Published: May 17, 2017, 08:59 AM (IST)
Edited: May 17, 2017, 12:11 AM (IST)
Rising Pune Supergiant (RPS) skipper Steven Smith, was ecstatic after his side thrashed Mumbai Indians (MI) by 20 runs in Qualifier 1 of the 10th edition of Indian Premier League (IPL) on Tuesday. Smith could not fire with the willow but his trusted generals — MS Dhoni, Ajinkya Rahane and Manoj Tiwary — held their ends to take RPS to 162 for 4 in 20 overs. In reply, MI could not pose serious threat at Wankhede Stadium; they faltered to reach 142 for 9, thereby ensuring RPS a place in the final on Sunday. Smith credited his troops for rising to the occasion in the business end of the tournament after the victory. Full Cricket Scorecard: Mumbai Indians vs Rising Pune Supergiant, IPL 2017, Qualifier 1 at Mumbai
In the post-match conference, Smith stated: “Yeah, it’s been good this year. Three times we have beaten them this year. Big day and big players stand up. MS Dhoni was magnificent. Rahane was good at the start. We went with a batter light, so had to be bit conservative, 160 was a good total. Slower wicket, so was difficult to time the ball. Dhoni and Manoj did well. You need to peak at the right time in tournaments like this.”
Smith further added that he was “proud of the boys”. He continued: We bowled back-of-a-length and tried to take the pace off the ball; that worked for us right throughout the tournament. There was dew but the wicket was still slow. Magnificent (talking about Washington Sundar). Big stage, QF (quarter-final) of an IPL and to get whatever he got off his four overs is magnificent. [I am] proud of his efforts. [We will have] bit of a break. Hopefully we can be the better team on the final.”
