The unmatched legacy and dominance achieved in the Indian Premier League by Mumbai Indians will be put to test by Shreyas Iyer and Co, who will lead a passionate-but-unpredictable Delhi Capitals into the final of the 2020 edition in Dubai on Tuesday.

After a playoffs race that went to the wire, we are finally down to two teams. IPL’s most successful skipper Rohit Sharma will be itching to win his fifth title as captain after a tough couple of weeks on the personal front while the Capitals, a team that had flattered to deceive for a dozen editions, will finally have a chance of realising its potential and erasing years of heartbreak.

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Mumbai Indians’s road to the final – watch video highlights of all their matches

Delhi Capitals’s road to the final – watch video highlights of all their matches

Despite their contrasting routes to get here, the two most consistent teams are in the final. Mumbai reached the summit winning 10 out of their 15 games while Capitals, despite a late slump, managed to triumph in nine out of their 16 games.

Few teams that have shown the flair and balance that makes the Mumbai Indians so scary. Sample this statistic: in all, their players have hit 130 sixes compared to Capitals’ 84.

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MI’s batting has been scary good in the tournament.

Quinton de Kock’s panache has been a ready foil to Rohit Sharma’s style. Rohit has struggled for form in the tournament’s second half and proving a point about his hamstring injury would also be on the Indian opener’s mind.

Suryakumar Yadav’s epic “I am there” gesture after a league game against RCB is now a part of the MI folklore.

Ishan Kishan may be short in stature but he has managed to hit an astounding 29 sixes (most in the tournament) while Kieron Pollard is a bonafide legend with 190 plus strike-rate.

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If Kagiso Rabada (29 wickets) and Anrich Nortje (20 wickets) get rid of this lot, DC will have to deal with the Pandya brothers – the cool Krunal and the flamboyant Hardik – both of whom are imposing and capable of striking it big.

For Delhi, Shikhar Dhawan (603 runs), who has enjoyed his best IPL, will have to do something out of the ordinary to tackle the yorkers from Jasprit Bumrah and Trent Boult’s late swing will be a challenge as well (assuming the Kiwi pacer is declared fit). In Qualifier 1, the top three of Delhi’s lineup were dismissed on zero.

In the three contests this season, Mumbai Indians have blown away Capitals in one-sided affairs but all will come to naught if Iyer can ensure that his team wins the final.

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The second qualifier showed that they have somewhat found their ideal combination with Marcus Stoinis’ all-round game (352 runs and 12 wickets) and ability to open the innings bringing in the required balance.

Shimron Hetmyer’s six-hitting prowess will also be required considering that Iyer and Rishabh Pant haven’t exactly fired for the better part of the tournament.

Another big factor for the Capitals could be off-spinner R Ashwin’s quality as a Powerplay operator.

A crafty Ashwin can always alter the length and check how much of an impact his bowling would have on Rohit’s hamstring if he tries to dance down the track.

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The sub-plots and little battles within are going to be enticing as well.

Head-to-head

Mat MI wins DC wins
MI vs DC 27 15 12

Big battles

Nortje, Ashwin vs MI top order

If Mumbai’s top-order gets them off to a good start, they become unstoppable given the depth of their batting order. But stopping the top-order has been anything but easy this year. Quinton de Kock and Suryakumar Yadav have been in sublime form while Ishan Kishan has found ways to make himself more than just useful this season. Nortje has been quick but he has been expensive. Ashwin has had his moments but he will have to be at his best too in the powerplay.

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Bumrah, Boult vs DC top order

For DC’s top-order, the challenge is a very different one. It is more about survival. Can they survive Boult and Bumrah? If they can, then Dhawan has shown some very good form to carry on and make a big score (all or nothing). He can surely take the game away from Mumbai. Marcus Stoinis, in the opener’s position, will also be looking to make the most of the opportunity. Surely they can’t afford be 0/3 again.

Rabada vs Pollard, Hardik

In the death overs, MI are unstoppable largely due to Pollard and Hardik. They have the two highest strike-rates in the season respectively and clear the boundary lines with ease. In Rabada, Delhi have a classy weapon to counter them but it will be anything but easy. He will have to bring all his variations to play and nail his yorkers if he wants to get rid of these two early.

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The X-factors

Ishan Kishan: Coming into the season, most expected him to be a filler. He wasn’t even in the first playing XI. But he has announced himself as a bonafide star. In the past, he was mostly a leg-side hitter but this season, he has added some off-side finesse to his game and it has made a huge difference. He has hit 29 sixes this season – the most by any player in the league. Tough to stop once he gets going.

Marcus Stoinis: Mostly a journeyman in the IPL till now, he has worked wonders for DC this season. And he has done it all – scored runs at a good strike-rate, taken wickets and fielded well too. He is the all-in kind of guy that Ricky Ponting loves having in his team. The final will be an opportunity for Stoinis to really make it his season.

Previous meetings in IPL 2020: MI lead DC 3-0

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Incidentally in IPL 2019, CSK came into the final with a 0-3 record against MI and lost. In IPL 2018, SRH came into the final with a 0-3 record against CSK and lost. Will Delhi be able to avoid a hat-trick of 4-0s?

Road to the final

MI's road to the final

Match Day/Date/Time Venue Result
MI vs CSK 19 Sep, Sat (1930) Abu Dhabi MI lost by 5 wickets
KKR vs MI 23 Sep, Wed (1930) Abu Dhabi MI won by 49 runs
RCB vs MI 28 Sep, Mon (1930) Dubai MI lost in Super Over 
KXIP vs MI 1 Oct, Thu (1930) Abu Dhabi MI won by 48 runs
MI vs SRH 4 Oct, Sun (1530) Sharjah MI won by 34 runs
MI vs RR 6 Oct, Tue (1930) Abu Dhabi MI won by 57 runs
MI vs DC 11 Oct, Sun (1930) Abu Dhabi MI won by 5 wickets
MI vs KKR 16 Oct, Fri (1930) Abu Dhabi MI won by 8 wickets
MI vs KXIP 18 Oct, Sun (1930) Dubai MI lost in Super Over
CSK vs MI 23 Oct, Fri (1930) Sharjah MI won by 10 wickets
RR vs MI 25 Oct, Sun (1930) Abu Dhabi MI lost by 8 wickets
MI vs RCB 28 Oct, Wed (1930) Abu Dhabi MI won by 5 wickets
DC vs MI 31 Oct, Sat (1530) Dubai MI won by 9 wickets
SRH vs MI 3 Nov, Tue (1930) Sharjah MI lost by 10 wickets
MI vs DC(Qualifier 1) 5 Nov, Wed (1930) Dubai MI won by 57 runs

DC's road to final

Match Day/Date/Time Venue Result
DC vs KXIP 20 Sep, Sun (1930) Dubai DC won Super Over 
CSK vs DC 25 Sep, Fri (1930) Dubai DC won by 44 runs
DC vs SRH 29 Sep, Tue (1930) Abu Dhabi DC lost by 15 runs
DC vs KKR 3 Oct, Sat (1930) Sharjah DC won by 18 runs
RCB vs DC 5 Oct, Mon (1930) Dubai DC won by 59 runs
RR vs DC 9 Oct, Fri (1930) Sharjah DC won by 46 runs
MI vs DC 11 Oct, Sun (1930) Abu Dhabi DC lost by 5 wickets
DC vs RR 14 Oct, Wed (1930) Dubai DC won by 13 runs
DC vs CSK 17 Oct, Sat (1930) Sharjah DC won by 5 wickets
KXIP vs DC 20 Oct, Tue (1930) Dubai DC lost by 5 wickets
KKR vs DC 24 Oct, Sat (1530) Abu Dhabi DC lost by 59 runs
SRH vs DC 27 Oct, Tue (1930) Dubai DC lost by 88 runs
DC vs MI 31 Oct, Sat (1530) Dubai DC lost by 9 wickets
DC vs RCB 2 Nov, Mon (1930) Abu Dhabi DC won by 6 wickets
MI vs DC(Qualifier 1) 5 Nov, Thu (1930) Dubai DC lost by 57 runs
SRH vs DC(Qualifier 2) 8 Nov, Sun (1930) Abu Dhabi DC won by 17 runs

Squads

MI squad

Batsmen Bowlers All-rounders Wicketkeepers
Rohit Sharma Dhawal Kulkarni Hardik Pandya Ishan Kishan
Sherfane Rutherford Jasprit Bumrah Jayant Yadav Quinton de Kock
Suryakumar Yadav James Pattinson Kieron Pollard Aditya Tare
Anmolpreet Singh Mitchell McClenaghan Krunal Pandya
Chris Lynn Rahul Chahar Anukul Roy
Saurabh Tiwary Trent Boult Digvijay Deshmukh
Nathan Coulter-Nile Prince Balwant Rai Singh
Mohsin Khan

DC squad

Batsmen Bowlers All-rounders Wicketkeepers
Shreyas Iyer Ishant Sharma (injured) Axar Patel Rishabh Pant
Prithvi Shaw Praveen Dubey Harshal Patel Alex Carey
Shikhar Dhawan Avesh Khan R Ashwin
Ajinkya Rahane Sandeep Lamichhane Lalit Yadav
Shimron Hetmyer Kagiso Rabada Marcus Stoinis
Keemo Paul Daniel Sams
Mohit Sharma
Tushar Deshpande
Anrich Nortje

Match starts at 1930 IST and will be broadcast on the Star Sports network and Disney+Hotstar

(With PTI inputs)