DC 217/4 in 20 Overs [David Warner 93*(57), Gulbadin Naib 47(25); Sunil Narine 1/34 in 4 Overs] beat ADKR 191/5 in 20 Overs [Andries Gous 28(47), Kyle Mayers 42(29); Dushmantha Chameera 2/25 in 4 Overs] by 26 runs.
In their final game of the league stages, the Abu Dhabi Knight Riders took on the Dubai Capitals with playoff qualification on the line. This game marked to be an absolutely crucial one for ADKR as they aimed to pick up the two points and make a strong case for themselves in the playoff qualification. All the ADKR players were raring to take the field & putting on a show-stopping performance. The fans were eager to support their team to the fullest.
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ADKR won the toss and opted to bowl first on the pitch which has always favoured batting second. The bowlers aimed to bowl with discipline and execute their plans to the fullest. Early wickets in the powerplay was the key for ADKR in taking control of the game. However, DC put on a great opening partnership with Shai Hope & David Warner putting on a great performance. Both steered DC towards a big total with Warner staying not out on 97 runs and some explosive cameos from Gulbadin Naib and Dasun Shanaka. Despite the best efforts of ADKR bowlers they weren’t able to restrict DC from scoring a big total as the Capitals finished with a target of 217. It was all upon the batters now to take the aggressive route and chase down this big total to keep ADKR alive in the tournament.
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The ADKR openers started the big run chase in tremendous fashion as both Andries Gous & Kyle Mayers were on song right from the outset. Both batters took the aggressive route and smashed the bowlers to all parts of the ground. Gous punished the pacers while Mayers took on the spinners effectively. The duo stitched together a sensational 96-run partnership as ADKR looked all set to chase down the big total. Eventually Mayers lost his wicket in an effort to accelerate the game, but Joe Clarke came in and continued the momentum. Gous took the charge while Clarke played second fiddle quite beautifully. Gous was unstoppable with shots all around the park and excellent manoeuvring of the gaps. With 151-1 at one stage, ADKR looked comfortable in chasing down the huge total, yet a flurry of wickets dented all the momentum. ADKR lost 3 wickets in quick succession and were put on the back foot in the chase. With set batters back in the hut, captain Sunil Narine & Jason Holder tried their level best to take the game deep, however, it wasn’t enough to chase down the target as DC won the game by 14 runs. ADKR will be mighty proud of their spirited performance and the way they took on the chase.
