Big picture
IPL team owners sensed an opportunity, and expanded their network last year. Mumbai Indians took a seat in each of SA20, ILT20, WPL and MLC. Not to be left too far behind, Delhi Capitals, too, boarded the flight to South Africa and the UAE, while also spreading their reach in India through WPL.
Come Saturday, MI Emirates and Dubai Capitals, both UAE affiliates of the respective franchises, will be meeting in the final of the second edition of the ILT20.
MI Emirates and Capitals have been reinforced with the return of Nicholas Pooran and Rovman Powell respectively. But amid modern players criss-crossing the globe like the snake in that game on the screens of Nokia phones, there is also the departure of Tim David, David Warner, Kusal Perera and Fazalhaq Farooqi that the teams have to deal with because of the clash with international cricket.
Just like in Qualifier 1, MI Emirates will be having both Nicholas Pooran, who is back from West Indies duty, and Kieron Pollard, who liked up with MI Emirates after his SA20 side MI Cape Town couldn't make the playoffs. MI Emirates have a varied spin-bowling attack in left-arm orthodox spinner Akeal Hosein, left-arm wristspinner Waqar Salamkheil and legspinner Vijayakanth Viyaskanth.
But they will be wary of a Capitals line-up that enters the final on the back of four successive wins. All but out of the final-four race at one stage, Capitals hit back by hunting down 172 against Desert Vipers and defending 147 against MI Emirates, no less. They then registered massive wins in the Eliminator and Qualifier 2 to make the final.
So who takes the ILT20 trophy home could be intriguing to watch. Capitals, who are yet to win a tournament across any of their investments, will be itching to get their hands on a silverware while MI's cupboard is already brimming with five IPL titles, and the inaugural WPL and MLC trophies.
Form guide
(Last five matches; most recent first)
MI Emirates: WLLWW
Dubai Capitals: WWWWL
In the spotlight
He might have had underwhelming returns with scores of 18, 18 and 1 for West Indies in the T20Is against Australia, but Nicholas Pooran remains a threat. His strike rate of 164 and average of 42 are the highest for any batter to have scored at least 250 runs in this season's ILT20.
And while Pooran brings rich form, his counterpart Sam Billings knows how to win the big matches. He is already a holder of the T20 Blast, the PSL and the Hundred titles, and would spare no effort in adding the ILT20 trophy to the list. As with Capitals this time, Billings was Kent and Oval Invincibles captain when they won the final. But his returns in those games add up to merely 21 at an average of seven. So chasing another trophy aside, Billings has a personal record to improve too.
Probable XIIs
MI Emirates: 1 Muhammad Waseem, 2 Will Smeed, 3 Andre Fletcher, 4 Dan Mousley, 5 Kieron Pollard, 6 Nicholas Pooran (capt, wk), 7 Dwayne Bravo, 8 Jordan Thompson, 9 Vijayakanth Viyaskanth, 10 Waqar Salamkheil, 11 Trent Boult, 12 Muhammad Rohid
Dubai Capitals: 1 Leus de Plooy, 2 Tom Banton, 3 Tom Abell, 4 Haider Ali, 5 Sam Billings (capt, wk), 6 Sikandar Raza, 7 Rovman Powell, 8 Rahul Chopra, 9 Jason Holder, 10 Olly Stone,11 Scott Kuggeleijn, 12 Zahir Khan
Stats and trivia
MI Emirates had lost all three of their group games in Dubai this season, before beating Gulf Giants there in Qualifier 1. Capitals' Sikandar Raza is the only player to have scored at least 300 runs and taken at least ten wickets this season.
The top three wicket-takers in the ILT20 so far are all from MI Emirates: Farooqi, Salamkheil and Trent Boult.
Capitals' captain Billings had also played in last year's ILT20 final, although he was representing Vipers at the time.
Quotes
"I think a lot of people underestimate franchise cricket. I have been a son of franchise cricket. Yes, cricket is a sport; but it's also a business. Even team owners want to win… [It's about] playing in different conditions against different bowlers. It definitely helped me - because at one point in my career, I was on the bench. And the bench is not nice - because when you're on the bench, you are staying in the hotel sometimes. You're watching your team play on the TV. I felt like I wanted to be a part of the XI. I wanted to feel that winning spirit."
MI Emirates captain Nicholas Pooran highlights the role of T20 leagues
