New Delhi: The much-awaited IPL 10 final is just hours away and some of the biggest names in the world of cricket will take the centre stage in Hyderabad today. Fans at the Rajiv Gandhi International stadium will witness either Steve Smith's Rising Pune Supergiant lifting their maiden trophy or Rohit Sharma-led Mumbai Indians becoming the first three-time IPL winners.
Pune have definitely been a surprise element this season. After finishing second last in the previous edition, RPS made a stunning comeback this season. But we can't discount the fact that MI have all the experience required to win an IPL final, they have done it before, twice.
However, MI and RPS faced-off against each other three times in the 10th edition of IPL and the Pune-based franchise won on all occasions.
MI became the first team to seal passage to the play-offs. Victory in their final league match made them the first T20 team to 100 wins, and confirmed them as the table-toppers with 20 points. The Rohit Sharma-led Mumbai have been the outstanding team this IPL, with 10 wins from 14 matches.
IPL is a long tournament and keeping a track of all the games might seem like a daunting task. But don't worry, we've got that covered for you. Here is how MI made it to their fourth IPL final:
Rising Pune Supergiant v Mumbai Indians at Pune - Apr 6, 2017
Rising Pune Supergiant started their IPL campaign with a win over Mumbai Indians by 7 wickets. Ajinkya Rahane and Steve Smith scored brilliant half centuries.
Mumbai Indians v Kolkata Knight Riders at Mumbai - Apr 9, 2017
Chasing 179 after good bowling from Krunal Pandya (3/24), Mumbai surprised KKR by sending Nitish Rana at No 3, and the Delhi batsman clobbered 50 off 29 balls to keep the chase running. Hardik Pandya scored an unbeaten 29 off 11 balls to seal a tense 4-wicket win with one delivery left.
Mumbai Indians v Sunrisers Hyderabad at Mumbai - Apr 12, 2017
Another successful chase, with plenty of nerves. Harbhajan Singh (2/23) and Jasprit Bumrah (3/24) starred as the defending champions were limited to 158/8, after which Parthiv Patel (39 off 24) and Rana (45 off 36) whittled away at the target. Mumbai, after a wobble, were indebted to Krunal's 20-ball 37 to take them to the doorstep of a 4-wicket win.
Royal Challengers Bangalore v Mumbai Indians at Bengaluru - Apr 14, 2017
Chasing 143, MI was rocked by a hat-trick from Samuel Badree (4/9) in the powerplay, but from a perilous scoreline of 7/4, Mumbai were stunningly bailed out by Pollard's 70 off 47 balls and a sensible 37 not out from Krunal. MI won by 4 wickets.
Mumbai Indians v Gujarat Lions at Mumbai - Apr 16, 2017
Back home at the Wankhede, Mumbai were again taken towards victory by Rana (53) and Pollard (39), with skipper Rohit producing his first significant innings, an unbeaten 40 off 29 balls as a target of 177 was overhauled in 19.3 overs ensuring a 6-wicket win for MI.
Kings XI Punjab v Mumbai Indians at Indore - Apr 20, 2017
Mumbai were set a target of 199, still they won the game by 8 wickets. Parthiv Patel scored 37 off 18 balls and England import Jos Buttler, who was adjudged Man of the Match, scored a 37-ball 77. Finishing the job was Rana, with an astonishing 62 off 34 balls. This was the highest successful chase of the season, and gave Mumbai their best start to any IPL.
Mumbai Indians v Delhi Daredevils at Mumbai - Apr 22, 2017
Mumbai Indians beat Delhi Daredevils by 14 runs in their backyard at the Wankhede Stadium. Put to bat first, DD scored 142/8. Chasing, MI lost six wickets quickly but Chris Morris and Kagiso Rabada kept them in the hunt before they ultimately lost.
Mumbai Indians v Rising Pune Supergiant at Mumbai - Apr 24, 2017
Rising Pune Supergiant beat Mumbai Indians by 3 runs. Rohit Sharma slammed a brilliant fifty for MI. Batting first, RPS reached 160/6 with Jasprit Bumrah and Karn Sharma taking two wickets each for MI while Rahul Tripathi was the top-scorer with 45 runs.
Gujarat Lions v Mumbai Indians at Rajkot - Apr 29, 2017
A nerve-shredding match ended with Mumbai somehow levelling the scores on 153, which set up a Super Over. Starring in the tiebreaker was Bumrah, who defended 11 runs to give his team the joint lead at No. 1 on the leaderboard.
Mumbai Indians v Royal Challengers Bangalore at Mumbai - May 1, 2017
Rohit Sharma walked in at 61/2 and finished a chase of 163 with 56 not out off 37 balls, in 19.5 overs, with Hardik for company. Mumbai were back at the top with a 5-wicket win.
Delhi Daredevils v Mumbai Indians at Delhi - May 6, 2017
Three wickets each from Harbhajan Singh and Karn Sharma helped Mumbai Indians maul Delhi Daredevils by 146 runs to qualify for the IPL 2017 playoffs. Earlier, half-centuries from Lendl Simmons and Kieron Pollard powered MI to 212/3.
Sunrisers Hyderabad v Mumbai Indians at Hyderabad - May 8, 2017
Sunrisers Hyderabad defeated Mumbai Indians by 7 wickets in their IPL 2017 encounter. Shikhar Dhawan scored 62 off 46 balls to clinch the match for his team. Earlier, MI made 138/7 with skipper Rohit Sharma scoring 67 while Siddarth Kaul claimed four wickets for SRH.
Mumbai Indians v Kings XI Punjab at Mumbai - May 11, 2017
Kings XI Punjab kept alive their hopes of making the IPL 2017 playoffs alive with a seven-run win over Mumbai Indians in a must-win match at the Wankhede Stadium in Mumbai. MI made a total of 223/6 in response to KXIP’s 230/3.
Kolkata Knight Riders v Mumbai Indians at Kolkata - May 13, 2017
Half-centuries from Ambati Rayudu and Saurabh Tiwary, coupled with some brilliant death bowling from Hardik Pandya guided Mumbai Indians to the top spot in IPL 2017 with a nine-run win over Kolkata Knight Riders.
Qualifier 1: Mumbai Indians v Rising Pune Supergiant at Mumbai - May 16, 2017
Rising Pune Supergiant registered a third consecutive win over Mumbai Indians in the qualifier game in Mumbai. The Steve Smith-led team defeated Rohit Sharma's MI by 20 runs to become the first team in IPL 2017 to qualify for the final.
Qualifier 2: Mumbai Indians v Kolkata Knight Riders at Bengaluru - May 19, 2017
Led by Karn Sharma and Jasprit Bumrah, who shared seven wickets, Mumbai bowled out KKR for a paltry 107. Mumbai lost Simmons, Parthiv and Rayudu cheaply in the Powerplay overs but Krunal (45 not out) and Rohit (26) ensured that was just a hiccup before they sealed the deal in 14.3 overs to enter the final. Mumbai Indians will now face Rising Pune Supergiant in the final.
