The third season of ILT20 is set to enter the playoffs' stage, with Desert Vipers, Dubai Capitals, MI Emirates and Sharjah Warriorz qualifying for the knocout rounds.
The playoffs will begin with Qualifier 1 between Desert Vipers and Dubai Capitals on February 5 at the Dubai International Cricket Stadium, with the winner securing a spot in the final. The Eliminator match between MI Emirates and Sharjah Warriorz on February 6 at Zayed Cricket Stadium in Abu Dhabi will determine who faces the losing team of Qualifier 1 on February 7 at the Sharjah Cricket Stadium for the other spot in the title match.
The final is scheduled for February 9 in Dubai.
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Desert Vipers have distinguished themselves this season, booking their playoff position early through four straight wins. Their batting strength stems from Alex Hales and Sam Curran, who have accumulated 286 and 267 runs respectively.
The bowling department has been led by Wanindu Hasaranga and Mohammad Amir, each securing 11 wickets. Hasaranga stands out with the tournament's finest economy rate of 5.33. Despite their overall success, the Vipers' form has wavered recently with two defeats in their past three encounters.
Their upcoming challenge lies against the Dubai Capitals, who hold a psychological advantage having defeated the Vipers in both their previous meetings this season.
Reflecting on the season so far and looking ahead to the playoffs, Tom Moody, Director of Cricket, Desert Vipers said, "There've been a lot of positive things to reflect on in the seven wins that we've had, a lot of great team performances, a lot of good individual performances as well. For us our focus is on just bringing our best game come Wednesday night."
Following a challenging start with three consecutive defeats, Dubai Capitals rebounded impressively, securing five wins in six matches to claim second position on the points table, improving upon their previous season's runner-up finish.
The Green Belt holder Shai Hope has accumulated 467 runs across ten innings, maintaining an impressive average of 66.71, including three half-centuries and one century. The bowling department has been spearheaded by Dushmantha Chameera, who has secured 12 wickets in eight matches.
Gulbadin Naib has emerged as a valuable all-rounder for the Capitals, contributing 314 runs in 10 innings with three half-centuries, whilst also claiming nine wickets.
Regarding their third successive playoff appearance in ILT20, Sikandar Raza commented, "The extra cushion of being in the top two helps, but hopefully we can make it straight to the final and not have to play the Eliminator. Regardless, our goal is to win the final this year."
The defending champions, MI Emirates, secured their playoff position as the second qualified team. Their campaign has shown varying form, achieving five victories in 10 matches. Tom Banton has distinguished himself as their leading performer with 464 runs, including two centuries - an ILT20 first. Captain Nicholas Pooran has made notable contributions with three half-centuries.
MI Emirates bowler Fazalhaq Farooqi currently holds the White Belt with an impressive 20 wickets across 10 matches, including a league-best performance of 5 for 16 against Dubai Capitals.
After enduring four consecutive defeats, the Sharjah Warriorz bounced back with three straight wins to secure fourth position, accumulating 10 points from their 10 matches.
The batting success has been primarily driven by their opening pair, with Tom Kohler-Cadmore and Johnson Charles contributing 347 and 305 runs respectively, each scoring three half-centuries. The bowling unit is led by Adam Milne and skipper Tim Southee, who have claimed 11 and 8 wickets respectively.
The Warriorz enter the eliminator fresh from an eight-wicket victory over MI Emirates in their final league fixture. Their previous encounter with MI Emirates earlier in the tournament had resulted in a nine-wicket defeat, which initiated their losing streak.
The tournament offers USD 1.3 million in prize money, with USD 700,000 allocated for the winners and USD 300,000 for the runners-up.
