Rising Pune Supergiant are through to the final of the 2017 Indian Premier League. It was a scenario not many would have predicted after they lost three of their first four games of the season. Even after they went on an incredible run following those early defeats, winning eight out of the next 10 matches to finish second in the table going into the playoffs, there wouldn’t have been too many who would have imagined they would reach the final. After all, their million-dollar purchase and most consistent performer, Ben Stokes, was not with them for the final week.
But RPS are through to the summit clash after an inspiring 20-run win over two-time champions Mumbai Indians in the first qualifier. They are now a win away from winning the IPL in just their second season. It’s a different matter that they won’t – in all probability – get a chance to defend their title next season should they win it.
The talk in the build-up to the qualifier against Mumbai was all about Stokes, or rather his absence from the squad. Former England batsman Kevin Pietersen lashed out at the country’s cricket board for not allowing the all-rounder to play the final week. The discussions in the traditional and social media were also mostly about whether Pune would be able to win without Stokes and who would they replace him with in the playing 11.
And why not? Stokes had, after all, played a major hand in at least four of Pune’s nine wins in the league stage, scoring 316 runs and taking 12 wickets in 12 games. He had been their best fielder too, setting the standard for the rest. “He has been magnificent and will be a big loss,” RPS captain Steve Smith had said after Pune’s final league match. “Hopefully, the other guys will stand up for us [in the playoffs].”
Team effort
It’s next to impossible to replace someone like Stokes but despite his impact, RPS’ road to the final has not been a one-man show. In each of their 10 wins so far, there have been seven different man-of-the-match awardees, with Stokes getting three. And apart from the award winners, there have been at least two other players who have put in a vital performance on the day. Below is a list of the main performers in each of Pune’s 10 wins this season, with the man of the match highlighted in bold:
Vs Mumbai Indians: Imran Tahir 3/28, Ajinkya Rahane 60, Steve Smith 84*
Vs Royal Challengers Bangalore: Manoj Tiwary 27(11), Ben Stokes 3/18, Shardul Thakur 3/35
Vs Sunrisers Hyderabad: Rahul Tripathi 59, MS Dhoni 61*
Vs Mumbai Indians: Tripathi 45, Rahane 38, Stokes 2/21
Vs Royal Challengers Bangalore: Smith 45, Tiwary 44*, Tahir 3/18, Lockie Ferguson 2/7
Vs Gujarat Lions: Jaydev Unadkat 3/29, Tahir 3/27, Stokes 103*
Vs Kolkata Knight Riders: Unadkat 2/28, Washington Sundar 2/18, Tripathi 93
Vs Sunrisers Hyderabad: Stokes 39 and 3/30, Smith 34, Unadkat 5/30 (including hat-trick)
Vs Kings XI Punjab: Thakur 3/19, Unadkat 2/12, Adam Zampa 2/22
Vs Mumbai Indians (Qualifier 1): Sundar 3/16, Shardul 3/37, Rahane 56, Tiwary 58, Dhoni 40*
RPS have earlier been criticised, including by Scroll.in, for their flawed auction strategy, after they spent Rs 14.5 crore out of their Rs 17.5 crore auction budget on one player, Stokes. The verdict, after the player auction for this season, was that RPS are short on bowling options, especially the Indians. Ravichandran Ashwin’s withdrawal from the season days before it began further compounded the problem.
However, the other players have stepped up. The 17-year-old off-spinner Washington Sundar has been a revelation this season, as have the likes of Shardul Thakur, 25, and Rahul Tripathi, 26. Jaydev Unadkat, 25, who has been around the circuit for a while, has finally broken through this season and, without anyone realising, is currently the second-highest wicket-taker in the tournament with 22 in 11 matches.
Manoj Tiwary, who has also been around for a while, has not won any man-of-the-match awards, but has played crucial knocks in two of Pune’s wins, including the qualifier against Mumbai. The most surprising Pune player to not win a man-of-the-match award this season is South Africa’s Imran Tahir, who was picked as an after-thought but responded by taking 18 wickets in 12 matches, the fourth-highest this season so far.
“Each and every player has peaked at the right time and performed whenever they got an opportunity,” Tiwary said, after the win over Mumbai on Tuesday. “It’s a collective effort because, at the end of the day, the players have to perform on the field to get results. No matter how much planning and discussion you do, it’s up to each and every individual. If you go back and see, I think each and everyone has contributed – whether it is batting, bowling or fielding.”
The man credited with Pune’s surge to the playoffs, Stokes, himself had said, before he left to join his national team, that everyone in the squad has delivered through the season. “I think that’s probably what’s been the resurgence in our group since the first four or five games,” he had said. “Everyone’s stood up in particular moments and everyone’s put their hand up throughout every game. Everyone’s delivered at a crucial time. When you get guys doing that at a consistent basis, you’re going to win more games than you lose.”
Intelligent cricket
While individual players have stepped up, RPS have also been intelligent as a team in assessing the game and conditions. One of the major reasons for their last two wins has been that they judged the pitch and conditions well and played according to them, unlike their opponents. Kings XI Punjab and Mumbai Indians were both guilty of trying to hit their way out of slow pitches, which would turn out to be their folly. RPS, on the other hand, were patient and composed, even in the midst of a mini early collapse in the qualifier.
Credit has to be given to the RPS management for believing in the resources available to them and bringing the best out of them, and also having a plan for each game and venue. Tiwary spoke of how captain Smith and head coach Stephen Fleming have been men of few words throughout the season, with their messages being “short and sharp”.
“The coach and the captain don’t speak too much,” Tiwary said. “They make sure they talk pretty less and there are only specific things discussed in the [team] meetings. There aren’t too many meetings that take too much time. It’s a clear message – short and sharp.
“They made it very simple – to always have that belief. If you don’t have the belief, you’re already behind [in the match] by 20%. Fleming has done a great job in maintaining a very good atmosphere in the dressing room. Each and every player was in a very happy state of mind. When you’re happy, you do well.”
It’s often the simpler things that win you matches. No matter how overused and cliched the phrases are, but Pune have reached the final by sticking to the basics, playing to their strengths and being smart in their cricket. If their opponent in the final does not do the same, this Stokes-less RPS will be very difficult to beat.