ILT20: Shakib Al Hasan stars in MI Emirates' four-wicket win over Desert Vipers

MI Emirates sealed their third consecutive win in ILT20 Season 4 with a composed four-wicket victory over table-toppers Desert Vipers at the Dubai International Stadium on Sunday. After a disciplined bowling display restricted the Vipers to a modest total, MI Emirates held their nerve in a tricky chase, guided by Kieron Pollard’s timely assault and Shakib Al Hasan’s all-round brilliance.

Batting first, Desert Vipers struggled for momentum on a slow surface and were limited to 124, with Dan Lawrence top-scoring with a gritty 35 off 34 balls. MI Emirates’ spinners, led by Shakib’s miserly 2 for 14, choked the scoring, while Zahoor Khan’s precise death bowling ensured the total never threatened to climb.



In reply, MI Emirates lost early wickets and crawled through the powerplay at 35/2. The middle overs remained tense as the Vipers applied pressure through disciplined bowling. Nicholas Pooran and Tom Banton fell attempting to accelerate, leaving the chase delicately poised.

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Pollard then shifted the momentum decisively, smashing two sixes off Qais Ahmad to tilt the contest. Even after his dismissal, Shakib remained composed, anchoring the innings before striking the winning boundary to finish unbeaten on 17, as MI Emirates crossed the line with 15 balls to spare.

Earlier, Chris Woakes set the tone with a frugal opening spell, while Allah Ghazanfar and Arab Gul chipped in with key breakthroughs. Shakib’s double strike in the middle overs derailed the Vipers, and despite a cautious stand between Lawrence and Jason Roy, the innings never fully recovered.

Player of the Match Shakib said the surface rewarded disciplined spin bowling and acknowledged the importance of playing an anchoring role in a challenging chase.

“It was a surface that suited the spinners, and the focus was on hitting the right areas consistently. I was able to do that today, which was pleasing. I’m glad it helped the team. Batting wasn’t easy on this pitch either. With so many powerful hitters in our lineup, someone needed to play the anchoring role, and I was happy to take on that responsibility to make sure we finished the chase,” said Shakib.


Vipers stand-in skipper Sam Curran cited the slow pitch, quality spin attack, and squad rotation as key factors in the defeat. He said: “It was another low-scoring game on a tricky surface. The pitch was slow, and facing a side like MI Emirates, who have high-quality spinners with a lot of variation, made it even tougher. Despite that, I thought our bowlers put in a strong effort. With qualification already secured, we chose to rotate the squad, and what happened to Lockie reinforces the importance of managing workloads.”

Brief Scores
Desert Vipers: 124/7 in 20 overs (Dan Lawrence 35 not out, Max Holden 20; Shakib Al Hasan 2/14, Zahoor Khan 2/17)
MI Emirates: 128/6 in 17.3 overs (Kieron Pollard 26, Sanjay Krishnamurthi 21; Matiullah Khan 2/18, Dan Lawrence 1/13)


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