In the second strategic time-out during Sunrisers Hyderabad's innings in the eliminator against Gujarat Lions in New Delhi on Friday, skipper David Warner was visibly furious at his batsmen throwing their wickets away, venting it out in front of head coach Tom Moody. Around four overs later, he jumped in jubilation as he hit the winnings runs to take his team into the final.
Within a span of minutes, Warner's sentiments turned from frustration to satisfaction, from anger to joy. And, he isn't one to hide his emotions, just like his rival IPL final captain, Virat Kohli.
As much as the title clash is between two quality teams, it's also between two leaders who have almost been mirror images of one another in terms of batting and captaincy.
Kohli and Warner have stood out with the blade this season, sitting first and second, respectively, on the top run-scorers' chat. The former is 81 runs away from becoming the first player ever to notch up a jaw-dropping 1,000 runs in an IPL season. With the way India's Test captain has been pocketing centuries this season, it won't be any surprise if he does get there.
Warner might not have scored runs in the same quantity as Kohli, but 779 runs has never been achieved in a single IPL season before 2016. And just like Kohli, Warner has almost single-handedly carried his team to the final with many a crucial, match-winning knock.
Click here for the full coverage of the IPL 2016, including commentary, fixtures, scorecards and more.
More than batting, though, it's their leadership that has been at the heart of their team's success this season. Their qualities as captain overlap: Both hate to lose. Both inspire their troops with their body language on the field. Both lead from the front.
"We both think on similar lines," Kohli said on the eve of the final here on Saturday.
"As a leader, you try to execute things what you ask of your teammates first. If we want someone to be at 120 per cent on the field, we want to give that every ball that we field as well. So yes, you can say there is a lot of similarity (between Warner and him) in terms of approaching the game the same way, wanting to contribute for the team's cause, getting people together, wanting them to be at their best and giving it all for the team," he added.
The duo are also not shy of wearing their heart on their sleeves. Kohli has always been extremely animated on the field, be it while chatting with the opposition, umpires or even his own players. He is also one who never holds back if there are words thrown at him on the field, something that Warner has been quite famous for throughout his international career.
"Actually, he has not been very expressive on the field (this season), which is a great thing to see in terms of his development as a person," Kohli said.
"I think he has come a long way as a leader in this tournament. If you see the kind of hunger he's had this season, and to get the job done for the team so many times, actually speaks volumes of his character and the hunger he has right now in terms of contributing in a big way," he added.
This IPL might have been about individual brilliance with bat and ball, but it has also been about two terrific, bold and inspirational captains taking their respective teams to the doorsteps of glory.
