Cricket: Trent Boult fit and ready for Indian Premier League final

Black Caps paceman Trent Boult is fit to play in the Indian Premier League final. Photo / Sportzpics for BCCI

Trent Boult desperately wants to see his wife and kids.

But first, he has an Indian Premier League final to win.

The Black Caps pace bowler's Mumbai Indians face the Delhi Capitals early tomorrow morning, as they look to make it back-to-back titles and their fifth overall.

But it's been a very different IPL this year for all sorts of reasons.

The glitz and glamour, usually associated with early March, was postponed until September.

It was also moved from India to the United Arab Emirates due to the rising number of cases in the usual host country. There have now been over eight and a half million cases and more than 127,000 deaths.

For Boult, that has meant further restrictions.

"I haven't seen my wife and kids for over three months now so am looking forward to getting home," he tells the Herald, "FaceTime is banned in the UAE [United Arab Emirates]… you can go through things like SnapChat and other endeavours so yeah it's been pretty tough. But we're getting there."

The lack of crowds, which are now almost comedically-associated with cricket in the UAE, does ironically give Boult some home comforts.

"Comparing it to a Plunket Shield crowd, it's probably pretty similar." Boult jests. "But the IPL's done a really good job with how it comes across on TV with advertising and crowd noise, but playing it's pretty eerie. We're very lucky we've been able to play though."

And play Boult will, after giving his teammates, staff, owners and fans an almighty scare.

Mumbai were thought to be sweating on Boult's fitness, after he left the field during their qualifying final win last Friday, also against Delhi.

He snared two wickets in his first over of the innings, however didn't return after suffering a groin niggle.

"It was probably just a precaution coming into this final game but it's calmed down nicely. So I'm looking forward to hopefully getting out there and being part of a big occasion."

It's classic Kiwi humility that Boult even questions whether he'll play. He's taken 22 wickets this campaign and has combined with Indian paceman Jasprit Bumrah for 49 between them – the most of any pair in the tournament.

Not that Boult will be shortening his run-up to Bumrah's almost unbelievable eight steps.

"I give him a bit of grief with how he does it," Boult laughs, "But I'd suggest he keeps doing what he does because he's a pretty phenomenal bowler to be fair.

"It [the IPL] has been a good challenge. The wickets, as expected, have been decent tracks. It's been nice to get some consistency with selection and get into my work. We've got a really good team and I've thoroughly enjoyed it."