Desert Vipers came out all guns firing with bat and ball and set the tone to beat the defending champions Dubai Capitals in Dubai in the opening game of the IL T20 Season 4. Desert Vipers played the big moments better and won an important toss to play better than the Capitals and dominate them. Vipers put in an all-round bowling display led by Noor Ahmad and David Payne to keep Dubai Capitals to 150/8 in 20 overs.
In reply, the Desert Vipers rode on an excellent half-century from keeper batter Andries Gous and others playing around him as his innings at the start set it up and made it easy for the Vipers who huffed and puffed towards the end but eventually got to the target to win the contest and also won the Player of the Match Award.
All-Round Bowling Display Restricts Dubai Capitals to 150/8.Â
Put into bat first, Sediqullah Atal and Shayan Jahangir came out to open the batting for Dubai Capitals while Naseem Shah had ball in hand for Desert Vipers. The openers made a steady progress initially and scored at a decent clip putting on 23 runs inside 3 overs before Atal fell to Naseem for 16 off 13 balls with 2 fours to his name. Gulbadin Naib came to the crease next. Naib did not last long and fell in the next over for a golden duck to Sam Curran.
Jordan Cox came to the crease to join Jahangir. Cox and Jahangir struggled to get going and added 6 runs more to the tally before Cox too fell in the powerplay for 2 off 7 balls with David Payne taking his wicket. David Willey came to the crease next as the Capitals struggled in the powerplay to score 32/3 in 6 overs. Soon, it was the turn of Jahangir to depart as he fell for 19 off 15 balls with 3 fours to his name as Khuzaima Bin Tanvir got his man. Rovman Powell came to the crease next.
Willey and Powell needed a partnership and started to rebuild the innings. Powell was fluent but for Willey it was a struggle out there in the middle as he laboured his way to 10 off 22 balls before falling to Noor Ahmad. Mohammad Nabi came out to the middle to join Rovman Powell with the score reading 67/5 in 11.1 overs. Powell and Nabi started to resurrect the innings by playing counter attacking innings.
The duo had a job to do as the run rate was below par and half the side was back in the hut and they tried their best by hitting shots all along the ground and complimenting each other really well. They added 34 for the 6th wicket in good time in the middle overs before Powell fell for an enterprising 40 off 22 balls with 4 fours and 2 sixes to his name as Tanvir got his man to leave the team at 101/6 in 14.5 overs. Dasun Shanaka the captain came out to bat next.
Nabi took over the role of aggressor now after Powell’s dismissal as Shanaka played second fiddle and complimented Nabi really well. Nabi was looking good and playing well in the death overs. Nabi was then cleaned up for 29 off 23 balls with 2 fours and 2 sixes to his name with Noor getting another wicket. Impact Player was introduced in the first innings itself as Scott Currie came out to bat next.
Shanaka played his game and looked to go big but he too fell for 12 off 11 balls with one six to his name as Payne got another wicket. Haider Ali came out to bat next as the 8th wicket fell for the Capitals. Haider managed to hit a boundary away to take the score to 150/8 in 20 overs. Currie was unbeaten on 5 off 4 balls with one boundary to his name while Haider Ali was unbeaten on 4 off 2 balls with one boundary to his name. 13 extras given by the fielding side.
The bowlers of Desert Vipers bowled really well as it was an all-round bowling display. Noor Ahmad was the pick of the bowlers with figures of 2/25 in 4 overs. David Payne supported him well with figures of 2/26 in 4 overs. Khuzaima Bin Tanvir got into the wickets column as he finished with 2/35 in 4 overs. Captain Sam Curran finished with 1/29 in 4 overs. Naseem Shah finished with 1/30 in 4 overs. This meant Desert Vipers now needed 151 to win the match in 20 overs.
Andries Gous’ excellent half-century takes Desert Vipers over the line with an over to spare.Â
Chasing 151 for the win, Fakhar Zaman and Andries Gous came out to open for Desert Vipers while David Willey had ball in hand for the Dubai Capitals. The Vipers got off to a fantastic start in the powerplay as the openers Zaman and Gous came out all guns blazing and showed their class. The bowlers in the powerplay were taken to the cleaners really and had no answer really. They put on 50 for the first wicket and it ended with Zaman falling for 26 off 15 balls with one four and two sixes to his name as Nabi got the breakthrough for Capitals.
Impact Player Max Holden came out to bat next. After the powerplay, the Vipers were 64/1 and looked in great place to win the game. Gous looked in great touch while Holden played second fiddle as they played through the middle overs. Holden did not last long as he fell for 16 off 15 balls with 2 fours to his name as Gulbadin Naib got his man in the end. The Vipers at this stage were 85/2 in 9.4 overs when captain Sam Curran came out to bat alongside Andries Gous.
The duo of Curran and Gous built a solid stand and kept the scoreboard ticking and required rate under control before Waqar Salamkheil got rid of Sam Curran for 7 off 11 balls. Waqar had two in the over as he dismissed the set batter Andries Gous for 58 off 36 balls with 6 fours and 3 sixes to his name. This wicket opened the doors a tad for the Capitals as the Desert Vipers were reduced to 109/4 in 13 overs as the defending champions roared back into the contest. Daniel Lawrence and Shimron Hetmyer came out to bat.
Hetmyer and Lawrence kept the scoreboard ticking over but the West Indies veteran player did not last long as he fell for 7 off 6 balls with a boundary to his name as Scott Currie got a wicket under his belt. Hasan Nawaz came out to bat next. The score was 127/5 in 14.5 overs when Hetmyer left and Nawaz joined in. But Nawaz soon fell after his struggle falling for 3 off 7 balls to leave the Vipers at 133/6 in 16.5 overs. Khuzaima Bin Tanvir came out to bat next with 18 still needed for the win in 19 balls.
But Lawrence and Tanvir played it smartly and got a little fortunate to hold their nerves and eventually achieve the target in 19 overs as some fours and sixes were hit as well by both the batters. Daniel Lawrence showed his class and experience and remained unbeaten on 19 off 16 balls with one boundary to his name while Tanvir remained unbeaten on 12 off 8 balls with one four to his name. Both made sure there were no hiccups as the target was eventually achieved in 19 overs. Just 3 extras given by the fielding side.
The Dubai Capitals bowlers tried their best with a sub par total on the board. Waqar Salamkheil was the pick of the bowlers with figures of 2/18 in 4 overs. Scott Currie the Impact Player picked up 2/36 in 4 overs. Gulbadin Naib finished with 1/28 in 3 overs. Mohammad Nabi finished with 1/21 in 3 overs. David Willey gave away 16 runs in 2 overs. Muhammad Jawadullah gave 21 runs in 1 over. Haider Ali gave 10 runs in 2 overs. So, Desert Vipers won by 4 wickets with an over to spare. Andries Gous was awarded the Player of the Match Award.
What Lies Ahead.Â
More action coming our way in IL T20 2025 as the bandwagon moves to Sharjah where Sharjah Warriorz will take on Abu Dhabi Knight Riders from 8 PM IST on 3rd December 2025. Both teams will face their first game against each others. Let’s wait and watch which team starts their campaign on a winning note.
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