Harsh Goenka tweets to congratulate Mumbai Indians on an epic victory in the final over Rising Pune Supergiant

Harsh Goenka, the brother of Rising Pune Supergiant owner Sanjiv Goenka, took to Twitter to congratulate the Mumbai Indians on a thrilling victory in the final. Mumbai defeated the Supergiant by 1 run to scamper to the record third IPL title on Sunday.

Apart from being the chairman of the Board of RPG Enterprises, Harsh is also Director of Bajaj Electricals Ltd, and SICOM Ltd, all large corporations in India. He took over from his father R.P. Goenka in 1988 and has been the chairman of one of India’s largest business groups.

Harsh Goenka and the 2017 IPL

In the context of the IPL however, Harsh didn’t make a good name for himself, as he indirectly criticised MS Dhoni, arguably India’s most successful captain, for his performances in the IPL. He also went on record to express his preference for Steve Smith over Dhoni, which angered cricket lovers and MSD fans in particular.

After the final though, Goenka didn’t taunt any of his players. He simply tweeted saying, “Kudos to #MI for fighting back so well and defending a low total so bravely. Very tight bowling kept the #RPS on a tight leash.”

Kudos to #MI for fighting back so well and defending a low total so bravely. Very tight bowling kept the #RPS on a tight leash.

— Harsh Goenka (@hvgoenka) May 21, 2017

The game as it unfolded

Dhoni’s wicket might have been the turning point for the Supergiant on the night of the final. He fell for just 10 off 13 balls, with RPS still needing 32 off 22 balls to win their maiden IPL.

At the top, Ajinkya Rahane scored a healthy 44 to keep them on course towards the target of 130. Despite Rahul Tripathi’s early dismissal, Pune looked set with skipper Steve Smith and Rahane at the crease. The Mumbaikar’s dismissal brought Dhoni to the middle, who came ahead of Manoj Tiwary.

It all came down to the final over, with Pune needing 11 to win a nail-biting final. However, Mitchell Johnson held his nerve to keep RPS at bay, as Mumbai won the game by a mere 1 run. Dan Christian was unable to clear the boundary rope on the final ball when they needed 4.

With the team’s two-year agreement coming to and end, the Rising Pune Supergiant and the Gujarat Lions will make way for the Chennai Super Kings and the Rajasthan Royals. The two teams are set to return after a 2-year ban from the IPL in 2018.