The Indian Premier League (IPL) final takes centre stage on Tuesday afternoon with the Mumbai Indians in search of their fourth title against the Delhi Capitals, who are aiming for their maiden trophy.
The match takes place at the Dubai International Stadium, and gets underway at 16:00 (SAST).
Form guide
The two finals have had contrasting fortunes going into the final, with the Capitals winning two of their last five, including an all-too-important play-off against the Sunrisers Hyderabad in their last outing.
Crucially, two of their three defeats have come against their opponents in the final, who have won three in their last five.
Mumbai and the Capitals finished the round-robin stage in the first and second place respectively, with the former recording one more victory than the latter.
Mumbai Indians vs Delhi Capitals: Key players
The Mumbai Indians’ opening pair of captain Rohit Sharma and South Africa skipper Quinton de Kock is as formidable as any in the game, and will look to get the team off to a flying start in the IPL final.
The likes of Hardik Pandya and Kieron Pollard provide big hits in the middle order while, on the bowling front, the new ball pair of Trent Boult and the unorthodox Jasprit Bumrah can be unplayable on their day.
The Capitals, on the other hand, have relied on the South African pace duo of Anrich Nortje and Kagiso Rabada when it comes to impetus with the ball.
The duo have taken 49 wickets between them in the current season, with Rabada particularly deadly with a record haul of 29 scalps.
It has not only been with the ball where the Capitals have dominated, as opening batsman Shikhar Dhawan sits second in the run-scoring charts, while skipper Shreyas Iyer is another one who can cause substantial damage with the bat.
IPL final prediction
The Mumbai Indians have been in the IPL final many times before and have past experience to draw on going into this crucial fixture.
Another factor adding to Mumbai’s experience is the psychological impact carried by recent results between the two sides. Hence we predict a tight finish , with the four-time champs getting over the line.
