The IPL 2017 final will be an all Maharashtra affair with the Mumbai Indians looking to pick up their first win of the season over the Rising Pune Supergiant.
With this final being played at a neutral venue in Hyderabad, it will be about which team adapts to the conditions better.
This season, the pitch in Hyderabad has been pretty good for batting, even if a little on the slower side, and that might suit the RPS bowlers a touch more than MI.
Here are a few things to look forward to in the IPL 2017 final.
Another MS Dhoni special please:
Everyone is so quick to write off a legend, that when he shuts them up with a brilliant innings, it makes it all the sweeter. MS Dhoni's innings in Qualifier 1 was brilliant – despite struggling to get bat on ball on more than one occasion, he still found a way to hit five sixes and give RPS the momentum they needed to go on and seal a place in the final with a win over MI.
Having already had a measure of the Mumbai Indians bowling, can we have an encore from MSD please?
Pandya brothers turn it on:
One of the great sights of the IPL is watching the two Pandya brothers – Hardik and Krunal – perform in the middle. The brothers were excellent in Qualifier 2 against KKR, with Hardik showing some insane skills on the field, while Krunal showed his worth with the bat, with a really nice knock to guide MI to victory.
The great thing about the two is that they can turn it on with bat or ball on any given day, while the two are also capable of the spectacular on the field.
They don't make them much bigger than the IPL final – time for Hardik and Krunal to shine.
Steve Smith is due:
The RPS captain has been good, without being spectacular in IPL 2017. But, you feel Steve Smith is due a big knock, a really big one, the kind that knocks the stuffing out of the opposition.
The Rising Pune Supergiant will hope that innings comes in the IPL 2017 final, while MI will want to see the back of the Australian as quickly as possible.
This might just be the stage when Smith gets going like only he can.
Lasith Malinga to roll back the years:
IPL 2017 hasn't been too kind to the leading wicket-taker in IPL history. Lasith Malinga has managed just 11 wickets in 11 matches – which isn't too shabby for a normal bowler – for the Mumbai Indians, while going at nearly nine runs an over.
There have been signs that he might be returning to his best, however, and nobody will be surprised if Malinga bowls a bewitching spell in the IPL 2017 final against RPS.
Four out of 4 or will the hoodoo be broken?
RPS have beaten MI in all three Maharashtra derbies so far this season. So, the force is certainly with them going into this IPL 2017 final.
It is up to the Mumbai Indians to solve the Rising Pune Supergiant puzzle, but will they be able to crack this RPS team, who now have a strong bowling attack to go with a solid batting lineup?
