188/7 (20.0)
CR : 9.40
233/1 (20.0)
CR : 11.65
Desert Vipers won by 45 runs 🏆
Player of the Match
Andries Gous
120(58)
11:41 PM IST, 10:11 PM Local Time | Desert Vipers win comprehensively to seal their place in the final of ILT20 2025-26! A thumping performance from the Sam Curran led-side as they defeat MI Emirates by 45 runs in Qualifier 1!
MI Emirates won the toss and opted to bowl first. In hindsight, they will feel it was the wrong decision as an exquisite opening stand between Andries Gous and Fakhar Zaman worth 157 runs, laid down the foundation for a mammoth total of 233/1 at the end of their 20 overs.
Andries Gous led the charge with an unbeaten 120 runs off 58 balls, well supported by Fakhar Zaman's 69 runs off 50 balls, and a late innings cameo by Sam Curran worth 38 runs off 12 balls.
Only 1 wicket fell of Fakhar, which was taken by Allah Ghazanfar.
Come the chase, MI Emirates started brightly when Muhammad Waseem hit David Payne for 3 boundaries in the first over. However, Khuzaima Bin Tanvir broke the opening stand early with the wicket of Fletcher for 4 runs in the 4th over.
Tom Banton and Muhammad Waseem followed it up with MI Emirates' only good partnership in the innings, worth 81 runs for the second wicket. Naseem Shah dismissed Waseem for 41 runs, and opened the floodgates.
Usman Tariq followed it up with a double-wicket over to remove Banton (63) and Krishnamurthi (0) from the equation. Tariq came into play once again when he dismissed Pollard for 15 runs. MI Emirates' middle-order crumbled under pressure, and despite Romario Shepherd's best efforts with an unbeaten 39 runs off 23 balls, MI Emirates fell short by 45 runs.
Usman Tariq was the Vipers' best bowler with 3/33 from 4 overs. David Payne had an expensive day at the office but picked up 2/52 from 4 overs. While Naseem Shah and Khuzaima Bin Tanvir picked up a solitary wicket each.
Desert Vipers march onto the final by winning the final ILT20 game for 2025! They will now wait and watch as the playoffs unfold to find out their opponents. MI Emirates will have a second bite of the cherry in the second qualifier and will be looking to get back to their winning ways.
Usman Tariq followed it up with a double-wicket over to remove Banton (63) and Krishnamurthi (0) from the equation. Tariq came into play once again when he dismissed Pollard for 15 runs. MI Emirates' middle-order crumbled under pressure, and despite Romario Shepherd's best efforts with an unbeaten 39 runs off 23 balls, MI Emirates fell short by 45 runs.
Usman Tariq was the Vipers' best bowler with 3/33 from 4 overs. David Payne had an expensive day at the office but picked up 2/52 from 4 overs. While Naseem Shah and Khuzaima Bin Tanvir picked up a solitary wicket each.
Desert Vipers march onto the final by winning the final ILT20 game for 2025! They will now wait and watch as the playoffs unfold to find out their opponents. MI Emirates will have a second bite of the cherry in the second qualifier and will be looking to get back to their winning ways.
Time for the post-match presentation ceremony..
Sam Curran hands over the Green Belt to Muhammad Waseem. It is the award for the best batter of the tournament up until now.
Dispatch of the Day: Andries Gous
Kieron Pollard (MI Emirates Captain): "Finishing in the top two definitely gives you another opportunity, but yes, conceding runs in double digits is always a tough ask in T20 cricket. That said, I thought the way we started, the guys gave it a really good crack.
Losing by 45 runs is a big margin in this format, but on reflection, I feel we were probably about 10-15 runs too many on a very, very good pitch. Looking ahead, conditions and venues will change, but our preparation remains the same as it has been throughout the tournament. We’ve played away from home before, we’ve played a lot of games here, and we’ve won plenty as well.
This was a pitch we hadn’t played on previously, and it turned out to be an excellent surface. Sometimes, you simply have to give credit to the opposition. I thought they batted very well. The opening partnership laid a strong foundation, which allowed the middle and lower order to play freely and finish strongly at the back end.
As I mentioned at the toss, it can be a dangerous position to be in. But having said that, getting another chance is important. You don’t want to be in a situation where you have to win seven games in a row to lift the trophy. So yes, a loss isn’t ideal, but it’s not the end of the road either because we still have a second crack.
You always want to get it done the first time, but cricket doesn’t always work that way. I thought the way we batted was encouraging - Waseem gave us a good start, and Shepi finished well at the end. Overall, we gave it a solid effort.
Our bowling unit has improved tremendously throughout the tournament, and this was one game where things didn’t quite go our way at the back end. You can’t fault the bowlers every time - it’s cricket.
The opposition is allowed to play well, and tonight they certainly did. They’ve been table-toppers all tournament, and they showed that consistency again.
We accept the defeat, take the learnings, and move on. All focus now is on the next game."
Losing by 45 runs is a big margin in this format, but on reflection, I feel we were probably about 10-15 runs too many on a very, very good pitch. Looking ahead, conditions and venues will change, but our preparation remains the same as it has been throughout the tournament. We’ve played away from home before, we’ve played a lot of games here, and we’ve won plenty as well.
This was a pitch we hadn’t played on previously, and it turned out to be an excellent surface. Sometimes, you simply have to give credit to the opposition. I thought they batted very well. The opening partnership laid a strong foundation, which allowed the middle and lower order to play freely and finish strongly at the back end.
As I mentioned at the toss, it can be a dangerous position to be in. But having said that, getting another chance is important. You don’t want to be in a situation where you have to win seven games in a row to lift the trophy. So yes, a loss isn’t ideal, but it’s not the end of the road either because we still have a second crack.
You always want to get it done the first time, but cricket doesn’t always work that way. I thought the way we batted was encouraging - Waseem gave us a good start, and Shepi finished well at the end. Overall, we gave it a solid effort.
Our bowling unit has improved tremendously throughout the tournament, and this was one game where things didn’t quite go our way at the back end. You can’t fault the bowlers every time - it’s cricket.
The opposition is allowed to play well, and tonight they certainly did. They’ve been table-toppers all tournament, and they showed that consistency again.
We accept the defeat, take the learnings, and move on. All focus now is on the next game."
Sam Curran (Desert Vipers Captain): "Very pleased. MI are a very good team, and it took a special batting innings from Gousie there and couldn't ask for much more. The opening stand was incredible, we stuck with that opening pair through the tournament and we knew we could play well on a good wicket.
I know we lost the toss, but we ended up winning. Banton and Waseem played well but with the wind it was difficult. Naseem played well, and Usman was incredible. That's why we got him in and he is a fantastic replacement. Hopefully he can do it again in the final.
Let's hope we win the final, fingers crossed."
I know we lost the toss, but we ended up winning. Banton and Waseem played well but with the wind it was difficult. Naseem played well, and Usman was incredible. That's why we got him in and he is a fantastic replacement. Hopefully he can do it again in the final.
Let's hope we win the final, fingers crossed."
Player of the Match: Andries Gous
Andries Gous (Player of the Match): "Yeah, I must say, it’s not often that you get an opportunity to score a hundred, so it was a really special day for me.
It definitely felt like there was a lot of strategic planning involved - the right-left combination helped, and the wind was favouring one side for each of us. We were aware of that and tried to use it to our advantage during the partnership.
A 157-run stand, nine sixes - it was one of those days where things just clicked. After the first six overs, we spoke about making sure we managed the wind properly. Zaman batted brilliantly at the other end and supported me really well, which made things a lot easier. When you have someone rotating strike and picking the right moments, it takes a lot of pressure off.
The surface was very good, there were plenty of runs on offer, but we didn’t really have 230 in mind initially. After the Powerplay, we were probably thinking somewhere around 190-200 would be a strong total. Then Curran came in and played an unbelievable knock at the back end, which pushed us all the way up to 230.
It was a brilliant day personally, and more importantly, a great result for the team to make it into the finals. Hopefully, we can have one more strong performance coming up.
Thank you very much."
It definitely felt like there was a lot of strategic planning involved - the right-left combination helped, and the wind was favouring one side for each of us. We were aware of that and tried to use it to our advantage during the partnership.
A 157-run stand, nine sixes - it was one of those days where things just clicked. After the first six overs, we spoke about making sure we managed the wind properly. Zaman batted brilliantly at the other end and supported me really well, which made things a lot easier. When you have someone rotating strike and picking the right moments, it takes a lot of pressure off.
The surface was very good, there were plenty of runs on offer, but we didn’t really have 230 in mind initially. After the Powerplay, we were probably thinking somewhere around 190-200 would be a strong total. Then Curran came in and played an unbelievable knock at the back end, which pushed us all the way up to 230.
It was a brilliant day personally, and more importantly, a great result for the team to make it into the finals. Hopefully, we can have one more strong performance coming up.
Thank you very much."
That's it from Qualifer 1, folks! Desert Vipers are the first finalists of ILT20 2025-26! Join us back tomorrow as we continue to bring you all the live cricketing action from around the world.
Until then, this is Anirudh Modi, signing off along with my colleagues Dev Rajawat and Raju Khariya! See you at the next one.
Until then, this is Anirudh Modi, signing off along with my colleagues Dev Rajawat and Raju Khariya! See you at the next one.