In the inaugural ILT20 league yesterday, Dubai Capitals registered a 73-run win over Abu Dhabi Knight Riders. Due to the excellent batting of Rovman Powell and Robin Uthappa, who batted first, the Dubai Capitals team managed to score a huge number of 187 runs.
Uthappa started the innings with Root and built a partnership of 35 runs for the first wicket. Root was the first to fall to USA right-arm medium pacer Ali Khan.
Sri Lanka’s destructive first-order batsman Bhanuka Rajapaksa was dismissed for 9 after giving an easy catch to Sunil Narine off Russell’s delivery. Dubai Capitals were 62 for 2 with captain Rowman Powell joining Uthappa.
Skipper Narine bowled the 12th over and was pulled by Uthappa for a six-over midwicket but Narine dismissed him on the last ball. Uthappa scored 43 runs in 33 balls with 3 fours and 2 sixes.
Then the Powell show began. He scored 21 runs including 2 sixes off Ali Khan who was reintroduced in the 13th over. At the end of the 15th over, Dubai Capitals were 120 for the loss of 3 wickets.
Narine tamed the batsmen by conceding only 5 runs in the 16th over. After that, Powell hit Rampaul for a six off the first ball and also got a boundary off the third ball. However, he was bowled by Colin Ingram in the fifth ball after scoring 48 off 29 balls with 3 fours and 3 sixes. At the end of the innings, Udana and Bopara added 23 runs in 07 balls.
Accordingly, Dubai Capitals scored 187 for 6 on Friday night under the ring of fire at the Dubai International Stadium. Opening batsman Robin Uthappa scored 43 runs and Joe Root and Raza 26 runs each strengthened the innings to the pioneer of the innings.
In bowling, Knight Riders Ravi Rampaul, Ali Khan took two wickets each, and Andre Russell, Sunil Naren took one wicket each. West Indies player Akeal Hosein ended his 4 overs without a wicket giving 34 runs.
Powell (2 for 15), Akif Raja (2 for 20), and Mujeeb ur Rehman (2 for 16) combined to restrict Abu Dhabi Raiders to 114 for 9 after 20 overs. Root’s four catches were another highlight of Dubai Capitals’ impressive win.
Chasing 188 runs, Isuru Udana bowled Colin Ingram on the last ball of the first over and lost an early wicket to the Abu Dhabi team.
Opener Paul Stirling too would have fallen to the first ball of the second over from UAE medium pacer Hazrat Luqman had Bopara at overs not dropped him. Stirling celebrated his luck pulling Luqman for a boundary. Udana bowled a tight third over giving away just seven runs.
Needing 117 from the last ten overs, Abu Dhabi were 71 for 3 when Fareed Powell was dismissed for nine. Stirling reached his 50 in 36 balls. In the 12th over, Powell struck again to remove the danger man Stirling caught by Root at long-on for 54
He hit 5 fours and 2 sixes in his innings off 38 balls. The Abu Dhabi half was bowled out for 84 when West Indies player Sunil Narine was out for 4 after being Caught by Root from Raza’s ball. Brandon King scored 08 runs in six balls.
All eyes were on Andrew Russell, but UAE’s Hazrat Luqman ended Abu Dhabi’s hopes when he caught him to Root at long off.
Accordingly, Knight Riders scored only 114 runs by losing 9 wickets in the scheduled twenty overs. Dubai Capitals won by 73 runs. Rovman Powell, Akif Raja, and Mujeeb took two wickets each, and Udana, Luqman, Raza took one wicket each.
Capital captain Rowman Powell, who scored 48 runs and took two wickets, was named the man of the match. Speaking after the match, Capital’s Sikandra Raza,
“The mood in the camp is quite good after winning the match. It’s always nice to start the tournament well. Close to 190 was a really good total on that wicket in Dubai.”
“Joe Root is a star and a class cricketer. He showed his class on that wicket today. He told me that the wicket is slightly two-paced. He had said that 160 would be a good total on this wicket.”
Meanwhile, Abu Dhabi Knight Riders captain Sunil Narine said,
“The Delhi Capitals bowled well and we couldn’t string enough partnerships to chase down the total. We will work on that and hopefully, we will come to the party. I will try my level best to contribute to our team’s performance and hopefully, I can put up a better performance in the upcoming games.”