IPL 2017: Proud of the combination Rising Pune Supergiant put together, says Stephen Fleming

Steven Smith scored a valiant fifty, but that was not enough to take Rising Pune Supergiant over the line, as Mumbai Indians held their nerves and won their third IPL title.

Rising Pune Supergiant (RPS) painfully fell short of one run against Mumbai Indians (MI) in the final of Indian Premier League (IPL) 2017. Having finished seventh in the previous edition, RPS took a giant stride and finished runners-up. Despite of the loss, RPS coach Stephen Fleming says that he is proud of the combination they put together in this tournament. He also went on to say that the final was a grand finish to a good competition. RPS skipper Steven Smith scored a valiant fifty, but that was not enough to take RPS over the line, as MI held their nerves and won their third IPL title. Full Cricket Scorecard: Rising Pune Supergiant vs Mumbai Indians, IPL 2017 Final at Hyderabad

“I am very proud of the combination we put together and the campaign we ran. We would have loved to have sat here for the icing on the cake, but it does not change the feelings about the work that we put in during the year to get to this point,” Fleming said, in the post-match press conference. “We knew that it was going to be tough. We knew their bowling attack was top class. We lost wickets at key times. They just hung, hung in and created enough pressure to get across the line but it was just a great final. A grand finish to a good competition,” he added.

Fleming believes, had Smith stayed at the crease till the end, the story could have been different. “Steve Smith came very close to winning it in the last overs and it could have been a much different story. But that was the nature of the game. It was very ebb and flow on what was quite a tough wicket to score on,” the former New Zealand skipper said. READ: Steven Smith says RPS defeat to MI hard to swallow

“We lost wickets, or they bowled a good over. It was never going to be a wicket where they could blast your way through. When we played against Hyderabad, we found that as well. Just batting deep was the best opportunity and we could not get over,” he added. Speaking about RPS’ future in the IPL, Fleming said, “We concentrated on getting this game through and finishing as well as we could and then whatever happens after this, I am not sure anyone knows to be honest. It was purely what we could control.”

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