Sunday night at a packed Dubai International Stadium, the Desert Vipers won their first DP World ILT20 trophy, defeating MI Emirates by 46 runs.
Oasis Vipers clinched USD 700,000 and the Black Belt while MI Emirates picked USD 300,000.
Curran clobbered an unbeaten 74 from 51 balls, with eight boundaries and two sixes, to help take his team to the formidable score of 182/4. He was ably assisted by Max Holden (41 off 32) and Dan Lawrence’s (23 off 15) late surge. Naseem Shah (3/18), Usman Tariq (2/20) and Khuzaima Tanveer (2/22) did most of the damage with the ball before David Payne took 3 wickets for 42 runs to bowl out MI Emirates far cheaper at135.
Spectators at the Dubai International Stadium witnessed a captivating build-up to the final as a scintillating fireworks show and drone show illuminated the evening sky.
The pre-match fiesta, which featured a carnival atmosphere as thousands of fans gazed in amazement at the visual feast, was designed to showcase the league and provide an apt precursor to the showpiece showdown of the season.
The Vipers’ captain Sam Curran rounded off his excellent tournament by taking the Red Belt (Most Valuable Player) and the Green Belt (Best Batter). Curran finished with 397 runs from the season, three of which were half centuries while he also chipped in with seven wickets, and took 10 catches.
In their second innings, Vipers’ Naseem Shah was at it from the start with Andre Fletcher (10 off 11) and Tom Banton (7 off 6) offering up simple catches before Khuzaima Tanveer cashed in on removing Muhammad Waseem (26 off 13). Summary: MI Emirates collapsed to three wickets down in six overs and limped along at 46/3, handing the duo of Shakib Al Hasan and Sanjay Krishnamurthi plenty of work to do.
Usman Tariq turned up the heat by dismissing Sanjay Krishnamurthi (2 off 9) in the eighth over. Shakib Al Hasan (36 off 27) attempted to steady the innings with calculated strikes, but boundaries were hard to come by. With Kieron Pollard struggling to break free, MI Emirates reached 72/4 after 10 overs, falling further behind in the chase.
MI Emirates’ hopes rested on Shakib and Kieron Pollard (28 off 27), who completed their 50-run stand in 38 balls before Tariq delivered a decisive blow by removing Shakib, pushing the equation to a daunting 61 off the final four overs.
After Naseem Shah removed Kieron Pollard to end any late resistance, David Payne ripped through the lower order, bagging three wickets in the 18th over. Khuzaima Tanveer sealed the title by clattering Muhammad Rohid’s stumps (3 off 4) as the Vipers closed out the match with nine balls to spare.
Earlier, the Vipers began briskly in the powerplay as Fakhar Zaman (20 off 15) and Jason Roy (11 off 7) put on 34/0 in the first three overs. Momentum shifted in the fourth over when Fazalhaq Farooqi struck twice to dismiss both openers. Sam Curran responded emphatically, smashing three consecutive boundaries in the final over of the powerplay to carry the Vipers to 59/2.
Curran then joined hands with Max Holden, rotating the strike efficiently and attacking smartly to take the Vipers to 83/2 at the halfway stage. The duo completed their 50-run stand in the 11th over, off just 39 balls. Curran kept the offensive going while Holden played the anchor role before Arab Gul ended their 89-run partnership off 64 balls with Holden’s wicket in the 15th over.
The Vipers’ skipper continued piling on the pressure, bringing up his half-century off 39 balls in the 17th over. His fourth-wicket partnership with Dan Lawrence (23 off 15) provided the impetus in the death overs, as they added 57 runs in just 33 balls to carry the team to 182/4.
The White Belt (Best Bowler) was claimed by Dubai Capitals’ Waqar Salamkheil, who led the bowling charts with 18 wickets. Meanwhile, MI Emirates’ Muhammad Waseem picked up the Blue Belt for Best UAE Player for the fourth straight campaign after scoring 370 runs across Season 4. The winners of the DP World ILT20 signature belts were awarded USD 15,000 each.
Brief Scores
Desert Vipers beat MI Emirates by 46 runs
Desert Vipers 182/4 in 20 overs (Sam Curran 74 not out, Max Holden 41, Dan Lawrence 23, Fazalhaq Farooqi 2 for 33)
MI Emirates 136 all out in 18.3 overs (Shakib Al Hasan 36, Kieron Pollard 28, Muhammad Waseem 26, Naseem Shah 3 for 18, David Payne 3 for 42, Usman Tariq 2 for 20, Khuzaima Tanveer 2 for 22)
Player of the match: Sam Curran
DP World ILT20 Season 4 belt winners:
Red Belt (Most Valuable Player) – Sam Curran, Desert Vipers
Green Belt (Best Batter) – Sam Curran, Desert Vipers
White Belt (Best Bowler) – Waqar Salamkheil, Dubai Capitals
Blue Belt (Best UAE player) – Muhammad Waseem, MI Emirates