OLLIE THORPE AND NICK HOWSON: Shikhar Dhawan hitting the heights, Trent Boult at the death and an all-South Africa new-ball battle
Dangerous Dhawan
Shikhar Dhawan has been in sensational form throughout this year’s competition.
With 603 runs and an unbeaten century to his name, there is no doubt that he will play his part in trying to overcome Mumbai Indians. With 64 fours under his belt in the campaign so far, he has more fours than anyone else this year and has a real knack of punishing anything that is overpitched or dropped short.
Dhawan has displayed this year that he is a team player and can be the glue of Delhi’s batting line-up. The 34-year-old has been involved in five of their highest partnerships in the competition – two of which have been third-wicket stands with Shreyas Iyer, both worth 85.
However, with all the expectation comes the pressure and Dhawan has struggled against Mumbai Indians already this year having been dismissed for a duck in two of the matches – falling to both Jasprit Bumrah and Trent Boult. In the other, he scored an unbeaten 69.
Mumbai in another final
Mumbai Indians know how to take the IPL by storm and reach the showpiece final. Since the competition began back in 2008, Mumbai have been involved in five finals, winning four – making them the most successful side in IPL history.
They will be out to claim their fifth title and a third in four years. Although Mumbai’s wins in finals haven’t always been plain sailing in the past. Their last two triumphs have come after victories by one-run over both Chennai Super Kings and Rising Pune Super Giant.
Opener Ishan Kishan and wicketkeeper Quinton de Kock have both won the IPL previously and featured in last year’s victory over Chennai Super Kings. Between them they have smashed 966 runs (483 each) this year, including 50 sixes. Delhi better have done their homework or the could be carnage.
IPL 2020 Final: All you need to know
Trent Boult expected to feature
There had been doubts prior this final as to whether or not New Zealand paceman Trent Boult would be fit in time.
Boult sustained a groin injury in the first qualifier against Delhi Capitals, leaving the field after taking figures of 2-9 from the overs he did bowl.
However, it has been confirmed by Mumbai Indians captain, Rohit Sharma, that the 31-year-old should be fit to play.
“Trent looks pretty good. He’s going to have a session today with all of us, he has pulled up pretty well in the last two days. So, fingers crossed, hopefully he plays,” Sharma said in a pre-match press conference.
In 14 matches so far, Boult has claimed 22 scalps in 14 matches at 19.40 apiece and is currently third in the list of highest wicket-takers. He is more or less out of the race for the purple cap, with Kagiso Rabada and Jasprit Bumrah still in contention.
Bumrah v Stoinis
Having opened in the crunch second qualifier against Sunrisers Hyderabad with a fair amount of success, the Aussie can expect to accompany Dhawan to the crease come the Delhi Capitals innings in Dubai.
Stoinis has come to life with the bat in the last two matches - following a lean run of form - scoring 65 at No.5 in the first play-off match before hitting 38 against Sunrisers.
That it took this long for Capitals to trade out Prithvi Shaw and replace him with the Australia allrounder is worth considering. Granted, it has taken time for the 31-year-old to prove himself in this competition, but he is a high-calibre player at this level.
"I know you guys have been speaking about me, having an opportunity at the top of the order," he said. "So obviously, thanks to the skipper for getting me in. Batting with Shikhar is easy, he takes the pressure off you. He is timing the ball so well. He played well in the tournament. I'm just glad that I helped the team to a good start."
Ten half-centuries, a hundred and an average above 50 in the last two editions of the Big Bash League for Melbourne Renegades as an opener tells you everything you need to know about Stoinis' capabilities. Finally, they are being realised.
With the new ball in hand, challenges in the powerplay are rarely sterner than that posed by Jasprit Bumrah. He already has more scalps than any Indian in a single IPL season and has been lethal at both ends of the innings.
Shikhar Dhawan has had contrasting fortunes at the top of the order
Not only does Bumrah have an impeccable strike-rate (12.4, the best of any bowl more than 28 overs) but he keeps it tight also. The 6.71 runs per over he has conceded, considering when he bowls, is eye-watering.
Variations are of course a death bowlers' bread and butter, but Bumrah's unerring accuracy means he has an almost unchallenged skill in his artillery as well. Maybe only Mitchell Starc and Jofra Archer can rival his laser-eye technique.
Pant v Pandya
Rishabh Pant remains one of the most talked-about figures in Indian cricket. Thanks to MS Dhoni's international retirement, his omission from India's white-ball squads for Australia and IPL form has ensured that conversation will only have grown louder over recent months.
The wicketkeeper-batsman's development has certainly stagnated over the last year and though he remains part of the Test set-up, he is not the same individual who was tipped to take the world by storm upon his emergence in 2018.
This season's IPL has been a bit of a struggle, scoring at 28.70 in his 13 innings. Coming in at No.4 or No.5 comes with it a degree of pressure and it would be fair to observe that he hasn't dealt with it particularly well.
There has been scrutiny over his fitness and preparation for the competition, and whether he has regressed physically during the lockdown period. He did suffer a hamstring injury which forced him to miss a handful of games in October.
The lockdown period wasn't easy for anyone, but Pant has clearly allowed his focus to slip. Tom Moody believes his shape was akin to players of the 70s or 80s.
Hardik Pandya, meanwhile, is the perfect example of a player coping with the pressure to perform. Back fully fit after a nightmare spell out with a back injury, he has underlined his status as one of the premier finishers around during this competition.
Pandya has produced a masterclass in lower-order pinch-hitting. His 278 runs have come at a strike-rate of 182.89. Only Kieron Pollard has scored his runs a quicker lick. Five of Pandya's 12 innings have seen him there at the end. Indeed, the battle between the pair could be genuinely special if the respective innings play out as many hope.
Kagiso Rabada had a key role to play with a new ball
Two Indian stars doing things their own way with the bat. It is hard to see their teams prevailing without a major contribution from either.
De Kock v Rabada
Out of the shadows of the crisis currently engulfing South African cricket has been the fine performances of their players. Ahead of The Proteas returning to action their star names have been more than visible over the last seven weeks. AB de Villiers has scored big and fast and Anrich Nortje has bowled quicker than anyone.
We've also seen cameos from Lungi Ngidi, David Miller and Chris Morris. Even Dale Steyn has come through unscathed, albeit after taking some punishment, for the first time in recent memory.
Come the final, two South Africa stars will take centre stage and resume a rivalry which has been tightly-fought. Rabada has bowled 13 deliveries to De Kock across three games, conceding 15 runs and one boundary, with five dot balls. You would give the seamer the edge.
The problem is that while Rabada might have got the better of the head-to-head clashes, on all three occasions De Kock has got away to scores of substance. And those scores of 53, 40 and 26 against Capitals don't even rank as his tournament highlights.
So while Rabada might have the wood on his international white-ball captain, there is a feeling that more might be required to ensure he doesn't enjoy more success. Returning to De Kock's failures during the opening batch of games, including his five-ball duck against Kings XI Punjab which was ended by Sheldon Cotterell might be prudent.
Mumbai Indians fans can be buoyed by De Kock's feeling that he has shaken off the ring-rust from those early weeks, caused by the global lockdown. "To be honest, I was a little bit lost and (it was) hard to build an innings," he said. "I didn't know when to go hard, when not to, I was a bit confused for some reason. I think it was because of the break.
"Getting some time to bat a little bit longer in the middle and having a chat to one or two of the coaches helped me out and to figure out, and understand much better now."
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