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Rising Pune Supergiant (RPS) are all set to play their maiden IPL final at Rajiv Gandhi International cricket stadium in Hyderabad on Sunday evening. Steve Smith-led side got a shaky start at the beginning of the tournament, but they bounced back to finish at the second position on the points table. In the first qualifier, they defeated Mumbai Indians by 20 runs at M. Chinnaswamy Stadium in Bengaluru to qualify for the final as the first team.
The Pune franchise, which is mixed of young talents and experienced players, found their youngsters and experienced players are standing up in crucial games throughout the season. However, in the final, they will miss their Rs. 14.50 crore all-rounder Ben Stokes and handy leg-spinner Imran Tahir as they left IPL to join their national teams before the 2017 Champions in England. On the day big day, the Maharashtra side will want their key players show their mental in the final.
Here are five RPS players who are expected to play important role in the summit clash today evening.
Steve Smith: He is the skipper of the side, and throughout the tournament he showed his batting caliber with the willow in hand. At the end of the league stage, Smith scored 421 runs in 14 matches with the highest score of unbeaten 84. In the final, his team will look to him for good innings which will put the Supergiant at a good position. The stylish batsman in their tournament opener played a crucial 54-ball 84 runs innings against the rivals Mumbai Indians, chasing a substantial total in Pune.
Rahul Tripathi: He is the discovery of RPS in IPL 2017. Before the beginning of the tournament, not many people heard about this hard-hitting batsman. This is his maiden IPL campaign. Before the start of the tournament, the 26-year old batsman ended up his Ranji season without playing a game as he failed to find a place in the Mumbai team. But, after getting an opportunity for the Supergiant, he made sure that he doesn’t let the opportunity slip from his hand. The right –handed batsman is RPS’ second highest run scorer this season, with 388 runs. Maybe, he missed his hundred against Kolkata Knight Riders but he won the confidence of his team management. In the final, he along with Ajinkya Rahane will likely to open the innings against Mumbai at the Rajiv Gandhi stadium.
Manoj Tiwary: The RPS middle order batsman proved his worth throughout the season. He is the pillar of RPS’ middle order. His presence in the middle gave RPS much needed strength. Whenever required, team management has been elevated him to the top order. In the first qualifier, Tiwary stayed at the crease to save RPS’s one end during his 58 runs innings. His defensive skills helped Mahendra Singh to unleash big shots which helped RPS to set a competitive target for the Mumbai Indians. In the final, it is expected that he will play his crucial role in the middle order.
Jaydev Unadkat: The pace bowler, started his IPL 2017 campaign bit late, but when he featured in the XI, his made his presence felt. He has become the third bowler to claim a hat-trick in the tenth season. This season, Unadkat becomes an integral part of RPS. He is also in the race of Purple Cap. He took 22 wickets in 11 matches in IPL 10. He needs four more wickets to claim the Purple Cap.
Washington Sunder: The 17-year-old spin wizard is the find of this IPL for RPS. Before the tournament start, their experienced spinner Ravichandran Ashwin was ruled out due to injury, hence they picked his Tamil Nadu spinner. He proved his worth whenever he got a chance. In the first qualifier, he has taken three wickets, which is the best bowling figure for a bowler of his age. So far, he has taken eight wickets in 10 matches at an economy of 6.61. In the final he will meet the same opponent, so he will play a crucial role against the Mumbai Indians batsmen who don’t have good records against the RPS bowlers.
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