IRELAND will be playing for more than pride in tonight's World Twenty20 appointment with the reigning champions, William Porterfield confessed yesterday.

There is also a subtext of personal gain as they seek to put themselves in the shop windows - and as shop windows go, this is the very poshest boutique.

Cricket's richest gold mine is the Indian Premier League, where squillionaire franchise owners stage high-rolling auctions to squabble over the most dynamic talent.

Impress this evening, in a match of no relevance to either team's progress but which means so much to the hungry and ambitious Irish, and the pearly gates to the IPL may just swing open.

After all, Niall O'Brien and Boyd Rankin already know the monetary impact of shining on the world stage – in the wake of exploits in the Caribbean they were signed up for a season in the now-discredited, but no less lucrative, Indian Cricket League.

Fertilising Ireland's growing reputation matters most, of course, but captain Porterfield admitted, when asked a day after the tumultuous six-wicket win over Bangladesh propelled Ireland into the Super Eights whether IPL contracts might be at stake against India: 'Maybe that is in the back of our minds.

The likes of Kevin O'Brien, he showed what he can do yesterday and he is one of the lads in our team who can clear the ropes.

'He has been working hard at his game and he showed that yesterday by hitting 39 off 17 balls. Trent is another down the order who can clear the ropes.

'If that [the chance of an IPL contract] is in his mind, he did himself no harm yesterday and hopefully one of them will get signed up.'

So well did Kevin O'Brien complete what his brother started on Monday that Niall was proud enough to tell the international media he was capable of hitting the ball further than anyone at the tournament, including Indian superstar Yuvraj Singh.

It was a comment politely rebuked yesterday by Mahendra Singh Dhoni, India's ice-cool captain.

'He's a good batsman but comparing him to Yuvraj? There is a big gap,' said Dhoni. 'Yuvraj has proven himself as one of the biggest hitters in the world.

'[O'Brien] is talented but quite below Yuvraj when it comes to hitting sixes in this format.'

Ireland v India is quintessential rags versus riches. Dhoni's players are A-list celebrities back home, household names and multi-millionaires.

Cricket is also a way of life for commoner and crown prince alike. That explains why a press conference with Dhoni can descend into a blistering war of words.

The first thing out of the captain's mouth was that any comment on Virender Sehwag's injury would be contained in a press release from the Indian board. A disgruntled journalist asked him: 'So who is leaking all the news about him?'

Dhoni took this to be a personal slight and a primitive type of mediation, in the form of angry bellows across the room, took place between a veteran writer, the team manager and media manager, concluding with a plea from the writer: 'Just be honest with us.'

Within half-an-hour of the microphones going off, the board released the news that Sehwag, the powerful opening batsman, was going home. Meantime Porterfield calmly fulfilled the needs of all media, including Sky Sports' Cricket AM.

Ireland's task at Trent Bridge will be easier if India's players operate as poorly as a unit as their support staff. But there are two certainties about India tonight: one is that they will pack a punch, and the other is that they will experiment, with the defence of a crown at stake over the coming week.

'They are the world champions and it will give us a gauge of where we stand in this format, and where we aspire to be,' said Porterfield.

'We'll put on a show because there is no real pressure on us – India are expected to go out and win and no-one gives us a chance.

'I think you have to forget about who is at the other end.'

Like India, Ireland have more pressing tasks ahead – they tackle New Zealand here tomorrow, Sri Lanka at Lord's on Sunday and Pakistan at The Oval on Monday – but their eyes will sparkle at the idea of standing up to the regal Indians.

One thing that could swing Ireland's hopes of ripping up another script is Niall O'Brien's fitness. The left-hander has been undergoing intensive treatment on a grade one tear of a tendon in his ankle, and if it isn't ready to risk at 5.30 tonight, Ireland will go in without him.

But given the enthusiasm with which the wicket-keeper greets any opportunity to further his career – a stint in next year's IPL would do very nicely indeed - he won't be an easy man to restrain.