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The MI Emirates recorded their second victory of the International League T20 (ILT20) 2025 during their clash against the Abu Dhabi Knight Riders on Thursday. It was a superb all-round performance from the Kieron Pollard-led side as they completely dominated the match and eventually won it by seven wickets. On the other hand, the Knight Riders recorded their third consecutive loss of the tournament.
After being invited to bat first, the Knight Riders had a dismal start and lost Phil Salt in just the third over to Romario Shepherd. Alex Hales would depart in the very next over as Fazalhaq Farooqi got his first scalp of the day. The duo of Brendan McMullen and Alishan Sharafu tried to provide some stability to the innings, but their 24-run stand would come to an end in the eighth over as the former was sent back to the pavilion by Kamindu Mendis.
Knight Riders' batting order collapses
Both Liam Livingstone and Sherfane Rutherford fell cheply for two and seven runs respectively as the Knight Riders got restricted down to 74/5 at one stage. A much-needed partnership between Sharafu and Sunil Narine would see them cross the 100-run mark. However, the fall of Sharafu's wicket for 38 runs in the 16th over triggered a collapse. The Knight Riders would lose their remaining four wickets in the space of just 12 runs and got bundled out for a total of only 122 in 19.3 overs. Farooqi was the star performer for MI Emirates, finishing with figures of 4/14 while Mendis also contributed brilliantly with figures of 3/21.
In reply, the MI Emirates had a decent start thanks to the opening duo of Muhammad Waseem and Jonny Bairstow. The former looked to be in great touch, but lost his wicket to Ajay Kumar for 27 runs in the fourth over. They would then lose the big wicket of Nicholas Pooran for just three runs in the next over, restricting them to 46/2. However, the partnership between Bairstow and Tom Banton completely shifted the game in the favour of MI Emirates.
Comfortable win for MI Emirates
The English duo played some fine shots and took the side over the 100-run mark with many overs left to spare. While Banton lost his wicket to Khary Pierre for 29 runs in the 13th over, the damage was well and truly done already. Bairstow's unbeaten knock of 49 and Mendis' cameo of 10 saw the MI Emirates reach the target of 123 with 37 deliveries left to spare. It was a dominant seven-wicket victory for the side and they now stand third on the ILT20 standings with four points from as many games. On the other hand, the Knight Riders are down to fifth with just two points from four matches.
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