Rising Pune Supergiant was one of the two teams that replaced the suspended franchises of Chennai Super Kings and Rajasthan Royals, and played in the Indian Premier League (IPL) for two seasons in 2016 and 2017. The team was captained by the charismatic MS Dhoni in both seasons. Despite being a new team, Rising Pune Supergiant played some remarkable games and qualified for the playoffs in both the seasons. Here are the best games of the team in the two IPLs.
1. Rising Pune Supergiant vs Mumbai Indians (IPL 2017 Final) – This match was undoubtedly the best game played by Rising Pune Supergiant in its two seasons in the IPL. In the final of the 2017 IPL, Pune Supergiant faced the Mumbai Indians, who had won the trophy three times before. Batting first, Pune Supergiant made 162/4 in their 20 overs. Steve Smith scored 51, while Manoj Tiwary played a crucial knock of 58 not out. Mumbai Indians struggled to chase the target as they lost wickets at regular intervals. Mitchell Johnson scored 13 runs off the final over but was caught off the last ball, and Pune Supergiant won the match by 1 run.
2. Rising Pune Supergiant vs Kolkata Knight Riders (IPL 2016 Eliminator) – In the Eliminator of the 2016 IPL, Pune Supergiant faced the Kolkata Knight Riders, who had finished fourth in the league stage. Batting first, Kolkata Knight Riders put up 162/8 in their 20 overs, with Manish Pandey top-scoring with 36 runs. In response, Pune Supergiant chased down the target in just 18.1 overs, with Ajinkya Rahane scoring a brilliant 53 off 47 balls. MS Dhoni scored a quickfire 23, and Tiwary remained unbeaten on 21, as Pune Supergiant won the match by 4 wickets.
3. Rising Pune Supergiant vs Sunrisers Hyderabad (IPL 2017 Qualifier 1) – In the Qualifier 1 of the 2017 IPL, Pune Supergiant faced the defending champions, Sunrisers Hyderabad, who had finished third in the league stage. Batting first, Pune Supergiant put up a massive total of 162/4 in their 20 overs, with Rahane scoring a brilliant 56 and Dhoni slamming 40 off just 26 balls. In response, Sunrisers Hyderabad struggled against the Pune Supergiant bowling attack and were bowled out for just 128 runs in 19.2 overs, as Pune Supergiant won the match by 34 runs.
4. Rising Pune Supergiant vs Kings XI Punjab (IPL 2017) – In the league stage of the 2017 IPL, Pune Supergiant faced the Kings XI Punjab, who were struggling to qualify for the playoffs. Batting first, Kings XI Punjab put up a low total of 73 runs in 15.5 overs, as the Pune Supergiant bowlers ran through their batting lineup. Jaydev Unadkat and Washington Sundar took three wickets each. In reply, Pune Supergiant chased down the target in just 12 overs, with Rahane and Tiwary remaining unbeaten on 34 and 31 runs, respectively, as they won the match by 9 wickets.
In conclusion, these were some of the best games played by the Rising Pune Supergiant team in the Indian Premier League. The team may not have been around for long, but they certainly made an impact in the two seasons that they played.
