Even on paper, there is not much to choose, especially with Pune beating MI thrice this season including a comprehensive victory in Qualifier 1. But a impressive show by Mumbai in the final cannot be ruled out.
Hamstrung, running out of partners and his team's title defence at stake -- the stage was set for Angelo Mathews to emerge from the Saturday night drizzle and enter Twenty20 folklore but the Sri Lankan captain fell agonisingly short. At 15-4, after England had set them a 172-run victory target in the World Twenty20 match, Sri Lanka's title defence looked all but over inside three overs. Their skipper then engineered a stunning recovery in the tournament's most portentous contest that was key to the semi-final hopes of three teams, including South Africa. But the lion-hearted effort took its toll on his hamstring and Mathews was clearly struggling when he took guard for the final over from Ben Stokes -- 15 runs separating him from Twenty20 greatness and his team from a place in the last four. As a mild drizzle fell on the Feroz Shah Kotla Stadium, Stokes charged in with a ball in hand and ice in veins to thwart Mathews' audacious bid to pull off a heist.
As another eventful year draws to a close, Rediff.com gives you a pictorial look back at the best and worst moments that shaped the sports stories this year.
Rediff.com recaptures these and other exciting sporting moments from the week gone by....
News of all that's transpired on and off the football field
Ramandeep Singh scored two fine goals as the showpiece subcontinental hockey encounter between arch-rivals India and Pakistan ended in a thrilling 2-2 draw in the World League semi-finals at the KHC Dragons Stadium in Antwerp.
'It's happened before. Not just Virat but there's many players that have come up to IPL time and ... look, we know it's a cash rich tournament, there's some money up for grabs.'
Rafael Benitez was the best tactical manager Steven Gerrard ever played under but the former Liverpool captain said he felt the Spaniard did not like him as a person, according to an extract from his autobiography being serialized in the Daily Mail.
Value addition is one of the chief requirements for coconut to become a commercially lucrative crop. Surinder Sud reports.
'The India-Canada relationship has suffered benign neglect. Its full potential has not yet been realised,' says Rup Narayan Das.
Be ready to be amazed as Rediff.com encapsulates all the sporting action from the past week in this super photo feature.
Instructions from the Union rural development ministry to the state officials on the WhatsApp group show that the chat was also used as an off-record avenue for the Union government to pass instructions, which it could not have done through formal channels, keeping the law in mind.
'If somebody remixes my song Banno 20 years later, why would I feel bad about it?'
The participation of English players in the Indian Premier League has only increased the 'warmth' among the rival players but on the field, India captain Virat Kohli expects a high intensity battle between the two teams during the long tour, starting with the first T20 International in Manchester, on Tuesday.
15 images from events that shaped last week's headlines.
The death toll in the worst-ever mountaineering accident on Mount Everest on Saturday rose to 13 as rescuers dug out a body buried under piles of snow, a day after a massive avalanche struck the world's highest peak killing 12 Nepalese Sherpa guides.
'An opportunity is at hand to think big and recast the India-China relationship on a new template, which would help the pursuit of our country's dream of major power status,' says Ambassador M K Bhadrakumar.
There is only word to describe Ashok Munne's journey -- 'incredible', says A Ganesh Nadar.
Openers Lendl Simmons and Mike Hussey struck commanding fifties to hand Mumbai Indians a resounding 9-wicket win over Sri Lankan outfit Southern Express and keep their team in the hunt for the main draw of the Oppo Champions League Twenty20 in Raipur.
This week's collection of unbelievably unusual images from across the world
A delayed monsoon and abundant cotton in the international market could spell trouble in the state's suicide zone.
The day belonged to Smith, who has now scored six Test hundreds against India in the last seven appearances and in the process also completed 5000 runs in Test cricket.
The two oldest NDA allies insisted they did not want the alliance to come apart.
Having missed out on lucrative offers in the inaugural edition after his I-League club, Bengaluru FC, refused to release their players for the tournament, Indian football ace Sunil Chhetri is raring to go in the second second season which kicks-off on October 3.
'When Dhoni walked in, India needed 105 to win with 32 overs to play. The situation called for calm, nerveless, ice-cold execution without necessitating any adrenalin-fueled impestuosities -- the sort of situation that is the Indian captain's spiritual home.'
Manoj Tiwary is back in national contention with some impressive knocks in domestic cricket. His recent sequence of scores in the last five List A innings read as 57, 130, 56, 151 and 75 meant a call-up in the 30-man World Cup probables list was inevitable.
On a field trip to Bharatpur at the peak of the summer, author realises that every season has its own charm
Angel Di Maria has claimed his former club Real Madrid put pressure on Argentina not to play him in the World Cup final in another bitter chapter in his departure from the Spanish giants.
News of all that's transpired on and off the football field
It's not always canoodling lovers that take our breath away on screen!
'The Congress-JD-S alliance will be intact for the next three years, for sure.'
Here's a fresh collection of the truly weird, true and funny news from around the world.
President Ram Nath Kovind presents the President's Colours to the Ladakh Scouts Regimental Centre today, August 21. These are normally presented to units that distinguish themselves consistently over decades. The Ladakh Scouts became a regular army regiment only in June 2001 after its stunning performance in the Kargil conflict, notes Ajai Shukla.
India captain Mahendra Singh Dhoni heaped praise on his bowlers.
Putting down catches of England captain Alastair Cook and debutant opener Haseeb Hameed in the first hour of play spoiled India's chances of getting an early crack at the visiting team's middle-order, conceded India's batting coach Sanjay Bangar after the first day's play of the Rajkot Test on Wednesday.
After entering the Peace House for the inter-Korean summit, Kim wrote in the guest book 'a new history begins now'.
A summary of Tuesday's Group stage matches in the UEFA Champions League.
Last-minute starter Adrian Ramos scored a first-half header to give Borussia Dortmund a 1-0 victory over Sporting on Wednesday and earn a spot in the knockout stage of the Champions League with two Group F matches to spare.
Olympic bronze medallist Gagan Narang on what made him start the Gagan Narang Sports Promotion Foundation way back in 2011 when he himself in the midst of his own shooting career.
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