Mumbai Indians v Chennai Super Kings: eight players to watch in IPL 2019 final

We pick out four players from each team and explain why their form will matter in Sunday's Indian Premier League final

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  Quinton de Kock (Mumbai Indians, opener): The South African wicketkeeper/opener has scored 500 runs this season, and is the only player from both sides to find his name in the top 10 run-scorers. He has four fifties and is one of the best batsmen in limited-overs cricket. Expect him to end the season on a high with another strong performance at the top of the order. Rajanish Kakade / AP Photo

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  Suryakumar Yadav (Mumbai Indians, top-order batsman): Believed to be peaking at the right time, Suryakumar scored a crucial fifty against Super Kings on a difficult Chennai pitch in Qualifier 1. He will therefore have the right mindset to take on their spinners in the final which will be played on a relatively more placid Hyderabad wicket. Rafiq Maqbool / AP Photo

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  Hardik Pandya (Mumbai Indians, all-rounder): Possibly the best all-rounder in IPL 2019 – even if you consider wicketkeepers in this category. Pandya has scored 386 runs, taken 14 wickets and held on to 11 catches. He loves a challenge especially if it is on the big stage where the stakes couldn’t get higher. He feels very good about himself right now, and that mindset has underpinned his success. Bikas Das / AP Photo

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  Jasprit Bumrah (Mumbai Indians, fast bowler): One of the best fast bowlers in the world, Bumrah is quick, can hit the deck hard and extract bounce from relatively lifeless pitches. He has 17 wickets to his name – a solid if not spectacular record for the season – but, like Pandya, he has a sense of pre-eminence about him so a match-winning spell cannot be ruled out. Rajanish Kakade / AP Photo

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  Shane Watson (Chennai Super Kings, opener): Like most of his Chennai teammates, Watson has had an underwhelming season with the bat. It has been disappointing especially given his chart-topping performance in this year’s Pakistan Super League. Nonetheless, he has scored two fifties the second of which came in Qualifier 2 against Delhi Capitals - setting him up for a reprisal of last year’s final-winning century. Surjeet Yadav / AP Photo

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  MS Dhoni (Chennai Super Kings, wicketkeeper): If Dhoni were a team, he could realistically win every final he features in. Unfortunately, this is a team sport and there is only so much he can do to drag his side over the line. There is every chance he will do that on Sunday given the significant contributions he has made at the death this season. Efficient behind the stumps, he is also a brilliant tactician – skills that will come in handy. R Parthibhan / AP Photo

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  Imran Tahir (Chennai Super Kings, leg-spinner): The second-most successful bowler in IPL 2019, Tahir is just two wickets away from overtaking fellow South African Kagiso Rabada to top the chart. The leg-spinner has been in excellent form all season, aided by favourable conditions but also inspired by the prospect of winding up his international career. Expect a last hurrah from him, followed by his trademark wild celebrations. Surjeet Yadav / AP Photo

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  Deepak Chahar (Chennai Super Kings, fast bowler): While the spinners, including Harbhajan Singh and Ravindra Jadeja, have played key roles in Chennai’s campaign, one cannot ignore seamer Chahar’s exploits this season: 19 wickets at an average of 24.00. He has been excellent in the powerplay overs, restricting the opposition's run-flow and, in the process, helping the spinners at the other end. He has been one of the finds of IPL 2019, and a final hurrah would be apt. Robert Cianflone / Getty Images

Cricket is a team sport, and the Indian Premier League is no different. But sometimes individuals have the potential to turn a match on its head, the most notable example being Shane Watson’s century for Chennai Super Kings in their IPL final triumph against Sunrisers Hyderabad last year.

There is enough star power in the line-ups of both Chennai and arch-rivals Mumbai Indians, the teams facing off in this year’s summit clash so there is every reason to believe a repeat of 2018 is possible.

The defending champions have not had the most productive season with the bat, but their bowlers – in particular their spinners – have succeeded a great deal. It is the same with Mumbai, whose only batsman to find his name in the top run-getters this season – before the final – is Quinton de Kock. Again, it is their bowling that has got them over the line on key occasions in 2019. And who can forget how brilliant Hardik Panya has been with bat, ball and on the field.

However, one cannot rule out the possibility of Rohit Sharma – who has had a relatively quiet season – to do some serious damage when the stakes are high. Or for that matter, a match-turning burst from Lasith Malinga or Harbhajan Singh.

This unpredictability is one of the things that makes the IPL so exciting.

To find out who the eight potential match-winners on Sunday will be – and why – browse through the photo gallery above. To move on to the next position, click the arrows on the photo, or if using a mobile device simply swipe left/right.