Internet Desk: Steve Smith-led Rising Pune Supergiant beat Mumbai Indians by three runs in the Maharashtra derby to end their six-match winning streak in a nail biting Indian Premier League encounter at the Wankhede Stadium on Monday.
At one stage Mumbai needed 24 runs in 12 deliveries; Ben Stokes became the savior of Pune as he conceded just 7 runs in the 19th over, leaving Rohit & co an uphill task of scoring 17 runs in the last over.
In the last over Jaydev Unadkat took the wicket of Hardik Pandya with his first delivery, but skipper Rohit Sharma hit the next ball for a six which brought the equation down to 11 from four deliveries.
Unadkat, though, had the last laugh as he had Rohit caught and bowled for a brilliant 39-ball 58.
Harbhajan Singh struck the last ball for a six, but that was not enough for the home team.
Unadkat and Stokes returned two wickets each.
Earlier, sent into bat, Rising Pune Supergiant scored 160 for six.
Openers Rahul Tripathi (45) and Ajinkya Rahane (38) added 76 runs for the first wicket, the franchise’s best of the season so far, at the Wankhede Stadium.
Skipper Steve Smith and season’s highest signing Ben Stokes fell for an identical score of 17, before Manoj Tiwary blazed away to 22 off 13 balls to help the visiting side reach a modest total.
Meanwhile, veteran off-spinner Harbhajan Singh got to his 200th T20 wicket when he dismissed Smith in the 13th over.
Leg-spinner Karn Sharma was the most successful bowler for Mumbai Indians, picking up 2/39.