Dubai: 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 yet unpredictable Delhi Capitals in a cracker of an Indian Premier League (IPL) final here on Tuesday.
After 52 days of the closely-contested and widely-watched edition, played on an alien land in the backdrop of raging COVID-19 pandemic, the BCCI can pat itself on the back for pulling off a near-flawless tournament that gave people a chance to withdraw from prime time negativity that dominated the air space.
On paper, Mumbai Indians look way more power-packed than young Delhi Capitals. The team looks in an advantageous position considering the big names who have the ability to soak in the pressure.
However, Delhi seems to firing on all cylinders except for the minor glitch in the later phase of the league. At one point every player of the DC squad was delivering. In the first seven matches, they had seven different Man of the Match.
But can they pull off an upset in their march to maiden IPL title? Here is a look at five players who can make a difference for Delhi Capitals:
1. Kagiso Rabada
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The race for the Purple Cap is on!
— IndianPremierLeague (@IPL) November 8, 2020 " class="align-text-top noRightClick twitterSection" data="
29 wickets to @KagisoRabada25
27 wickets to @Jaspritbumrah93
Who do you reckon will be donning the same after the final of #Dream11IPL 2020 ? pic.twitter.com/cD3pTC9ipJ
">The race for the Purple Cap is on!
— IndianPremierLeague (@IPL) November 8, 2020
29 wickets to @KagisoRabada25
27 wickets to @Jaspritbumrah93
Who do you reckon will be donning the same after the final of #Dream11IPL 2020 ? pic.twitter.com/cD3pTC9ipJThe race for the Purple Cap is on!
— IndianPremierLeague (@IPL) November 8, 2020
29 wickets to @KagisoRabada25
27 wickets to @Jaspritbumrah93
Who do you reckon will be donning the same after the final of #Dream11IPL 2020 ? pic.twitter.com/cD3pTC9ipJ
The South African star has lived up to the expectation in this IPL season. Kagiso is holding the purple cap with 29 wickets under his belt. The right-handed pacer has a clear shot at taking the highest number of wickets this season.
Rabada is one of the vital reasons behind Delhi's success in the first half of the season. He is not just taking wickets in every match but removing the best batsman from the opponent's team. If DC is to win the final then Rabada's perfomance will be crucial.
2. Shikhar Dhawan
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Calm before the storm 🧘♂️ @DelhiCapitals pic.twitter.com/cuwzAqKORh
— Shikhar Dhawan (@SDhawan25) November 4, 2020 " class="align-text-top noRightClick twitterSection" data="
">Calm before the storm 🧘♂️ @DelhiCapitals pic.twitter.com/cuwzAqKORh
— Shikhar Dhawan (@SDhawan25) November 4, 2020Calm before the storm 🧘♂️ @DelhiCapitals pic.twitter.com/cuwzAqKORh
— Shikhar Dhawan (@SDhawan25) November 4, 2020
The Indian left-handed opener Shikhar Dhawan was on the verge of losing his place in the national team before this IPL season but has turned the tables upside down with an extraordinary IPL season.
Dhawan has scored 603 runs and is second in the list of highest run-getters. His runs also encompasses two back-to-back centuries. Despite being under the scanner for low strike rate, the Delhi opener has put an end to the debate scoring at a staggering 145.65.
Dhawan is known to leave his mark in big matches and he can do the same to Mumbai Indians if he sees through Trent Boult and Jasprit Bumrah in the early phase.
Also Read: IPL 2020: Mumbai's road to even final
3. Marcus Stoinis
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🔥 with the bat
— Delhi Capitals (Tweeting from 🇦🇪) (@DelhiCapitals) November 9, 2020 " class="align-text-top noRightClick twitterSection" data="
🔥 with the ball@MStoinis stole the show last night 💙🌟#DCvSRH #Dream11IPL #YehHaiNayiDilli pic.twitter.com/VoDiEQDuZg
">🔥 with the bat
— Delhi Capitals (Tweeting from 🇦🇪) (@DelhiCapitals) November 9, 2020
🔥 with the ball@MStoinis stole the show last night 💙🌟#DCvSRH #Dream11IPL #YehHaiNayiDilli pic.twitter.com/VoDiEQDuZg🔥 with the bat
— Delhi Capitals (Tweeting from 🇦🇪) (@DelhiCapitals) November 9, 2020
🔥 with the ball@MStoinis stole the show last night 💙🌟#DCvSRH #Dream11IPL #YehHaiNayiDilli pic.twitter.com/VoDiEQDuZg
The Australian all-rounder Marcus Stoinis has smashed 352 runs and picked 12 wickets in this season. His performance in every facet of the game makes him dangerous and the current season has been his best ever thus far.
In the first half of the season, Stoinis shone with both ball and bat but in the latter half his form dipped and so did the performance of Delhi.
The Delhi Capitals team management have now given him a new job of opening the batting. The right-handed batsman will bank on his experience of opening role in the Big Bash League. It is to be noted that he has scored a century while opening for his team in the Big Bash League.
DC team management will want Stoinis to continue his good form from the second qualifier.
4. Shreyas Iyer
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Big game ready 🙌 @DelhiCapitals pic.twitter.com/Nk78HnBE5Z
— Shreyas Iyer (@ShreyasIyer15) November 4, 2020 " class="align-text-top noRightClick twitterSection" data="
">Big game ready 🙌 @DelhiCapitals pic.twitter.com/Nk78HnBE5Z
— Shreyas Iyer (@ShreyasIyer15) November 4, 2020Big game ready 🙌 @DelhiCapitals pic.twitter.com/Nk78HnBE5Z
— Shreyas Iyer (@ShreyasIyer15) November 4, 2020
After opener Shikhar Dhawan, Delhi Capitals captain Shreyas Iyer is their highest run-scorer this season. The right-handed batter has scored 454 runs in 16 matches.
Tackling the likes of Bumrah and Boult will not be easy as the batsman has struggled against pacers. Under the circumstances, he will aim to take charge against the weak spin attack of Mumbai Indians.
5. Anrich Nortje
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Love this team 💙 pic.twitter.com/p4moYl5w2S
— Anrich Nortje (@AnrichNortje02) November 3, 2020 " class="align-text-top noRightClick twitterSection" data="
">Love this team 💙 pic.twitter.com/p4moYl5w2S
— Anrich Nortje (@AnrichNortje02) November 3, 2020Love this team 💙 pic.twitter.com/p4moYl5w2S
— Anrich Nortje (@AnrichNortje02) November 3, 2020
Another South African speedster in the list, Anrich Nortje, has been the find of the season for DC. Other than bowling the fastest ball in the history of IPL, Nortje has picked 20 wickets in 15 matches so far. Nortje has defied expectations in his maiden IPL season and has helped Rabada build pressure on the opponents' batting line-up.
Also Read: IPL 2020 Final: Mumbai Indians aim to defend title vs Delhi Capitals