Rating the IPL 2021 performances of New Zealand's World Test Championship stars

Now that the 2021 Indian Premier League (IPL) has been indefinitely postponed, the final of the World Test Championship (WTC) is the next big event on the cricketing calendar.

India and New Zealand, who finished in the top two of the WTC points table in a pandemic-affected season, will lock horns in the summit clash, which will begin on June 18 in Southampton. Kane Williamson's men might enter the contest as slight favorites, as they are scheduled to take on England in two Tests ahead of the WTC final.

A few Kiwi players had the opportunity to participate in IPL 2021 and get some match practice under their belt, albeit in a completely different format. In this article, we rate (out of 10) the IPL 2021 performances of New Zealand's World Test Championship stars.

New Zealand's squad for the World Test Championship final: Kane Williamson (c), Tom Blundell, Trent Boult, Doug Bracewell, Devon Conway, Colin de Grandhomme, Jacob Duffy, Matt Henry, Kyle Jamieson, Ross Taylor, Neil Wagner, Henry Nicholls, Ajaz Patel, Rachin Ravindra, Mitchell Santner, Tim Southee, BJ Watling (wk), Will Young, Tom Latham, Daryl Mitchell

Didn't play in IPL 2021 despite being part of a squad: Mitchell Santner

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How did New Zealand's WTC stars fare in IPL 2021?

Trent Boult

Kane Williamson - 6/10

Williamson missed the Sunrisers Hyderabad's first three games with injury, and his return to the playing XI helped briefly before the team fell down a familiar hole. Handed the captaincy after David Warner was sacked and dropped, the Kiwi couldn't revitalize the Sunrisers' fortunes.

On a personal level, Williamson scored 128 runs in four matches at a strike rate of 126.73 and was dismissed only once. He remains his national team's most important batsman, and will have a task on his hands against a formidable Indian bowling lineup.

Kyle Jamieson - 7/10

Jamieson entered IPL 2021 without form in his favor. He had lost his place in the New Zealand T20I side after taking repeated pastings at the hands of Australia, and not many expected him to justify his astronomical price tag.

And while Jamieson arguably didn't, he was one of the Royal Challengers Bangalore's better bowlers. He picked up nine wickets in seven games at an economy rate of 9.2, which was ruined by a couple of dreadful overs. The tall quick used the long handle effectively as well, scoring 59 runs at a strike rate of 143.9.

Jamieson will be a handful in the WTC final, with the conditions and a stellar record against India boding well for him and New Zealand.

Trent Boult - 6.5/10

The second Kiwi quick to take part in IPL 2021, Boult wasn't as good as he was in last season's tournament. The left-armer was accurate and wicket-taking at the death, but his famed new-ball prowess let him down in the powerplay.

Overall, Boult scalped eight wickets in seven IPL 2021 games at an economy rate of 8.46. He will be happy with how easily he hit the yorkers, but will want to improve upon his showing with the brand new cherry.