The unmatched legacy and hegemony created by the galacticos of Mumbai Indians will be thoroughly challenged by a young Mumbaikar Shreyas Iyer, who will lead a passionate-but-unpredictable Delhi Capitals in a cracker of an Indian Premier League final, in Dubai, on Tuesday.
After 52 days of the most closely-contested and widely-watched edition played in the UAE in the backdrop of the raging COVID-19 pandemic, the BCCI can pat itself for pulling off a near flawless tournament that gave people a chance to withdraw from prime time negativity that dominated the air space.
And now, it's the coronation time with IPL's most successful skipper Rohit Sharma itching to win his fifth title amid a stormy couple of weeks.
On the other hand, Delhi, a team that had flattered to deceive for a dozen editions, will finally realise its potential on the grand stage of T20 cricket.
There hasn't been too many editions where the two most deserving teams squared off in a summit clash unlike this edition where Mumbai reached the title clash after winning 10 out of their 15 games while Delhi, despite a slump, managed to triumph in nine out of their 16 games.
There haven't been too many teams that have shown the flair and balance of Mumbai Indians, an envy for any opposition.
Sample this scary piece of statistics and one can gauge the might of defending champions Mumbai Indians. In all, their players have hit 130 sixes compared to Capitals' 84.
Quinton de Kock's panache has a foil in Rohit Sharma's style although proving a point to all and sundry about his hamstring injury would also be on the Indian's mind.
Suryakumar Yadav's epic 'I am there' gesture after taking the team to victory in the league game against Royal Challengers Bangalore is now a part of the MI folklore and the elegant way of handling fast bowlers has only exponentially increased his fan-base.
Ishan Kishan, in his five and half feet frame, has managed to hit an astounding 29 sixes while Kieron Pollard is a bonafide legend with 190 plus strike-rate.
If Kagiso Rabada (29 wickets) and Anrich Nortje (20 wickets) get rid of this lot, Delhi will have to deal with the Pandya brothers -- the cool Krunal and the flamboyant Hardik -- both of whom are imposing and capable of striking muscular hits.
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 those vicious incoming deliveries from Trent Boult, which will tail in at the last moment.
In the three contests this season, Mumbai Indians have blown away Delhi in one-sided affairs but all will come to a naught if Iyer, a quintessential Mumbaikar, can ensure that his team are fourth time lucky.
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 Delhi could be Ravichandran 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.
The sub-plots and little battles within are going to be enticing.
These include a young captain Iyer trying to show his wares, Ricky Ponting stamping his credentials as an astute tactician, and Suryakumar looking to further his credentials as one of the best middle order batsmen in the county.
Teams:
Mumbai Indians: Rohit Sharma (captain), Aditya Tare, Anmolpreet Singh, Anukul Roy, Chris Lynn, Dhawal Kulkarni, Digvijay Deshmukh, Hardik Pandya, Ishan Kishan, James Pattison, Jasprit Bumrah, Jayant Yadav, Kieron Pollard, Krunal Pandya, Mitchell McClenaghan, Mohsin Khan, Nathan Coulter-Nile, Prince Balwant Rai, Quinton De Kock, Rahul Chahar, Saurabh Tiwary, Sherfane Rutherford, Suryakumar Yadav, Trent Boult.
Delhi Capitals: Shreyas Iyer (captain), Kagiso Rabada, Marcus Stoinis, Sandeep Lamichhane, Ishant Sharma, Ajinkya Rahane, Ravichandran Ashwin, Shikhar Dhawan, Shimron Hetmyer, Alex Carey, Mohit Sharma, Prithvi Shaw, Lalit Yadav, Avesh Khan, Axar Patel, Tushar Deshpande, Rishabh Pant, Harshal Patel, Keemo Paul, Amit Mishra, Anrich Nortje, Daniel Sams.
Match starts at 7.30pm IST.
