Mohammad Abdullah, Senior Sports Reporter
Dubai Capitals will look to continue their winning streak against Desert Vipers in the much-anticipated final of the ILt20 to lay down their hands on the glittering trophy.
It is expected to be a high-octane game as both the teams have met twice in the league stages and once in the knockouts and the Capitals have emerged winners every time.
While Vipers will look to break the jinx and lift the trophy. Irrespective of the fact whoever wins the final, the ILT20 will see a new champion. In the first seasons, Gulf Giants and MI Emirates were the winners.
Despite dominating the round-robin stage and winning six of the first seven matches, Viper have been defeated by Capitals thrice in the tournament.
Out of their four losses in 12 games, Vipers were defeated by their final opponents three times and once by Sharjah Warriors. Vipers were in blistering form right from the beginning and went on to become the first team to book a berth in the knockout stage while Capitals started slowly but they peaked at the right time.
Capitals morale must be high as they are coming into the match on the back of three consecutive wins – two of them coming against the Vipers, one in their last round robin match and the other in the first qualifier. Capitals defeated Vipers by five wickets in the first qualifier by five wickets and by nine wickets in their last round-robin match.
Moreover, Vipers suffered a huge blow, as they will be playing without their skipper Lockie Ferguson, who is nursing a hamstring injury. He could not bowl the delivery in the first qualifier and Mohammad Amir was called to complete the over. He did not play in the second qualifier against Sharjah Warrioz also.
But Ferguson exuded confidence in his players, saying there is enough depth in the team that they can still win the match without him.
“I just felt a little pain in my hamstring. It is very unfortunate that I will not be able to play tomorrow. I will be very much supporting from the sideline,” Ferguson was quoted as saying in a podcast interview to the Vipers.
“But with the depth we have got in the squad you could see how well-balanced we were in the game against Warrior. I am sure the boys will not miss me too much.
“It was an exceptional game, a true team performance. I thought Dan Lawrence took the game away from Warriroz. Everyone played their part in that win, which is something I think the Vipers very much pride ourselves on,” he added.
Ferguson played down the talks of any kind of pressure because of three consecutive losses against the Capitals.
“We had a very close game against the Capitals in the first qualifier but tomorrow. It went down to the wire and the result came off the last ball.
“It is final tomorrow. We both start on zero. Our focus is on the final and we are not thinking about the past games. It is an exciting time for players to step up for their teams. There is always pressure in a final, it’s a big opportunity and pressure comes with opportunity,” he concluded.
Alex Hales has led the Vipers’ charge with the bat, scoring three half-centuries and piling up 400 runs in 12 matches. His team-mate Sam Curran has 325 runs to his name in 12 innings.
Wanindu Hasaranga, Amir and Ferguson are the other players who have been the star performers for Vipers. Hasaranga and Amir both have picked 12 wickets each to be followed by Ferguson with 11 scalps.
Meanwhile, Sam Billing, the skipper of Capitals, said that the players are very excited and looking forward to the final in anticipation.
“The atmosphere in the dressing room is positive ahead of the title showdown. The morale of the players is high as we have had a good run in the last few matches.
“We are playing as a team. We are depending on stars. Different players have stepped up in the different matches for us throughout the competition.
“No doubt, there have been a few players who have been performers like Shai Hope and Gulbadin Naib. So, we are looking forward to tomorrow’s match.
Naib has been their star player, scoring a massive 376 runs and taking 11 wickets. He smashed three half-centuries in his last three matches against the Vipers.
Billings was all praise for Naib as he summed it up, “He has been fantastic. He is a three-dimensional cricketer, who is grabbing every opportunity with both hands. Hopefully tomorrow he can put on a show for the fans.”
Shai Hope is the second-highest scorer in the league with 484 runs in 11 innings at an average of 60.50. He is nine runs behind MI Emirates’ Tom Banton.
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