Published: May 22, 2017, 04:30 PM (IST)
Edited: May 22, 2017, 04:30 PM (IST)
Kieron Pollard may not have contributed much with the bat in the Indian Premier League (IPL) 2017 final against Rising Pune Supergiant (RPS), but he believes that Mumbai Indians (MI) showed a lot of character to win a low-scoring final. MI were tottering at 79 for 7 at one stage, but Krunal Pandya’s 47 off 38 deliveries helped MI put up 129 on the board. MI were under pressure in this match as they had lost three matches to RPS in this tournament. At the halfway mark, it looked like RPS will maintain the 100 per cent win record against MI. Full Cricket Scorecard: Rising Pune Supergiant vs Mumbai Indians, IPL 2017 Final at Hyderabad
“The team has come together many times and that’s what happened tonight. Big up to this man here, Krunal, he batted nicely and kept us in the game,” Pollard said after the game, according to IANS. “The boys showed a lot of character and belief during difficult moments, like today. But we have managed to come out on top,” Pollard added. Fellow West Indies batsman Lendl Simmons believes that MI have a lot of match-winners, which enabled them to clinch their third title. “Our team has several match-winners and big match players, so it helped. They have the experience of winning the finals and did that today,” Simmons said. READ: Fielding made the difference, insists Kieron Pollard after MI’s 3rd title win
Krunal became only the second uncapped player to win a man-of-the-match award in an IPL final after Manvinder Bisla. He says that his plan was to stay at the crease till the end. Krunal was dismissed off the final delivery and also shared 50-run stand for the seventh wicket with Mitchell Johnson. “When the wicket were falling, I wanted to play 20 overs because I was the only batsman. I knew if I stayed till the 19th-20th over I could attack,” he said.
