The Abu Dhabi Knight Riders showcased powerful hitting to beat the Gulf Giants by four wickets at the Zayed Cricket Stadium in the UAE. With this victory, they moved up from sixth to fourth in the ILT20 points table.
Chasing a competitive 166, the Knight Riders’ victory was built on a solid opening foundation and ended with some late fireworks.
Opening English duo Phil Salt, with 35 off 24, and Alex Hales, 46 off 39, launched the chase with a 61-run stand off 44 balls.
The Giants fought back in the middle overs. Seamer Tabraiz Shamsi took an impressive 3-23, but the Knight Riders responded strongly.
Hales anchored the innings, while West Indian Sherfane Rutherford provided a quick 30 off 22, smashing Moeen Ali for 16 runs in the 14th over.
Chris Wood then dismissed Hales at 125-3, and soon after, Shamsi had Alishan Sharafu removed, leaving the Knight Riders in a spot of bother.
Needing 39 from the final five overs, Andre Russell’s heroic innings of 21 off 13 eased the suspense and struck a monstrous six off Matthew Forde in the 18th over and sealed the win, launching Chris Wood over the ropes with four balls to spare.
Earlier, the Giants’ Rahmanullah Gurbaz, the Afghan wicketkeeper-batter, made 72 from just 45 balls, inclusive of four fours and five sixes, and single-handedly propelled his side to a strong position.
His dismissal came from a spectacular diving catch by Alishan Sharafu off Ajay Kumar. This triggered a dramatic collapse.
Veteran leg-spinner Piyush Chawla claimed 4-27, including two wickets in one over, as the Giants slumped from 131-4 to 135-6 and their final total of 165-7 proved insufficient as the Knight Riders prevailed.
