Knight Riders upset Gulf Giants in stunning six-wicket showdown

England’s Michael Pepper’s 59 off 40 balls peppered with seven boundaries and three sixes steered Abu Dhabi Knight Riders to a thrilling six-wicket win over defending champions Gulf Giants in Wednesday’s ILT20 match in Abu Dhabi.

The victory has lifted Knight Riders to third place on the table, while Gulf Giants slipped to fourth place.

Gulf Giants were restricted to 161 for 6 despite Chris Lynn’s 67 off 48 balls with six boundaries and three sixes. He had put on 72 runs in 58 balls for the third wicket with Jordan Cox who hit 21 off 27 balls with one boundary and a six.

Lynn also added 39 runs for the fourth wicket with Usman Khan (23).

Chasing the target, Knight Riders needed a good start. Openers Joe Clarke and Pepper provided just that, recording their 50 runs partnership in just 4.1 overs.

Earlier, Knight Riders had won the toss and elected to bowl.

Winning captain Sunil Narine said after the match: “We ticked a lot of boxes. Started with picking up wickets in the powerplay, it sets the tone. We’re getting a bit of momentum, still a bit too close for comfort, we need to win by bigger margins. But a win is a win and we’ll take it.”

Player of the Match Pepper said that not losing wickets in the powerplay helped his team.

“It’s important to always have to take the aggressive option while batting in the powerplay. It’s the best time to bat, pace on the ball and you have to just go for it. Not losing wickets in the powerplay is crucial,” he said.

A disappointed Gulf Giants captain James Vince said: “I thought we actually had a par score. But obviously the start wasn’t ideal, with them being 60 for none inside the powerplay. It put us behind the game, and even though we pulled it back a bit at the end it was always going to be difficult. They bowled pretty well at the end.”

Thursday’s match:

Thursday, February 1, will see Desert Vipers take on Dubai Capitals at the Dubai International Cricket Stadium.

The match will start at 7pm and will be broadcast live on Ariana Television.

Fans across Afghanistan can however tune in at 6:30 pm to watch the pre-match show.