International Sports

ILT20: Abu Dhabi Knight Riders defeat Gulf Giants by 37 runs

It was a tough outing for the Giants batters as they lost both openers in the powerplay

Published

2 years ago

January 20, 2025

Ariana News

Last Updated on: January 22, 2025

The Abu Dhabi Knight Riders clinched their second victory of the DP World ILT20 Season 3, defeating the Gulf Giants by 37 runs at a packed Dubai International Stadium on Sunday evening.

Despite Aayan Afzal Khan’s shrewd four-wicket haul for just 16 runs, which set a new record for the best figures by a UAE player in DP World ILT20 history, the Knight Riders posted 176/9, buoyed by Michael Pepper’s half-century.

Ibrar Ahmad, Jason Holder and Ali Khan each bagged two wickets to keep the Giants at bay.

It was a tough outing for the Giants batters as they lost both openers in the powerplay. Adam Lyth was scalped by David Willey in the first over, while skipper James Vince who looked in good form, miscued off Ibrar Ahmad for 14 runs in the fourth over.

At 40/2 by the end of the powerplay, the Giants were falling well behind the equation. The innings unraveled further as Jordan Cox departed for 10 runs and Ibrahim Zadran was bowled by Sunil Narine after he had worked hard for 24 runs in 22 balls.

At the ten-over mark, the Giants were wobbling at 62/4. The onus was on Gerhard Erasmus and Shimron Hetmyer to steer another run chase but it was not to be. Hetmyer had made 20 runs in 15 balls before he holed out to Sunil Narine off Super Sub Ali Khan. Jason Holder then removed Gerhard Erasmus after the Namibian had accumulated 24 runs in 23 balls to leave the score at 96/6 in 14.1 overs

The target proved too steep as Holder claimed his second wicket through Mark Adair for 19 runs as the Giants finished proceedings at 139/8.

In the first innings, an exciting powerplay for the Abu Dhabi Knight Riders treated the fans to runs and wickets, finishing the phase at 60/2. Kyle Mayers and Andries Gous took the initiative racing to 19 and 17 runs respectively, in 12 balls each. The assault was halted when Tymal Mills castled Kyle Mayers in the fourth over and Gous was caught behind off Wahidullah Zadran in the fifth over.

Coming at number four, Michael Pepper took flight early in the innings, creaming Mark Adair for three consecutive boundaries. Pepper went on to log a 31-ball fifty including six fours and a six. Along with the support of Joe Clarke, the pair built a 50-run partnership in 33 balls.

It looked like the Knight Riders were on track for a massive total until Aayan Afzal Khan turned the tide, returning enviable figures of 4 for 16 – the best figures for a UAE player in the DP World ILT20 (the previous record holder was Zuhaib Zuhair with 4 for 22 for Gulf Giants against Sharjah Warriorz in 2024).

Aayan opened his account when he cleaned up Joe Clarke for 24 runs in the 11th over. He followed it up with the wickets of Alishan Sharafu, Andrew Russell and Sunil Narine, of whom only Andre Russell made it to double figures with 12 runs. At the end of Aayan’s spell, the Knight Riders were at 131/6 in 15 overs.

In the death overs, Pepper was caught behind off Mark Adair for 57 runs, while Laurie Evans, Jason Holder and David Willey made small contributions. Blessing Muzarabani snatched two wickets in Evans and Holder as the Knight Riders finished proceedings at 176/9.

Player of the Match, Michael Pepper said: “When I went in, when the ball was hard, it came on nicely. Not too much bounce in the wicket. Through the innings, it got slower and slower and started turning a little bit more. There is a lot of instinct that goes in, waiting for your areas and then going from there. We have a long batting order; everyone can hit it out of the ground, but it still must be the batters that score runs”

Abu Dhabi Knight Riders captain, Sunil Narine said: “We were always thinking two steps ahead and there were more hands on deck. We could have gone closer to 200 after our start. Losing wickets in clusters denied us and that is something we can work on moving ahead. Our batting depth, it is a good problem. You have players batting down the order who might be playing higher otherwise. The guys are willing, and it is about them trying to make the best of whatever position they get.”

Monday’s match

Dubai Capitals will take on Desert Vipers on Monday, January 20, at the Dubai International Stadium at 7pm.

The match will be broadcast live across Afghanistan by Ariana Television.

A pre-match program will start at t live on Ariana Television from 7pm. The pre-match show will start at 6.30pm Kabul time.

The full broadcasting schedule is as below:

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International Sports

Crystal Palace cruise into EFL Cup fourth round

Strand Larsen doubled the advantage eight minutes after the restart, meeting Ben Chilwell’s cross from the left to score his second of the night.

Published

2 weeks ago

September 9, 2026

Ariana News

Crystal Palace advanced to the fourth round of the English Football League (EFL) Cup with a comfortable 3-0 victory over Championship side Middlesbrough at Selhurst Park.

Jørgen Strand Larsen scored twice with headers, one in each half, before substitute Daichi Kamada added a superb third to seal Palace’s progress.

Palace, who made eight changes from their 3-2 Premier League win over Fulham, took the lead when Óscar Mingueza delivered a cross from the right for Strand Larsen to head home.

Strand Larsen doubled the advantage eight minutes after the restart, meeting Ben Chilwell’s cross from the left to score his second of the night.

Kamada then completed the victory shortly after coming on, expertly chipping the ball over Middlesbrough goalkeeper Sol Brynn from outside the penalty area.

Middlesbrough struggled to create clear chances, with Amario Cozier-Duberry forcing Palace goalkeeper Walter Benítez into a save with 15 minutes remaining.

Strand Larsen was named Player of the Match after a standout performance.

Chelsea vs Leeds live on ATN

Football fans in Afghanistan can watch tonight’s EFL Cup action live and exclusively on Ariana Television Network (ATN), with Chelsea taking on Leeds United.

ATN will broadcast Chelsea vs Leeds live tonight, giving fans across Afghanistan the chance to watch the match exclusively on Ariana Television.

International Sports

Messi returns to Inter Miami after Argentina retirement

The Argentine superstar marked his return by creating both of Miami’s goals, underlining his continued importance to the club after revealing his decision to step away from the Argentina national team.

Published

3 weeks ago

September 6, 2026

Ariana News

Lionel Messi returned to Inter Miami action on Saturday following his announcement that he is retiring from international football, helping the Major League Soccer champions to a 2-2 draw with Atlanta United.

The Argentine superstar marked his return by creating both of Miami’s goals, underlining his continued importance to the club just days after revealing his decision to step away from the Argentina national team.

The match was delayed by 90 minutes because of thunderstorms and lightning, but Messi provided plenty of fireworks once play finally got underway.

Miami opened the scoring in the 32nd minute when Brazilian midfielder Casemiro rose to head home Messi’s corner.

Atlanta hit back just three minutes later, with former Newcastle forward Miguel Almirón firing a low shot beyond the Miami defence.

Messi was again at the centre of the action just before half-time. He started a move down the left that eventually allowed former Liverpool and Barcelona striker Luis Suárez to calmly finish and restore Miami’s lead.

But Atlanta refused to surrender, with Swiss striker Breel Embolo converting an 87th-minute penalty to earn the visitors a point.

For Messi, the match represented his first appearance since announcing his international retirement and offered an early glimpse of the next chapter of his career, with his focus now firmly on Inter Miami.

The result came during a busy night of MLS action.

Toronto and Chicago played out a remarkable 4-4 draw, while Philadelphia defeated Montreal 2-0, with 16-year-old Cavan Sullivan scoring his fourth goal of the season.

Sullivan now has 11 goal contributions this season, surpassing Freddy Adu’s previous record of 10 for a 16-year-old.

In Orlando, Antoine Griezmann scored in the 28th minute to give the hosts a 1-0 victory over San Diego, while Austin rescued a 1-1 draw against San Jose through Guilherme Biro’s seventh-minute stoppage-time equaliser.

International Sports

Iranian clubs to face Gulf opponents at neutral venues in Asian Champions League Elite

Tehran-based Esteghlal and Tabriz-based Tractor will face UAE sides Al Ain, Al Wasl and Shabab Al Ahli, as well as Qatar’s Al Gharafa, Al Sadd and Al Shamal.

Published

3 weeks ago

September 2, 2026

Ariana News

Iranian clubs Esteghlal and Tractor will play their AFC Champions League Elite matches against teams from Qatar and the United Arab Emirates at neutral venues, following the August 18 league-stage draw in Kuala Lumpur.

The Asian Football Confederation’s (AFC) premier club competition is scheduled to begin on September 14, with matches involving the Iranian clubs to be played at neutral venues.

Tehran-based Esteghlal and Tabriz-based Tractor will face UAE sides Al Ain, Al Wasl and Shabab Al Ahli, as well as Qatar’s Al Gharafa, Al Sadd and Al Shamal.

The 2026/27 AFC Champions League Elite features an expanded 32-team format, with 16 clubs competing in each of the Western and Eastern zones. The top eight teams from each zone will advance to the round of 16.

The knockout stages will continue through the regional rounds, with the quarterfinals, semifinals and final scheduled to be played in Saudi Arabia from April 23 to May 1, 2027.

Meanwhile, Ariana Television Network (ATN) will broadcast AFC Champions League Elite matches across Afghanistan, bringing fans nationwide live coverage of some of the biggest club football fixtures in Asia.

Fans across Afghanistan are urged to stay tuned to ATN for more updates, match schedules and broadcast details.