. OUT! Ben Stokes departs for 21!
23:10 IST Smith takes a single towards square leg, Stokes on strike, he pushes the ball down the ground and takes a single. Wide ball from Southee, 10 runs from the over already. A dot ball to finish off the over.
23:07 IST Fifty for Steven Smith, 51 from 37 balls
23:05 IST Southee comes into the attack, Stokes on strike. FOUR! A clean hit towards covers, good shot from Stokes, he is showing what he is made of. Smith on strike, he picks up a couple of runs, reaches his fifty! He has led the team from the front.
23:04 IST Kieron Pollard comes into the attack, Smith on strike. FOUR! Smith welcomes the West Indian with a boundary towards square leg. He takes a single towards extra cover. Stokes on strike, he plays the ball towards long-off takes a single. SIX! Smith takes on Pollard again, 84 m maximum for him. He takes a single towards backward square leg. A wide followed by a single, 15 runs from the over.
22:58 IST McCleneghan comes in to bowl, Smith on strike, dot ball after dot ball from the left-arm bowler. He is putting pressure on the skipper. FOUR! that one rocketed towards the boundary, beautiful pull shot moving across the stumps. Good comeback from McClenaghan, another dot delivery. FOUR! Great work from Smith as he rolls his wrists over the ball, he is carrying on the good run from the Test series. A single towards deep square leg, 9 runs from the over.
22:54 IST Jasprit Bumrah comes into bowl, he starts off with a dot ball to Stokes. Two singles from the next two balls as they look to rotate strike. FOUR! A pull shot from Stokes, runs towards the boundary for four. Two singles off the rest of the deliveries, 8 runs Bumrah’s over.
22:49 IST Smith on strike, he plays the first ball towards covers, no run. He gets a single on the next ball, almost slapped the ball to point. Stokes on strike, he faces a dot ball first. Next ball, beautiful timing and placement, will get a couple of runs there. He takes a single off the last ball, retains strike.
22:44 IST WICKET! Ajinkya Rahane c Nitish Rana b Tim Southee 60 (34)
22:43 IST Krunal continues, Pandya brothers from both ends. He starts off with a dot ball. SIX! That was in the air but Pollard could not grab it on the boundary, a maximum for Rahane. Three singles and a couple of runs to follow in the over, another good one for RPS.
22:39 IST Now, Rahane and Smith are taking on Hardik, they know that they have to score runs at a brisk rate. A boundary from the over so far accompanied with ones and twos. They could manage only 9 runs from the over.
22:37 IST FIfty for Rahane!
22:35 IST Krunal Pandya comes into bowl, Smith on strike, he picks up a couple of runs. Next ball, a dot one from him. FOUR! A punch off the back foot. Two singles and a couple of runs from the over. Good one for RPS as they get 10 runs from it.
22:32 IST Hardik comes back into the attack, Rahane on strike as he takes a single, brings Smith on strike. He plays a dot ball as cover fielder gets hands on it. Smith moves across the stumps again, he takes a single towards square leg. Rahane rotates strike as he tries not to do anything extraordinary. Inside edge but safe, Smith is not in his full flow, it is quite evident now. He punches the ball on the back foot for a single towards sweeper cover.
End of powerplay overs.
22:25 IST McClenaghan continues, Smith on strike, FOUR! A slap towards mid-wicket as he moved across the stumps, he is trying to open arms now. Next ball, he gets off strike taking a single towards cover-point. SIX! Rahane is on a roll, this is as easy as it gets, times the ball to perfection, it looked like a free hit. FOUR! Delicate touch from Rahane, miraculous timing from him, guides the ball between wicketkeeper and slip fielder for a boundary. He could not time the next ball, a dot one as it goes to Pollard fielding at deep mid-on. He moves across and manages to take a single towards mid-wicket.
22:21 IST Smith plays a straight drive on the first ball of Jasprit Bumrah, dot ball as it gets fielded inside the circle. Smith pulls that one and manages to take a single, brings Rahane on strike. A dot ball as Rahane could not get the ball past mid-wicket fielder. Next ball, this time around he manages to take a single as the ball goes wide off mid-wicket fielder. Smith tries to drive the next ball towards point but could not get it past the fielder, another dot ball. He takes a single towards covers, retains strike.
22:16 IST Steven Smith comes into bat, he pushes the ball towards covers, dot ball to start with. Smith takes a single towards backward point, gets off the mark. Rahane takes a single, he is not trying to take on McClenaghan. Short delivery, Smith pulls it, picks up a couple of runs. A dot ball to end the over, 4 runs from it.
22:12 IST WICKET! Mayank Agarwal c Rohit Sharma b Mitchell McClenaghan 6(5) A simple catch for Rohit at mid-off.
22:10 IST Southee to Rahane, he drives the ball but it goes straight to mid-off, no run. Another dot delivery, Southee has been impressive so far, Rahane mistimes the pull shot. Good fielding from Pollard at midwicket. SIX! Top edge of the bat and it goes sailing over the ropes, Southee is not happy with himself.
FOUR! Beautiful drive, was in the air for a while but went well past the mid-off fielder, 10 runs from the over already. Another cut shot, he takes a single towards the third man. Mayank on strike, he guides the ball towards the third man, 12 runs from the over.
22:06 IST Hardik Pandya with the new ball, Rahane on strike, he pierces the offside field and finds a boundary. Rohit Sharma showing trust in Hardik over Mitchell. FOUR! Another boundary as Rahane guides it towards the third man, back-to-back boundaries for him. Next ball, He flicks the ball towards square leg for a single. Mayank on strike, he takes a quick single dabbing the ball on the onside. Hardik would have to do much better than that to get a breakthrough. FOUR! A floating drive from Rahane as he goes inside out. He is in splendid form, off to a flier. He takes a single towards mid-wicket, 15 runs from the over.
22:01 IST Tim Southee to open the bowling, Rahane on strike. He takes a single towards mid-wicket. Edged and safe! Mayank Agarwal gets a second chance on the first ball as it goes between the slip fielders, FOUR!. Southee follows that up with a wide. He takes a single towards point for a single. Rahane flashes blade but could not get bat on the ball, a dot ball for Southee. Another dot ball from Southee, Rahane is anxious in the first over itself, he takes a single off the last ball, retains strike.
It is not going to be an easy win for RPS as they will go up against one of the best bowlers in the business. They would have to tackle with Jasprit Bumrah’s toe-crushing yorkers. it would not be an easy ride for Steven Smith & Co. Will we see a Dhoni special tonight? Stay tuned to find out!
RPS need 185 to win the match, Hardik Pandya has announced himself in IPL 2017!
21:41 IST Pandya on strike, Dinda to bowl the last over. SIX! Hardik hits the ball to a distance, carves the ball towards point boundary, exactly the start they wanted. SIX! Here comes another one, rocks back into the crease and manages to hit it over long on. SIX! He is not letting Dinda breather, the crowd are going berserk. He is taking the game away from Pune in an over. FOUR! Edged and safe, goes over MS Dhoni’s head, it will run away to the boundary. Absolute carnage from Hardik. Next ball, SIX! Hardik hits another one sailing over the ropes, he hits that one over wide long-on.
Wide delivery, pressure getting onto Dinda, Southee wants to take a single. Easy runout for Dinda, confusion over, Southee will go back to the dugout. Last ball, swing and a miss, how did he miss that full toss, 30 runs from the over as Hardik-Mitchell manage to take a single.
