When vastly unfancied Trinidad & Tobago made the final of the Champions League in 2009, a chunk of the credit, it was agreed, belonged to their young number seven. The 22-year-old had lit up the tournament, bludgeoning his way into public consciousness with an innings of remarkable ferocity over New South Wales in the league stages.
Indeed in the final against the same opponent, he had nearly repeated his heroics, the Australian side only breathing easy upon his dismissal. Two years on, at the M. Chinnaswamy Stadium on Monday evening, T & T will find big Kieron Pollard taking the field again; only he will turn out for the other side.
Pollard may not quite have set the world on fire since, but there's no denying that his presence would have strengthened his native side. The 24-year-old has not been particularly consistent either in international cricket or the IPL, but has had a reasonably good Friends Life T20 season for Somerset.
T&T though, may argue that it has got on fairly well in his (and Dwayne Bravo's) absence. The side won the Caribbean T20 without him, and on the evidence of the two qualifying games, could go far in the Champions League too.
Ravi Rampaul has evolved into an intelligent new-ball bowler, fronting an attack reliant on its spinners. The 26-year-old was exceptional in the win over Leicestershire last week, returning four for 14 from his four overs.
Economical bowler
Opening the bowling alongside Rampaul has been leg-spinner Samuel Badree, who at 3.90 was the most economical bowler in the Caribbean T20 this season. None of him, off-spinner Sunil Narine, or medium-pacer Kevon Cooper has any significant first-class experience even, but they have done themselves no discredit in the game's shortest format.
In finding a fifth bowler, though, T & T has struggled – Sherwin Ganga and Lendl Simmons have been expensive in the two qualifiers.
The West Indian side needed Sherwin Ganga to dig it out of a hole against Ruhuna and will be slightly worried that beyond Lendl Simmons, Adrian Barath and Darren Bravo, the batting doesn't particularly inspire confidence.
Pollard's Mumbai Indians, meanwhile, arrives on the back of a result that will have done its morale no harm. The side may have been wrecked by injury but the coup Lasith Malinga helped pull off means a semifinal place is not all that difficult anymore.
Best performer
Malinga was also the side's best performer with the ball on Saturday – as he unquestionably was in the IPL – and will be required by his side to bear the bulk of the responsibility again. The Sri Lankan was commendably supported by young Yuzvendra Chahal, who is likely to keep in place.
In any case, Mumbai does not have too many to pick from. In this light, Andrew Symonds's form will be of concern. The Australian has not played any competitive cricket since the IPL (where, again, he did not have the best of tournaments) and did little of note at Chennai. His side will need him to operate at least near his best.
When RCB played here on Friday, the Chinnaswamy Stadium was a little over half-full but interest is unlikely to be high this time, particularly since Sachin Tendulkar will not be playing. To the two teams, though, it will matter little.
