IPL 2017: Steven Smith lauds Jaydev Unadkat, Shardul Thakur’s performance in Rising Pune Supergiant’s (RPS) victory against Kings XI Punjab (KXIP)

IPL 2017: Smith lauds Unadkat, Thakur’s performance in RPS' victory against KXIP

Steven Smith’s Rising Pune Supergiants (RPS) booked their spot in the Indian Premier League (IPL) 2017 playoffs defeating Kings XI Punjab (KXIP) in Match 55 and the captain praised pacer-duo Jaydev Unadkat and Shardul Thakur for their impeccable performance in the match. Unadkat and Thakur ran through the KXIP batting line-up and helped RPS restrict KXIP for the latter’s lowest ever IPL total of 73. RPS comfortably chased the target down in 12 overs. Smith also credited the toss they won, as bowling first helped their bowlers make full use of the Pune pitch that had variable bounce on offer. Full Cricket Scorecard: Rising Pune Supergiant (RPS) vs Kings XI Punjab (KXIP), IPL 2017, Match 55 at Pune

“It was a nice day, wasn’t it? The bowlers did a terrific job. I was fortunate to win the toss, the ball was stopping. It was an easy decision today, the wicket was sticky. Shardul was outstanding, Unadkat again was outstanding. We were searching a bit in the first few games. We had new players coming in, we have a good balance now. Really good to finish second and have bites at the cherry,” Smith said in the post-match conference,

RPS will miss Ben Stokes for the playoffs and when asked about the absence of the quality all-rounder, Smith agreed about the loss but remained hopeful.

“We have a couple of options for Stokes. He has been magnificent and will be a big loss. Hopefully, the other guys will stand up for us,” Smith added.

With the victory, RPS finish their group stage placed at No. 2 spot and will go on to play Mumbai Indians (MI) in Qualifier 1 at Wankhede Stadium, Mumbai on Tuesday. In the Eliminator, Sunrisers Hyderabad (SRH) will lock horns with Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR) at Bangalore.