The United Arab Emirates’ much-anticipated International League T20 kicked off on Friday night when Dubai Capitals took on Abu Dhabi Riders in the league’s inaugural match.
Dubai Capitals skipper Rovman Powell shone at the Dubai International Stadium cracking 48 runs and bagging two wickets to secure his team a 73-run win.
Powell’s mission to win the opener was well supported by opener Robin Uthappa (43) and quick knocks of 26 runs each from opener Joe Root and Sikandar Raza for an impressive total of 187 for 6. Powell (2 for 15) along with Akif Raja (2 for 20) and Afghanistan’s Mujeeb Ur Rahman (2 for 16) restricted Abu Dhabi Riders to 114 for 9 in 20 overs. Another highlight of Dubai Capitals’ splendid win was Root’s four catches, CrickTracker reported.
Dubai Capitals’ all-rounder Sikandar Raza said, “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, the Abu Dhabi Knight Riders’ captain Sunil Narine said: “The Dubai 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.”
Player of the Match was Rovman Powell.
The tournament will be played in a 34-match format across the UAE’s world-class cricket facilities in Dubai, Abu Dhabi and Sharjah and will run through to February 12.
Franchise teams, comprising over 100 International and 24 UAE-based players, include Abu Dhabi Knight Riders (Knight Riders Group), Desert Vipers (Lancer Capital), Dubai Capitals (GMR), Gulf Giants (Adani Sportsline), MI Emirates (Reliance Industries), and Sharjah Warriors (Capri Global). —Afghanistan Times
