In the final battle in the IPL, after 52 days of non-stop action in 59 matches, defending champion Mumbai Indians will take on the Delhi Capitals. The match will be played in Dubai at 7.30 pm Indian time. Despite the fact that Mumbai Indians defeated Delhi Capitals in their previous three matches, Delhi coach Ricky Ponting has warned Mumbai that his team’s best yet to come. Mumbai Indians will be looking for a record-extending fifth title as they face Delhi Capitals in the summit clash. Delhi, who finished second after the league stages, defeated SunRisers Hyderabad in the second qualifier on Sunday to reach their maiden IPL final.
Delhi had a solid start in the first half of the season and looked certain to march into the playoffs. But following a dip in the form, which saw them lose four games in a row, now Capitals will be aiming to forget the losing run and play their best game in the decider and end the tournament on a high. Delhi are now confident of beating Hyderabad in the second qualifier. The arrival of Delhi has put out a great performance throughout the tournament. The start of Prithviraj Shah and Shikhar Dhawan has given Delhi the strength to move forward so far. However, Marcus Stones, who was promoted to the opening in the last match, also came out on top. Ajinkya Rahane, Shreyas Iyer and Rishabh Pant are capable of challenging any bowling line-up.
On the other hand, Rohit Sharma-led Mumbai, who are an experienced side, were first to make it to the playoffs and three convincing wins against Capitals in their last three games will give them an edge. The batting line-up and bowling line-up are in excellent form. Suryakumar Yadav and Ishant Kishan have already proved their mettle in the batting line-up started by Rohit Sharma and Quinton Decock. Pollard and Hardik Pandya have to bat in the final overs.
