NEW DELHI: Alishan Sharafu, Jason Holder, and Kyle Mayers played pivotal roles in Abu Dhabi Knight Riders‘ 42-run victory over MI Emirates in the ILT20 Season 3 match at the Sheikh Zayed Stadium on Friday evening.
Sharafu’s match-winning knock of 55 runs earned him the Player of the Match award.
After being put in to bat, Abu Dhabi Knight Riders got off to a slow start, losing Kyle Mayers and Michael-Kyle Pepper early.
However, Andries Gous and Charith Asalanka steadied the innings with a 41-run partnership. Sharafu and Roston Chase then took charge, adding 72 runs in quick time, setting the platform for a big finish. Jason Holder’s cameo of 22 not out from seven deliveries propelled Abu Dhabi Knight Riders to 182/7.
In reply, MI Emirates lost early wickets, with Kyle Mayers and David Willey striking crucial blows. Muhammad Waseem’s 19-run cameo provided some resistance, but the team struggled at 36/4 in the sixth over.
Dan Mousley and Kieron Pollard tried to rebuild, but their partnership yielded only 33 runs before Mousley’s dismissal.
Pollard continued to fight, scoring an unbeaten 69, but lacked support from the other end. Holder’s two wickets further dented MI Emirates’ chase, and they eventually fell short, finishing at 140/7.
The win propelled Abu Dhabi Knight Riders to third place in the points table, while MI Emirates suffered a setback in their campaign.
Player of the match Alishan Sharafu, said “It was a pretty special one, and I didn’t get many in all the other games, so wanted to cash in today. The wicket was a bit on the slower side, but once you bat a few balls you can try to take it from there.”
MI Emirates’ captain Nicholas Pooran said, “Losing four wickets in the powerplay was tough during the chase. They also had a good left-right combination going, they had a good partnership that pushed the game forward.”
