Mighty MI Emirates stand between Dubai Capitals and ILT20 title
MI have been boosted by the return of Nicholas Pooran but they will be wary of a Capitals line-up that enters the final on the back of four successive wins
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.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.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 RohidStats 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
Himanshu Agrawal is a sub-editor at ESPNcricinfo