IPL Match 2017 Mumbai vs Chennai Playoff Race

Lore & Background

The team, along with Gujarat Lions, featured as two-season replacements for Chennai Super Kings and Rajasthan Royals, who were suspended due to their involvement in illegal betting by their respective owners. This team was disbanded after Chennai Super Kings returned to the IPL in 2018. The Rising Pune Supergiant franchise was owned by RP-Sanjiv Goenka Group controlled by Sanjiv Goenka. The team name was announced (as Rising Pune Supergiants) on 18 January 2016 by Goenka in Kolkata and Raghu Iyer was appointed CEO. The owners changed the team name to Rising Pune Supergiant on 26 March 2017. The team lost the 2017 IPL Final to Mumbai Indians by 1 run, which was the team's last game in the IPL. However, the same owner bought another franchise Lucknow Super Giants in February 2022.

In Their Own Story

The air at the Wankhede Stadium is thick with humidity and anticipation. The blue jerseys of Mumbai contrast sharply against the yellow of Chennai under the floodlights. As Rohit Sharma walks out to bat, the crowd roars, sensing another classic battle brewing. Across the pitch, MS Dhoni stands ready behind the stumps, his eyes fixed on the bowler, calculating every angle. This is not just a game; it is a continuation of a war that has defined an era of cricket.

Reader's Guide

Rising Pune Supergiant's home ground was the Maharashtra Cricket Association Stadium in Pune. Controversies arose over holding 2016 IPL games in Maharashtra due to water usage during severe drought, and the Bombay High Court ordered all matches in May to be shifted out of the state. On 15 April 2016, it was reported that the Rising Pune Supergiants were considering the ACA-VDCA Cricket Stadium in Vishakhapatnam as an alternate home ground. In the 2016 season, they finished seventh place in the IPL points table. In the 2017 season, they finished in second place with 18 points and qualified for the play-offs. They faced Mumbai Indians in Qualifier 1 at the Wankhede Stadium in Mumbai, winning by 20 runs. They then faced Mumbai Indians again in the final at Hyderabad, losing by 1 run.

Did You Know?

• Rising Pune Supergiant was the second team representing Pune after Pune Warriors India.
• The team name was originally Rising Pune Supergiants, changed to Rising Pune Supergiant on 26 March 2017.
• Ben Stokes was bought for ₹14.5 Crore at the 2017 auction, making him the most expensive overseas player in IPL history at the time.
• Imran Tahir took 18 wickets in 12 games for RPS in the 2017 season.