NEW DELHI: The Dubai Capitals defeated the Abu Dhabi Knight Riders by an incredible 26 runs on Sunday at the Dubai International Cricket Stadium, thanks to David Warner’s brilliant batting, which sent them into the ILT20 Season 3 playoffs. The Dubai Capitals secured their playoffs berth with the victory, making them the fourth and final team to do so.
In his season-opening game, Warner was the game-changer, leading the Dubai Capitals to their sixth victory in seven games against the Abu Dhabi Knight Riders with an incredible undefeated 93.
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The Knight Riders had a difficult time chasing a high total of 218 because they needed to win the match outright to be in the running. Their batters started off cagey, but once they got going, they were unstoppable. At the conclusion of the powerplay, Andries Gous led his team to 50/0 after smashing six boundaries in 11 deliveries. Kyle Mayers put some clutch boundaries after setting the pace for the chase.
The Knight Riders appeared well-positioned at 89/0 at the midway point, with both batters blazing, and Gous and Mayers formed the cornerstone of their pursuit. But Gulbadin Naib outwitted Mayers with a brilliant bowling change, giving the Capitals a way back into the match. Naib bounced back from being struck for a huge six in the previous ball to deceive Mayers with a slower delivery, preventing the West Indian from reaching 50 after falling for an incredible 42 off 29.
Gous was on 55 when Joe Clarke joined him, and the American stepped it up. The Knight Riders reached 122/1 in 13 overs and required 96 runs from the last 42 deliveries when he hit two consecutive sixes off Ahmad, the first over long-on and the second straight over the bowler’s head.
The big-hitting Andre Russell took Clarke’s place after he retired injured shortly after smashing an incredible 91-meter six over long-on. But following a brilliant 17th over from Dushmantha Chameera, the Knight Riders unexpectedly had two fresh batters at the crease, and the momentum shifted in the Capitals’ favor. The first player out was Gous, who was caught at mid-wicket for a 78 off 47 while attempting to reach a maximum. The West Indian was out on his first ball, proving that the Knight Riders’ plan to retire Clarke and bring on Russell was a failure.
The Knight Riders were stuck at 153/5, requiring 65 runs in 18 balls, and David Willey was dismissed after making only one run, giving the Capitals even more cause to celebrate. The Dubai Capitals won by a resounding 26 runs, proving that it was too huge a target to pursue. At the Dubai International Cricket Stadium, this was the first time in seven games that the team batting first had won.
Shai Hope and Warner, the Dubai Capitals’ openers, both appeared to be in excellent form as they got off to a fast start. Despite Willey’s incredible stretch in which he conceded just 11 runs in three overs, the Capitals rushed to 43/0 inside the powerplay as the pair alternated in hitting the boundaries.
When Warner holed out in the seventh over, the Knight Riders came very close to winning, but Russell was unable to hold onto the catch. To get underway, Warner took advantage of the reprieve by smashing Gudakesh Motie for four boundaries in the following over. After that, Hope hit two sixes before being bowled by Roston Chase, ending the opening wicket stand at 82 runs.
Warner went on to reach his half-century in 33 deliveries, surpassing all other batters in the world with the 116th 50+ score of his career in Twenty20 cricket. The Capitals had 111 runs after 12 overs when the daring Australian attacked the opposition spinners, striking Sunil Narine for a huge six. They were headed for a 200+ total with a good 9+ run rate.
Naib raced to 27 runs off 15 deliveries with a couple of huge hits, keeping the scorekeepers busy. Due to poor fielding by the Knight Riders, Alishan Sharafu dropped Naib in the fifteenth over. The Afghan player then hit two huge sixes off Jason Holder to help his team approach a huge total.
Naib was removed for an incredible 47 off 25 balls as Narine immediately returned to the attack. After only two deliveries, Rovman Powell was replaced by Dasun Shanaka, who helped the Capitals score even more runs. The Sri Lankan made a spectacular cameo, scoring 17 runs off of only seven balls before destroying Holder in the last over to help the Capitals to a huge 217/4. The Capitals scored the best total in the history of the competition in Dubai, and Warner remained undefeated at 93.
