IPL 2017 final prediction: Rising Pune Supergiant (RPS) vs Mumbai Indians (MI)

The Rising Pune Supergiant will hope to maintain their dominance over the Mumbai Indians when these two sides meet in the IPL 2017 final on Sunday.

In three matches so far this season, RPS has come out on top all three times against MI, giving them the big psychological advantage going into this winner-takes-that-golden-trophy match.

With the Mumbai Indians looking to become the first team to win three titles in the IPL, this final promises to be a heck of a ride.

Here is a look at how RPS vs MI could go.

If RPS bat first:

Rahul Tripathi and Ajinkya Rahane get off to a flier, with Tripathi the aggressor, tonking fours through the offside and on at will.

The opening partnership takes RPS to 68 after seven overs, before the Mumbai Indians stage a bit of a fightback.

Karn Sharma and Krunal Pandya pick up three wickets in two overs, dismissing Tripathi, Rahane and Manoj Tiwary to push RPS into a bit of trouble.

However, this is when the two most experienced RPS players come to the fore. Steve Smith and MS Dhoni calm things down, put on a partnership and cut loose at the end to drive the Rising Pune Supergiant to 184.

The Mumbai Indians are unable to get off to a bright start as Parthiv Patel is dismissed in the second over of the innings by Washington Sundar.

However, a partnership between Lendl Simmons and Ambati Rayudu develops, and MI stay in the chase. That chase, though, starts to go awry when Rayudu and Rohit Sharma fall, and with Kieron Pollard also unable to get into double figures, the Mumbai Indians find themselves in a spot of bother.

The Pandya brothers and Simmons try their best, and there are a few worrying moments for RPS, who thought they had the game in the bag, but in the end, the bowlers hold out as MI are unable to make it three IPL titles.

If MI bat first:

Simmons and Parthiv get off to the perfect start – 56 runs without losing a wicket in the Powerplay. That start doesn't go on too much longer, though, as Parthiv is dismissed by Adam Zampa in the eighth over.

Then Rayudu falls as well, leaving Rohit and Simmons to take MI towards the death overs.

They do that pretty well, and then Pollard, Krunal and Hardik come in and smash a fair few and the Mumbai Indians are able to get to 182.

A solid start is not what RPS get in the chase as Tripathi falls for a duck, bowled by Lasith Malinga in the second over.

Rahane and Smith, though, steady the ship, add 84 runs together to keep RPS in a position to chase down the runs.

When Rahane falls, Dhoni is sent in at No.4 and that works like a charm.

Smith and Dhoni are calm as cucumbers, and try as the MI bowlers might, there is no shaking them. As a result, the chase comes under complete control, and with a little help from Tiwary and Dan Christian at the end, the Rising Pune Supergiant clinch their maiden IPL title.

Rohit Sharma on the IPL 2017 final