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The International League T20 2023's inaugural edition kicked off on January 14 with a one-sided affair at the Dubai International Cricket Stadium. Dubai Capitals' skipper stood out of the lot with his all-round show. Powell smashed a 29-ball 48 and followed it up with two wickets including Abu Dhabi Knight Riders' opener Paul Stirling to help his team win the opening encounter by 73 runs.
After winning the toss, Sunil Narine won the toss and opted to field first. In the powerplay overs, opener Robin Uthappa and Joe Root did not quick runs. Root was the first to fall after a 21-ball 26 including two fours and two sixes. Ali Khan became the first bowler to take a wicket in the league.
Bhanuka Rajapaksa could not hit a single boundary and got out for a single-digit score (9). Andre Russell got his wicket in the ninth over. Meanwhile, Uthappa accelerated and tried to stitch a partnership with skipper Powell in the middle overs. Narine ended Uthappa's knock in the 12th over after getting hit for a six. He scored 43 runs from 33 deliveries including three fours and two sixes.
With death overs approaching, Powell decided to take on Khan and hit him for 21 runs in the 13th over. Powell could not get to his half-century either and got dismissed by Ravi Rampaul in the 17th over. He scored 48 runs from 29 deliveries including three fours and as many sixes. He shared a 51-run partnership for the fourth wicket with Sikandar Raza. Rampaul bowled the penultimate over as well and got the wicket of Raza who scored 26 off 17 deliveries including one four and two sixes.
In the final over, Pathan got out for a single-digit score (6). In the slog overs, Ravi Bopara (4-ball 12) and Isuru Udana (3-ball 11) contributed with useful cameos to get the score to 187/6. Ali turned out to be the most expensive bowler as he conceded 45 runs from his three overs despite taking two wickets.
Abu Dhabi Knight Riders' run chase got off to a poor start as Colin Ingram (1) and Brandon King (8) got out for single-digit scores. On the other end, Stirling used fielding restrictions and hit a few boundaries. Local batter Zawar Farid struggled to rotate the strike and the required run rate started climbing. Farid scored just nine runs from 18 balls. His troubled stay at the crease was ended by Mujeeb Ur Rahman in the 10th over. At halfway stage, they were 71/3.
In the 12th over, Stirling lost his wicket to after completing his half-century. Powell got the big wicket. The Irish opener scored 54 runs from 38 deliveries including five fours and two sixes. After Stirling's departure, wickets kept falling at regular intervals and Knight Riders managed to post 114/9. Apart from Stirling and Russell, no other batter could score in double-digits. Akif Raja, Mujeeb and Powell picked up two wickets to help their side win by a big margin of 73 runs.
“The info the guys sent while batting was useful. We were looking at 150 and we got 180. They have two quality spinners, so we tried to save wickets and extend at the back end with our power-hitters. The local lads were excellent. Bowled four overs each and that shows there is a lot of talent here in the UAE. I think it's just the make up of the team, so I bowled. I had a good day with the bat, so I thought I could chance my arm too. We can still improve in a few areas as a team. Good to start the tournament with a Player of the Match award,” Powell said in the post-match presentation.
