The grand finale of IPL 2021 will see the defending champions Mumbai Indians taking on the first time finalists Delhi Capitals in Dubai. Shreyas Iyer led DC have been inconsistent losing 4 of their last but put on quite a show in the Qualifiers 2 against SRH. Rohit Sharma and MI will be eyeing their record 5th IPL title. They are the favorites going into this game as they have won 3 on 3 in the matches these 2 sides have met in this season.
DC put on a strong performance last game vs SRH in the 2nd Qualifier. Batting first, they posted 189 runs after a strong opening stand between Shikhar Dhawan and Marcus Stoinis. While the left-hander top-scored with 78 runs, Stoinis was responsible for giving the team a flying start which was missing from them in the earlier games. Finally, a returning Hetmeyer contributed with a well compiled 42 off just 22 to give the team a winning target to defend. The bowlers led by Rabada and Stoinis restricted SRH to 172, thus winning by a margin of 17 runs.
MI is easily the best team of the tournament and they have beaten each & every opponent in this IPL. They played DC 3 times this season and have won all of them. Such has been the dominance. In Qualifier 1 when these sides last met Mumbai Indians batted first and scored 200 thanks to ’50s from Surya and Ishan Kishan. A Bumrah brilliance followed when they bowled as he got his 2nd 4fer of this IPL and was rightly awarded the man of the match. In the end Mumbai prevailed by 57 runs in a rather one-sided finish.
Key Players
Batsman – Quinton De Kock, Rohit Sharma, Shikhar Dhawan, and Shreyas Iyer.
Rohit Sharma has had a ordinary IPL so far by his own standards and he got for a duck in the last game. So he will want to make amends by playing a captains knock in the night of the finals. The keeper batsman De Kock with 483 runs along with Ishan Kishan is the highest run-scorer for the defending champions this season. He may have a rare bad outing in the Qualifier 2, but he is the man to watch out for in the finals. Shreyas Iyer has been scoring at his free-flowing best as we used to see him and has string of low scores in the past few games. He will want to change that in the night of finals. Dhawan finally found some form after a couple of low scores and is the highest run-getter for the Capitals so far with 603 runs. He can win the orange cap if he manages to score 68 more runs in the finals.
All Rounder- Krunal Pandya, Kieron Pollard, Marcus Stoinis, and Axar Patel.
Krunal Pandya has had a mediocre IPL compared to the other MI players and will want to step up in the big night such as the finals. Kieron Pollard is one of the best strikers of the ball and in a big match such as this, he will mightily useful player for the Mumbai Indians. He has the best strike rate in this IPL and if he fires, MI could very well win their 5th IPL title. Axar Patel has been one of the consitent bowlers of DC this year bowling at different stages and is quite handy with the bat as well. Marcus Stoinis produced one of his best performances last game vs SRH scoring a quick fire 38 runs while opening and taking 3 important wickets. He will be the man to watch out for.
Bowlers – Anrich Nortje, Kagiso Rabada, Trent Boult, and Jasprit Bumrah.
Jasprit Bumrah has come back to the rhythm which is good not only for MI but also for India. He is in line to be a possible winner of the purple cap with 27 wickets this season. If it’s Bumrah for MI, Rabada has been doing the same job for DC and is the current purple cap holder in this IPL with 29 scalps. A good outing for both these bowlers for their respective sides will help their team’s cause. Both picked 4 wicket hauls in the previous games. The bowlers who play second fiddle to them for their respective sides are Trent Boult and Anrich Nortje. They have picked 22 and 20 wickets respectively.
Battles to look forward
- Kagiso Rabada and Anrich Nortje vs Quinton De Kock and Rohit Sharma
- Trent Boult and Jasprit Bumrah vs Shikhar Dhawan and Shreyas Iyer
The contest between the opening bowlers of DC Rabada and Nortje against the opening batsman of MI, De Kock, and Rohit Sharma will be crucial. Especially in a game such as the finals, whoever winning this opening battle will have a strong advantage over the other. Similarly, the battle between the Bumrah-Boult combo against Dhawan and Iyer will be key. So the opening bowlers’ performance for both sides will be essential in this game. The team which picks most wickets in the powerplays might have an upper hand.
Head to Head between MI and DC.
- Matches Played: 27
- DC Won: 12
- MI won: 15
Significant Approaching Milestones.
1- Krunal Pandya needs 1 more runs to score 1000 IPL runs.
69- Ajinkya Rahane requires further 69 runs to score 4000 career IPL runs.
200- Rohit Sharma will become just the 2nd player after MS Dhoni to play in 200 IPL games.
71- Quinton De Kock needs 71 more runs to score 2000 career runs in IPL .
2- Hardik Pandya needs 2 more catches to claim his 50th IPL catch.
Match conditions
Venue: Dubai International Cricket Stadium, Dubai.
Date & Timings: November 10, 2020, at 7.30 PM IST.
Weather: Clear with the temperature around 29 C.
Pitch: Likely to be a good surface to bat on with possible due later on.
