What we witnessed in Abu Dhabi was a clinical performance by MI Emirates as they outplayed their opponents Abu Dhabi Knight Riders in all facets of the game to win by 7 wickets with plenty of overs to spare. MI Emirates were a determined lot and outplayed Abu Dhabi who didn’t know what hit them. They first put the Knight Riders into bat first and through Fazalhaq Farooqi’s 4-wicket haul and Kamindu Mendis’ 3-wicket haul, they bowled out Abu Dhabi Knight Riders to 122 in 19.3 overs.
In reply, Impact Player Jonny Bairtsow’s unbeaten 49 off 38 balls alongside useful contributions from others guided MI Emirates to the target in 13.5 overs with Abu Dhabi Knight Riders having no answer to stop them. MI with this win have climbed to 3rd while the Knights are in 5th place only ahead of bottom-placed Sharjah Warriorz.
Fazalhaq Farooqi & Kamindu Mendis skittle Abu Dhabi Knight Riders for 122
Put into bat first, Philip Salt and Alex Hales came out to bat for Abu Dhabi Knight Riders while Allah Ghazanfar had ball in hand for MI Emirates. The Knight Riders got off to a fast start with Salt being the aggressor while Hales played second fiddle. But the opening partnership did not last long as Salt was the first to go for 17 off 9 balls with 3 fours to his name as the 23-run opening stand was broken by Romario Shepherd who cleaned him up.
Brandon McMullen came out to bat next to join Hales. Hales fell after 2 runs were added to the tally as he fell for 6 off 8 balls with one four to his name to Fazalhaq Farooqi who cleaned him up as well. Alishan Sharafu came to join McMullen as the duo looked to steady things for the Knights. They went through the remainder of powerplay with the score 37/2 in 6 overs. The duo played through the initial part of middle overs before McMullen fell for a laboured 15 off 19 balls with one six to his name to Kamindu Mendis. Liam Livingstone came out to bat next.
Livingstone and Sharafu added a mere 9 runs before Livingstone fell at the stroke of Drinks Break for 2 off 6 balls to Kamindu Mendis yet again. Sherfane Rutherford came out to join Sharafu in the middle. Sharafu and Rutherford built a mini partnership as they added 16 runs for the 5th wicket before Rutherford fell for 7 off 8 balls with one four to his name. Sunil Narine came to join Sharafu in the middle as half the side was back in the hut.
The duo played through the remaining middle phase and built a small stand of 36 runs to give Abu Dhabi something to cheer about. But then things went downhill in the death overs phase. Sharafu fell for a good looking 38 off 34 balls with 3 fours and one six to his name as Rashid Khan picked up his wicket. Captain Jason Holder came out to bat next. Holder and Narine added 6 more runs to the score before the skipper fell for 2 off 5 balls to Farooqi.
George Garton came out to bat next. The innings nosedived from this position as the Knights were in a free fall. The set batter Narine was then dismissed for 26 off 20 balls with one four and 2 sixes to his name as he fell to Zahoor Khan. Khary Pierre came out to bat next. He did not last long as he fell for 1 off 2 balls with Farooqi picking up another scalp.
Ajay Kumar came out to bat next and fell in the same final over as he fell for a silver duck to Farooqi who cleaned him up and ended with a 4-wicket haul. Garton remained unbeaten on 1 off 4 balls as the Knights finished with 122 in 19.3 overs with 7 extras given by the fielding side.
Fazalhaq Farooqi was the pick of the bowlers for MI Emirates with figures of 4/14 in 3.3 overs. He was ably supported by Kamindu Mendis who finished with 3/21 in 3 overs. Romario Shepherd bowled 4 overs for 15 runs and picked up a wicket. Zahoor Khan finished with 1/23 in 3.3 overs. Rashid Khan finished with 1/22 in 3 overs. Allah Ghazanfar finished with 0/25 in 3 overs. It meant that MI Emirates now needed a mere 123 runs to win the contest in 20 overs.
Jonny Bairstow’s unbeaten 49 guided MI Emirates to an easy win
Chasing 123 for the win, Muhammad Waseem and impact player Jonny Bairstow came out to bat for MI Emirates while Khary Pierre had ball in hand for Abu Dhabi Knight Riders. The MI Emirates were quickly off the blocks as they were in a hurry. Waseem was the aggressor while Bairstow complimented him well and the duo got runs without breaking a sweat. The duo added 33 runs in quick time in just over 3 overs before Waseem fell for 27 off 12 balls with one four and 3 sixes to his name to Ajay Kumar.
Nicholas Pooran walked out to bat next at 3. The duo of Pooran and Bairstow added 13 runs to the tally before Pooran fell for 3 off 6 balls to Jason Holder. Tom Banton came out to bat next to join Bairstow. Banton and Bairstow started to up the ante again and after the powerplay, MI Emirates were 63/2 in 6 overs. Both complimented each other really well. They played through the middle overs and both were aggressive. They kept the tempo going as Abu Dhabi had no answer to the English duo.
They took apart every bowler that came to bowl. The duo added 64 runs in 43 balls to almost seal the deal before Banton fell to Khary Pierre for 29 off 20 balls with 2 fours and 2 sixes to his name. Kamindu Mendis came out to bat next with 12 needed for the win and knocked off the remaining runs very quickly. He remained unbeaten on 10 off 7 balls with one six to his name while Bairstow carried his bat and remained unbeaten on 49 off 38 balls with 7 fours to his name. 5 extras given by the fielding side as the chase was completed in 13.5 overs.
A hard day for Abu Dhabi Knight Riders bowlers with a paltry score to defence. Khary Pierre finished with 1/31 in 3 overs. Ajay Kumar finished with 1/30 in 3 overs. Jason Holder finished with 1/11 in 2 overs. Impact Player Olly Stone bowled 1.5 overs for 24 runs. Sunil Narine bowled 2 overs for 11 runs. George Garton bowled 2 overs for 15 runs. So, MI Emirates win by 7 wickets. Kamindu Mendis was adjudged the Player of the Match.
What Lies Ahead
Next up in ILT20 2025 is Match 12 which features Gulf Giants up against Desert Vipers live from Dubai on 12th December, 2025 at 8 PM IST onwards. Both teams are in form and they faced each other earlier and it was a thriller that went to Super Over which the Vipers won in the end. Let’s see which team comes out on top in this top of the table clash.
Also Read:Â ILT20 2025: Gulf Giants Return To Winning Ways With Clinical Win