rohit sharma
Rohit Sharma will lead Mumbai Indians in the IPL 2017 Getty

Rising Pune Supergiants will take on Mumbai Indians in the second match of the Indian Premier League (IPL) 2017 scheduled between the two franchises at the Maharashtra Cricket Association Stadium, Pune on 6 April, Thursday.

Where to watch live

Match starts at 3.30pm GMT. Live coverage is on Sky Sports 2 and Sky Sports 2 HD in the UK. Click here for the live streaming link.

Overview

Rising Pune Supergiants endured a difficult run in their debut campaign in 2016, finishing seventh on the table. After starting the last season on a brighter note with a victory over the then defending champions Mumbai Indians, they went on to suffer four defeats in a row.

The Pune franchise led by MS Dhoni managed only five wins out of the 14 group stage fixtures. The Supergiants have announced that Australia captain Steven Smith will lead the side, taking the role from India's World Cup winning captain.

RPS secured the services of Ben Stokes, who became the highest paid foreign player in the history of the tournament. The England all-rounder's presence in the middle order, along with the likes of Smith, Faf du Plessis, Ajinkya Rahane and Dhoni, makes them a strong unit with the bat.

India vs Australia
Steven Smith has taken over Rising Pune Supergiants' captaincy from MS Dhoni Getty

Mumbai Indians failed to qualify for the business end of the tournament after they finished fifth on the table. Having managed seven wins in the group stages, they fell short of two points behind fourth place Kolkata Knight Riders.

Rohit Sharma has made himself available for their first match of this season and their captain's return from injury will be a massive boost for the two-time winners. Having the likes of Kieron Pollard and the Pandya brothers in the middle order will help the Mumbai-based franchise in both, batting and bowling departments.

Rising Pune Supergiants managed to seal a victory against their state rivals in the previous season. They will be looking for another victory over Mumbai Indians and the clash between the two sides has been termed the Maharashtra derby as both Pune and Mumbai belong to Indian state of Maharashtra.

Prediction

Rising Pune Supergiants to win

Betting Odds (betfair)

  • Rising Pune Supergiants to win: 5/6
  • Mumbai Indians to win: 10/11

Team News

Rising Pune Supergiants

Possible XI: Ajinkya Rahane, Mayank Agarwal, Faf du Plessis, Steven Smith (c), Ben Stokes, MS Dhoni (wk), Rajat Bhatia, Jaydev Unadkat, Ankit Sharma, Ashok Dinda, Adam Zampa.

Mumbai Indians

Possible XI: Rohit Sharma (c), Parthiv Patel (wk), Ambati Rayudu, Jos Buttler, Kieron Pollard, Hardik Pandya, Krunal Pandya, Harbhajan Singh, Mitchell McClenaghan, Jasprit Bumrah, Tim Southee.

Mumbai Indians