IPL 10, Match 28, RPS v MI- Rising Pune Supergiant Predicted XI

Rising Pune Supergiant started the campaign with much promise. They whipped Mumbai Indians in their first game and could easily have won their second game with a little more application. Gradually, however, their problems have started to be exposed. RPS faltered and slumped to three successive losses, only returning to winning ways against RCB and SRH which helped them to reach in the top half of the table.

A lot of weight of their batting has been resting on the shoulders of Steve Smith and Rahul Tripathi, who have been among runs. The inclusion of Ben Stokes has proved to be a big gamble that has not worked the way Smith’s side was expecting. Excluding a fifty against Kings XI Punjab, Ben Stokes hasn’t been able to put up a great show with bat.

The form of Ajinkya Rahane, too, has been an issue, with the right-hander not scoring big runs at the top. However, they have had some great performances to place their hopes on a good showing, none more than Imran Tahir’s ability to pick wickets at regular interval.

For RPS, the permutation and combination have to be in the right place if they wish to keep their winning streak going against the Mumbai Indians. Here is the CricTracker’s RPS Predicted XI for the RPS v MI encounter:

Openers (Ajinkya Rahane and Rahul Tripathi):

It is unlikely that RPS will tinker with their opening combination. Ajinkya Rahane may not have the ability to start the innings with big sixes, but he has his own formula to maintain a healthy strike rate. He hasn’t had the best of seasons till now, scoring 121 runs in 6 matches at an average of 20.16. He will look to change these numbers in the coming game.

Tripathi, on the other hand, made his career best 59 against Sunrisers Hyderabad and would look to continue the momentum. He has been a sheer talent for his side and has an ability to perform under pressure. His skills and temperament have helped him to feature in playing eleven.

Middle Order (Steven Smith, MS Dhoni, Manoj Tiwary):

The experience of 59 IPL matches the skipper is definitely the pillar of Rising Pune Supergiant batting line-up. His strength has been to not allow the bowlers to dictate terms. He can bat as well as anybody on his day. A large percentage of Pune’s hopes stick to his performance.

It took MS Dhoni nearly 6 matches to announce himself in IPL 10 despite being regarded as of the best limited-overs batsman of the generation. Dhoni played a magnificent knock against Sunrisers Hyderabad of a 34-ball 61 to help his side record their third win. A fighter in a true sense, MS is the key player for the RPS.

One of the most enigmatic batsmen in the last few years, Manoj Tiwary is a lethal player at the number he bats. Tiwary played a match winning innings against Royal Challengers Bangalore which not only helped RPS register their second win but also helped to get the much-needed momentum back.

All-Rounder (Ben Stokes and Daniel Christian):

Ben Stokes was expected to be the fulcrum of the side and arguably, the best all rounder in IPL 2017. But he hasn’t been able to convert the starts in this tournament thus far. Barring the fifty against KXIP, Stokes has failed to make an impact. The Englishman hasn’t had a major impact with the ball either, with just four wickets in six games. He will be expected to get his act together in the coming games.

With Daniel Christian comes experience. The 29-year-old carries a good amount of cricketing experience at his back and looks to express himself on the field every time he steps on. He is not only a dangerous batsman lower down the order but a useful medium pacer as well. In this season, he has played 3 matches scoring just 18 runs with the willow and picked 1 wicket.

Bowlers (Shardul Thakur, Jaydev Unadkat, Imran Tahir, Washington Sundar):

The wide shouldered fast bowler, Shardul Thakur has been able to impress everyone with his skiddy pace and rhythm. However, Shardul hasn’t quite shown the consistency expected of a leader of the attack. His inclusion has done Pune some good. The Mumbai-based pacer has been a handy replacement for Ashok Dinda, who was left out after he leaked plenty of runs in the death overs in the initial three games.

The left-arm medium fast bowler uses his tall frame to good effect extracting bounce even on docile tracks. Line and length being his forte, Unadkat will be looking to lead the bowling attack from the front. He has been the pick of the bowlers for RPS, picking 3 wickets in 2 matches so far at an economy of 8.3.

Imran Tahir found no buyers in the auction and after coming as a replacement for Mitchell Marsh, has played a vital role for his side. Tahir will have a tough task on his shoulder as he would face the likes of Jos Butler and Nitish Rana who are used to the condition and can make life difficult for him.  He has picked 9 wickets with best figures of 3/28 in the IPL thus far.

Washington Sundar made his debut against Sunrisers Hyderabad and made an impact straightaway. Sundar came into the limelight after a successful stint in the TNPL where he claimed 11 wickets. He had a decent outing with the ball giving just 19 runs from his quota of three overs. He again will have a chance to make an impression against Mumbai Indians.