Desert Vipers vs Gulf Giants
Alex Hales’ 57-ball 99 was futile as the Gulf his Giants overtook his Vipers with his 4 for a total of 195 desserts on his 3-ball to continue his streak in the first ILT20 . Chris Lynn (42-ball 71) and Simron Hetmyer (35-ball 70) hit lofty half-centuries to help the league leaders secure his five-wicket win.
The Vipers got off to a strong start thanks to Hales and Rohan Mustafa. Rohan Mustafa took just 6.4 overs as he scored a 72-run winning streak, the latter falling. Nevertheless, Hales continued the carnage with Colin Munro hitting 39 on 23 balls.
Hales was especially tough on Chris Jordan as he overtook the pacemaker on three and six bounces early on. Jordan eventually released the first set caught in deep cover just before turning 100, but allowed 45 runs from a 4-over spell. However, it was Leggie Rehan Ahmed who proved to be the most expensive of the game with 52 runs.
In response, the Gulf Giants were upset early on. After losing James Vince in the first over, Lynn attacked the Giants, but within five balls, Tom Curran and Wanindu Hasaranga struck out, while Tom Bunton and Rehan sent Ahmed back cheaply. Down 3 for 30 in just 4.1 overs, Lynn and Hetmyer teamed up to revive the Giants’ hunt.
Hetmaier pushed things forward by hitting his three straight sixes to Hasaranga in seven overs shortly after Lynn fell to his 23rd. Target achievement rate is average. Lynn then launched a similar attack against Hasaranga, carting a spinner with him two of his sixes and a border. The duo added a total of 117 runs in just 9.2 overs. Even four overs away, David Wiese (19 balls 22) and Liam Dawson (9 balls 16) led their teams across the line.
Brief Scores: Desert Vipers 195/4 in 20 overs (Alex Hales 99, Colin Munro 39; Richard Gleeson 1-19) lost to Gulf Giants 196/5 in 19.3 overs (Chris Lynn 71, Shimron Hetmyer 70; Sheldon Cottrell 2-24) by 5 wickets
Dubai Capitals vs MI Emirates
Kieron Pollard’s stunning 38-ball 86 was wasted as MI Emirates suffered their first defeat of the season and Dubai his Capitals to his 16-run win in Abu Dhabi.
Joe Root, accompanied by Robin Utappa, gave the Capitals a strong start, adding 78 runs for the opening wicket. The England batsman hit 82 eight boundaries and three sixes en route to 54 balls. Even after Utappa dropped to a relatively slow 23-ball 26, Root continued the attack, scoring 41 to 97 and accompanied by Rovman Powell, who won Player of the Game. The duo added 119 runs for the second wicket in just 9.5 overs before Root fell to Zahor Khan in the penultimate over. The West Indians then scored 20 runs in the final over of the innings pitched by Kieron Pollard to take the team up to his 222nd.
MI Emirates struggled in response, with the top three easily sacked and the side teetering 26-3 with him by the end of the powerplay. Pollard and André Fletcher temporarily stabilized the innings, but were well behind on eight balls and scored on a run-ball late in the 11th over.
Going up to 9 on 16 balls, Fletcher escaped after 13 overs to beat Mujeeb ur Rahman in number six. Pollard, who had already been up to 29 balls for half a century, went mad in the 15th over, carting three consecutive sixes to Fred Klaasen.
Even after Pollard’s fall, Najibullah Zadran continued his limits in death overs, scoring 29 points in 18 and 19 overs.
Brief Scores: Dubai Capitals 222/3 in 20 overs (Rovman Powell 97, Joe Root 82) beat MI Emirates 206/5 in 20 overs (Kieron Pollard 86, Andre Fletcher 35*; Hazrat Luqman 2-24) by 16 runs