Mumbai Indians captain Rohit Sharma wins the toss and elects to bat against Rising Pune Supergiants.
Maximum sixes award went to Faf du Plessis. Ajinkya Rahane bags the man-of-the-match award.
What a way to start the campaign for the new entrants? It was indeed a all-round performance from Rising Pune Supergiants. Dhoni rotated his bowlers well and restricted the mighty batting line-up of Mumbai Indians to a meagre total of 121.
Responding to their bowlers effort, Rahane, du Plessis and Pietersen finished the match in style with 5.2 overs to spare.
We introduced the >#DumKaNayaRang to the world in what a fantastic manner! And who better to finish it off than >@ajinkyarahane88 ! >#MIvRPS
— Pune Supergiants (@RPSupergiants) >April 9, 2016
Rising Pune Supergiants led by some fine batting from Ajinkya Rahane, Faf du Plessis and Kevin Pietersen took their team to victory by 9 wickets. After restricting Mumbai Indians for 121, Pune reached the target in 14.4 overs.
(Rising Pune Supergiants' Ajinkya Rahane finished the match with two big sixes off the bowling of Hardik Pandya during the match. Photo: Vivek Bendre).
8 more to win . Hardik Pandya into the attack. Good fielding from Rayudu at mid-wicket. Rahane hits a six off the second ball and PUne needs just 2 to win. Rahane is in destructive mood today. It is a six and a big victory for Rising Pune Supergiants.
After 14 overs: Pune 114 for 1
18 more to win. Harbhajan Singh continues. Pietersen hits a huge six off the first ball. Pune inches closer for a massive victory. intelligent batting from Rahane.
After 13 overs: Pune 104 for 1
26 more to win . Gopal continues. Rahane hits the ball for another boundary and it is 100 for Pune. It is 50 for Rahane. Good dominant performance from Rahane. Claim for run-out and it is not out. dropped. Gopal drops a catch off Rahane.
After 12 overs: Pune 96 for 1
37 runs more to win in 9 overs. Harbhajan continues. Both Pietersen and Rahane are playing cautiously now. Good bowling from Harbhajan Singh. Pietersen finishes the over with a huge six.
After 11 overs: Pune 85 for 1
Shreyas Gopal continues. Rahane paces his innings very well playing the ball on merit. Only singles from this over till now. excellent stuff from Gopal.
After 10 overs: Pune 79 for 1
Harbhajan into the attack. Both players are taking singles and twos at regular intervals with odd boundaries. Pune on course for a massive victory. Harbhajan strikes by removing Faf du Plessis. Pune loses its first wicket. PUne 78 for 1. Pietersen is the new man.
. >@harbhajan_singh strikes! The first wicket falls for RPS. They are at 78/1 in 9.4 overs >#MIvRPS>#DilSeIndian>pic.twitter.com/gzbNewgGd1
— Mumbai Indians (@mipaltan) >April 9, 2016
After 9 overs Pune 76 for no loss. strategic time out
56 runs to win in 12 overs. Vinay Kumar continues. Another wide from Vinay Kumar. He is bowling lot of slower wides outside the off stump. Rahane is quick between the wickets, running hard, takes two quick runs. Beautiful strike down the ground for another boundary.
After 8 overs: Pune 66 for no loss
61 more to win. Shreyas Gopal into the attack. decent spell from Shreyas Gopal. Just five runs from this over.
(Rising Pune Supergiants' Faf du Plessis plays shot during the match against Mumbai Indians in Mumbai on Saturday. Photo: Vivek Bendre)
After 7 overs: Pune 61 for no loss
7 overs bowled and RPS are 61/0. Will >@ImRo45 get Bhajji to bowl next? >#MIvRPS>#DilSeIndian
— Mumbai Indians (@mipaltan) >April 9, 2016
65 more runs to win in 14 overs. Vinay Kumar into the attack. du Plessis tries to scoop fails to connect. intelligent bowling from Vinay Kumar. slower wide ball from Vinay Kumar. Some good bowling from Vinay Kumar gives a breather for Mumbai. another slower wide delivery. Just four runs from the over
After 6 overs: Pune 57 for no loss
He's SMACKED that! Free hit converted to a SIX ! And another one after that! >#SuperGiants get to 57 for no loss in 6 overs! >#DumKaNayaRang
— Pune Supergiants (@RPSupergiants) >April 9, 2016
Bumrah continues. He is bowling well. He continues his form from the World T20 championships. good shot from Rahane, another boundary. Rahane is scoring at brisk pace using the powerplay overs. A huge mix-up. it is funny that Mumbai Indians misses an easy run-out. two runs. It is a no-ball. IT is a free-hit. du Plessis hits a six off the free-hit. Pune races to 50 inside six overs. Another six off the last ball.
All sorts of confusion in the middle as Jos tries to run Rahane out but misses! >#MIvRPS>#DilSeIndian
— Mumbai Indians (@mipaltan) >April 9, 2016
After 5 overs: Pune 37 for no loss
McClenaghan continues. excellent fielding from Pandya. A huge six from Rahane. short ball, Rahane pulls it and the ball soars over the fine-leg boundary for a six. excellent batting from Rahane, takes a single off the next ball. Another huge six, this time from du Plessis. Pune on course now. Two sixes from this McClenaghan over.
After 4 overs: Pune 23 for no loss
104 more runs to win. Bumrah continues. Excellent bowling from Bumrah. wild swish and miss from du Plessis. excellent running between the wickets. excellent shot from Rahane another boundary.
3 balls, 3 dots. BOOM is constantly clocking 140+kph! Paltan, can he get his yorkers going >#DilSeIndian>#MIvRPS
— Mumbai Indians (@mipaltan) >April 9, 2016
After 3 overs: Pune 18 for no loss
109 more to win. Excellent bowling from McClenaghan. Lot depend on this pair. good shot from Rahane for another boundary. third boundary for Rahane.
After 2 overs: Pune 13 for no loss
Bumrah into the attack. du Plessis on strike. good ball, lucky for du Plessis. it is a boundary.
After 1 over: Pune 8 for no loss
Rahane and du Plessis are the openers. RPS has a good batting line-up. McClenaghan to open the attack. Rahane on strike, strikes the first ball for a boundary. A risky shot from Rahane, ball just falls short of Hardik Pandya at point. Good comeback from McClenaghan after the first ball boundary. edged and another boundary.
. >@Mitch_Savage is ready to bowl the 1st over. >#MIvRPS>#DilSeIndian
— Mumbai Indians (@mipaltan) >April 9, 2016
The players are back on the ground for the run chase.
Mumbai after a stuttered start, scored a decent 121 for 8. Harbhajan Singh was the star of the Mumbai batsmen scoring 45 not out.
Last over to be bowled by Ishant Sharma. McClenaghan is the new man. Harbhajan smashes a boundary (34 off 27 balls). excellent comeback from Ishant. Harbhajan hits a huge six. Harbhajan takes Mumbai to a decent score to defend. Harbhajan not out for 45. Mumbai 121 for 8. A decent score.
After 19 overs: Mumbai 104 for 8
(Mumbai Indians' Harbhajan Singh plays a shot during his unbeaten knock of 45 during the match. Photo: Vivek Bendre)
RP Singh into the attack. starts with a wide. Harbhajan crashes the ball through the cover for a boundary. RP Singh is quite expensive today. Short ball, Vinay Kumar is out caught by Steve Smith. RP Singh strikes. Mumbai 96 for 8. Harbhajan strikes a huge six. Mumbai reaches 100. Harbhajan strikes another boundary.
Back to back boundaries help >#MI cross 100 runs. >#MI at 104/8 after 19 overs. >#DumKaNayaRang
— Pune Supergiants (@RPSupergiants) >April 9, 2016
After 18 overs: Mumbai 90 for 7
Marsh into the attack. Mumbai batsmen still takes ones and two but for odd boundaries. A huge six from Vijay Kumar. Mumbai starts to push the score.
After 17 overs: Mumbai 80 for 7.
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(Rising Pune Supergiants' Rajat Bhatia celebrates the wicket of Keiron Pollard during the match in Mumbai. Photo: Vivek Bendre).
M. Ashwin continues his fourth over. Good bowling from M. Ashwin. Harbhajan strikes a boundary off M. Ashwin. Can Mumbai reach 100? appeal for run-out, gone to the third umpire, there is no touch, it is not out. Good spell in his first IPL match.
After 16 overs: Mumbai 75 for 7.
Dhoni brings R. Ashwin in the 16th over. R. Ashwin strikes in his very first ball. Ashwin removes Rayudu. Mumbai 68 for 7. It is strategic time-out. Vinay Kumar is the new man. Boundary after a very long time.
GONE! Rayudu goes, trying to accelerate the scoring rate. Guess what? It's another first ball wicket. >#Jinxed>#MIvRPS>#DilSeIndian
— Mumbai Indians (@mipaltan) >April 9, 2016
After 15 overs: Mumbai 68 for 6.
M. Ashwin continues, still no sign of R. Ashwin. Excellent bowling from M. Ashwin. still no boundaries in sight for Mumbai. excellent fielding from Faf du Plessis.
After 14 overs: Mumbai 65 for 6.
Bhatia to bowl his last over. Still no boundaries for Mumbai Indians. Good and tidy bowling from Pune Supergiants bowlers. Excellent bowling from Bhatia. completes his spell with 1 for 10.
Rayudu is trying to steady the ship for the team! All we need is 1 big over and things can change. >#MIvRPS>#DilSeIndian
— Mumbai Indians (@mipaltan) >April 9, 2016
After 13 overs: Mumbai 62 for 6.
M. Ashwin continues. Excellent fielding from Mitchell Marsh. Runs are coming only in singles. Tidy over from M. Ashwin.
After 12 overs: Mumbai 57 for 6
Bhatia continues, still no sign of R. Ashwin. Harbhajan is the new man in. After a very long time, a four for Mumbai. Rayudu hits a four.
After 11 overs: Mumbai 51 for 6.
M. Ashwin into the attack. The pitch seems to be turning. Rayudu and Shreyas Gopal are negotiating the spin well. Tidy over from M. Ashwin. Ashwin strikes in his last ball, takes his first IPL wicket removes Shreyas Gopal. It is 51 for 6.
GONE!! What a start by M. Ashwin! >#MI 6 wickets down. Shreyas Gopal the latest casualty. >#MIvRPS>#DumKaNayaRang
— Pune Supergiants (@RPSupergiants) >April 9, 2016
After 10 overs: Mumbai 48 for 5.
Bhatia continues. Close run-out missed. Excellent rotation of bowlers from M.S. Dhoni. Pune bowlers tighten the screws on the Mumbai Indians batsmen.
After nine overs: Mumbai 47 for 5. strategic time-out
Rayudu strikes the first ball of the fresh over from Marsh for a four. Excellent comeback from Marsh. Good over from Mitchell Marsh (three overs 2 for 11)
. >@RayuduAmbati completes 2000 IPL runs with that single! >#MIvRPS
— Mumbai Indians (@mipaltan) >April 9, 2016
Excellent over from Rajat Bhatia. After eight overs: Mumbai 40 for 5.
Rajat Bhatia into the attack. Loud shout and Pollard is gone. Bhatia strikes in his very first ball. It is 40 for 5. Shreyas Gopal is the new man in. Dhoni leads his new pack of players in his own elegant style.
Half of the >#MI team is back in the pavilion. What a start for our first season in the >#VIVOIPL>#DumKaNayaRang
— Pune Supergiants (@RPSupergiants) >April 9, 2016
After seven overs: Mumbai 40 for 4.
Marsh continues. Loud shout for LBW but umpire says no. Pollard opens his account. Excellent over from Mitchell Marsh.
That looked close! >#MIvRPS
— Pune Supergiants (@RPSupergiants) >April 9, 2016
After six overs: Mumbai 37 for 4.
A massive bouncer goes for 4 byes. Ishant Sharma, little bit erratic, is bowling at good speed. Ishant Sharma is bowling beautifully. Last over of the powerplay.
37/4 - End of the power-play & it wasn't as productive as we'd hoped for. Time to bounce back, Paltan! >#MIvRPS
— Mumbai Indians (@mipaltan) >April 9, 2016
After five overs: Mumbai 30 for 4.
Marsh strikes in his very first ball by removing Hardik Pandya. Mumbai 29 for 3. Ambati Rayudu is the new man in. Excellent bowling from Marsh. Rahane misses a close run-out. Buttler is the lucky one. Marsh once again strikes with his last ball removing Buttler. Pune bowlers put their team on top. Ashwin takes a beautiful catch. Pollard is the new man.
ANOTHER ONE BITES THE DUST! >@mitchmarsh235 joins the party, removes Pandya off his first ball! CRAZY! >#MIvRPS>#DumKaNayaRang
— Pune Supergiants (@RPSupergiants) >April 9, 2016
Excellent bowling from Ishant. After four overs: Mumbai 29 for 2.
Good to see young >@josbuttler at the crease. The IPL will surely be an exciting experience for the lad. >#MIvRPS
— Mumbai Indians (@mipaltan) >April 9, 2016
Hardik Pandya hits two consecutive fours off the second over from Ishant Sharma. Ishant removes dangerous Simmons. Buttler is the new batsman.
CLEAN BOWLED!! >@ImIshant strikes again! Simmons on his way back now. Silence in the stadium! >#DumKaNayaRang
— Pune Supergiants (@RPSupergiants) >April 9, 2016
After the third over: Mumbai 20 for 1.
Simmons strikes a huge six in RP Singh's second over. The West Indian continues his love for Wankhede
(Rising Pune Supergiants bowler Ishant Sharma celebrates a wicket during the match in Mumbai on Saturday. Photo: Vivek Bendre)
After the second over: Mumbai 12 for 1.
>@RPSupergiants>@ImIshant gud one
— Vaibhav Tiwari (@indian_vaibhav) >April 9, 2016
Ishant strikes in his very first over by removing dangerous Rohit Sharma for 7. Hardik Pandya is the new man in.
RPS strikes early; Ishant traps captain Rohit Sharma lbw, which brings in Hardik Pandya to the crease.
After the first over, Mumbai 8/0.
R.P. Singh finishes a tidy over. Rohit Sharma spoils an otherwise quiet over with a crunh through the covers, hits a boundary.
Teams:
Mumbai: Simmons, Buttler (wk), Rohit, Rayudu, Pollard, Hardik Pandya, Harbhajan, McClenaghan, Vinay Kumar, Shreyas Gopal, Bumrah
Pune: Rahane, du Plessis, Steve Smith, KP, Mitchell Marsh, MS Dhoni, Rajat Bhatia, R Ashwin, M Ashwin, Ishant Sharma, RP Singh
The slam bang cricket is back. The IPL season 9 starts with a big game between Mumbai Indians and new entrant Rising Pune Supergiants, at the Wankhede Stadium.
What's new in this edition of the IPL?
Here's an interesting stat:
Some of our readers with their combination of playing XI
BHUPENDRA SINGH: i think for pune ms dhoni, rahane, fafduplessis, kevin petersen, steve smith, m marsh, r ashwin, m ashwin, rpsingh, irfan pathan, ashok dinda
Nikhil: MI:- Parthiv....Rohit....Simmons.....Corey....Rayudu....Pollard....Hardik....Suchith\gopal....bhajji....bumrah....mcclenghan.... RPS:- Ms.....Rahane....KP.....Smith.....faf....Mitchell Marsh.....irfan....Ashwin......Murugan....Ishant.....RP Singh\Ishwar Pandey
Rahul Sinha: for the RPS a better choice would be- MS DHONI, Ajinkya Rahane, FAF du Plesis, Steve Smith, KP, Rajat Bhatia, Irfan pathan, R.Ashwin, M.Ashwin, Ishant Sharma, Scott Boland.
Rising Pune Supergiants
The team is led by the Indian ODI and Twenty20 captain M.S. Dhoni who earlier successfully led the suspended Chennai Super Kings to two IPL and two Champions League titles.
. >@KKRiders Thank you for the wishes!
— Pune Supergiants (@RPSupergiants) >April 9, 2016
Besides Dhoni, RPS has some big players in Faf du Plessis, Steve Smith, Ajinkya Rahane, Albie Morkel and Kevin Pietersen. The team's bowling is led by Ishant Sharma, Ravichandran Ashwin, Irfan Pathan, Ishwar Pandey and R.P. Singh. Australian Adam Zampa, who bowled brilliantly in the World T20 championships, is also in the side.
. >@KrisSrikkanth Defending champions or the new order? What's your prediction for tonight? :)
— Pune Supergiants (@RPSupergiants) >April 9, 2016
However, except Ashwin and Zampa no other RPS bowler has delivered consistently. Though Mitchell Marsh is there, we have to wait and see whether Dhoni selects him as du Plessis, Smith, Pietersen are default choices due to their powerful performances. As for other foreign players — Marsh, Morkel and Zampa — Dhoni will have to decide according to the match situation.
Dhoni may opt for Murugan Ashwin who has done reasonably well for the Tamil Nadu side. The leg-spinner has taken 10 wickets in the six T20 matches he has played with three for 18 as his best.
Supergiants are ready for >@IPL season 9. RT if you are ready too. >#DumKaNayaRang>#IPL2016>pic.twitter.com/qqHSdckoLd
— Pune Supergiants FC (@RPsupergiantsFC) >April 9, 2016
Mumbai Indians
The defending champion is led by Indian opener Rohit Sharma. Though the two-time champions are up against a formidable batting line-up in the RPS, they may have an upper hand as RPS is yet to gel as a team.
Mumbai Indians also have a formidable batting line-up in Sharma, Lendl Simmons, Kieron Pollard, Ambati Rayudu, Hardik Pandya and Corey Anderson. Parthiv Patel could also turn match-winner on a good day.
The bowling department will be led by offie Harbhajan Singh and Jasprit Bumrah. With Tim Southee, Corey Anderson and Vinay Kumar as back-up, the MI bowling attack looks settled.
MI also has all-rounder Krunal Pandya, Hardik Pandya’s brother, in their arsenal. In 15 T20 matches, he has scored 167 runs at an average of 23.85; 51 being his highest. He has also taken 16 wickets with three-for-25 as his best. He is also a fine fielder like his brother.
The moment we've been waiting for is here! Time to repeat our past glory & play like champions! >#MIvRPS>#DilSeIndian>pic.twitter.com/WjoHyp3sE9
— Mumbai Indians (@mipaltan) >April 9, 2016
The teams
Mumbai Indians
Rohit Sharma (c), Corey Anderson, Jasprit Bumrah, Jos Buttler, Unmukt Chand, Marchant de Lange, Shreyas Gopal, Harbhajan Singh, Kishore Kamath, Siddhesh Lad, Mitchell McClenaghan, Lasith Malinga, Hardik Pandya, Krunal Pandya, Parthiv Patel, Kieron Pollard, Deepak Punia, Nitish Rana, Ambati Rayudu, Jitesh Sharma, Lendl Simmons, Nathu Singh, Tim Southee, Jagadeesha Suchith, Vinay Kumar, Akshay Wakhare
Rising Pune Supergiants
MS Dhoni (c), Ankit Sharma, Baba Aparajith, Murugan Ashwin, Ravichandran Ashwin, Ankush Bains, Rajat Bhatia, Scott Boland, Deepak Chahar, Ashok Dinda, Faf du Plessis, Peter Handscomb, Jaskaran Singh, Mitchell Marsh, Albie Morkel, Ishwar Pandey, Irfan Pathan, Thisara Perera, Kevin Pietersen, Ajinkya Rahane, Ishant Sharma, RP Singh, Steven Smith, Saurabh Tiwary, Adam Zampa
