On this day in 2017, the Mumbai Indians (MI) became the first team to win three IPL titles with a thrilling one-run triumph over the Rising Pune Supergiant (RPS) in the championship game. MI and RPS missed the playoffs in the tournament’s 2016 iteration. However, they performed an amazing comeback in the subsequent edition to clinch the top two positions in the points table.
On May 21, 2017, the “Maharashtra Derby” took place at the Rajiv Gandhi International Stadium in Hyderabad, and everyone’s attention was focused on whether MI would be able to end its curse against RPS.
When MI won the toss, they decided to bat first. However, Jaydev Unadkat’s early dismissals of Parthiv Patel (3) and Lendl Simmons (4) prevented them from flourishing in the powerplay overs. Ambati Rayudu and Rohit Sharma started the recovery process with some lovely shots.
Krunal Pandya was awarded the Man of the Match for his all-round display
However, Rayudu (12) and Sharma (24) were both bowled out within the span of three overs. The dismissals of Kieron Pollard and Hardik Pandya by the Australian duo of Adam Zampa and Daniel Christian, respectively, placed MI on the back foot, leaving the team stuttering at 78/6 by the 14th over. Krunal Pandya, though, helped MI put a decent total of 129 on the board with his career-best knock of 47* off 38 balls, with three fours and two sixes.
The Super Giants lost Rahul Tripathi for three runs while chasing 130 to win. When skipper Steve Smith linked up with opener Ajinkya Rahane, they put together a crucial 54-run partnership before Rahane left the game for 44 off 38 balls. They appeared to be on track despite Rahane’s dismissal because they had wickets in hand.
Smith appeared to have controlled the situation for a while, but an effective spell from Karn Sharma offered MI a little chance because his 18 runs from four overs prevented the RPS from running away with the chase. However, Jasprit Bumrah and Lasith Malinga’s outstanding bowling in the final two overs saved the day.
Malinga and Bumrah ensured Pune could score just two boundaries between the 18th and the 19th over. Manoj Tiwary and Smith, both batting on 51, had 11 to get off the final over. They were able to hit a boundary off his first ball, but Mitchell Johnson held them back, and MI won the match by one run. Krunal won Man of the Match for his all-around performance.