Sport

ILT20’s maiden match ends in 73-run win for Dubai Capitals

Published

3 years ago

January 14, 2023

The United Arab Emirates’ much-anticipated International League T20 kicked off on Friday night when Dubai Capitals took on Abu Dhabi Riders in the league’s inaugural match.

Dubai Capitals skipper Rovman Powell shone at the Dubai International Stadium cracking 48 runs and bagging two wickets to secure his team a 73-run win.

Powell’s mission to win the opener was well supported by opener Robin Uthappa (43) and quick knocks of 26 runs each from opener Joe Root and Sikandar Raza for an impressive total of 187 for 6. Powell (2 for 15) along with Akif Raja (2 for 20) and Afghanistan’s Mujeeb Ur Rahman (2 for 16) restricted Abu Dhabi Riders to 114 for 9 in 20 overs. Another highlight of Dubai Capitals’ splendid win was Root’s four catches, CrickTracker reported.

Dubai Capitals’ all-rounder Sikandar Raza said, “The mood in the camp is quite good after winning the match. It’s always nice to start the tournament well. Close to 190 was a really good total on that wicket in Dubai. Joe Root is a star and a class cricketer. He showed his class on that wicket today. He told me that the wicket is slightly two-paced. He had said that 160 would be a good total on this wicket.”

Meanwhile, the Abu Dhabi Knight Riders’ captain Sunil Narine said: “The Dubai Capitals bowled well and we couldn’t string enough partnerships to chase down the total. We will work on that and hopefully, we will come to the party. I will try my level best to contribute to our team’s performance and hopefully, I can put up a better performance in the upcoming games.”

Player of the Match was Rovman Powell.

Tournament details

The tournament will be played in a 34-match format across the UAE’s world-class cricket facilities in Dubai, Abu Dhabi and Sharjah and will run through to February 12.

Franchise teams, comprising over 100 International and 24 UAE-based players, include Abu Dhabi Knight Riders (Knight Riders Group), Desert Vipers (Lancer Capital), Dubai Capitals (GMR), Gulf Giants (Adani Sportsline), MI Emirates (Reliance Industries), and Sharjah Warriors (Capri Global).

The full squads are:

ABU DHABI KNIGHT RIDERS SQUAD

Sunil Narine (WI) (c), Charith Asalanka (SL), Ali Khan (USA), Marchant de Lange (SA), Dhananjaya de Silva (SL), Connor Esterhuizen (SA), Fahad Nawaz, Brandon Glover (NED), Akeal Hosein (WI), Colin Ingram (SA), Lahiru Kumara (SL), Kennar Lewis (WI), Treveen Mathew (SL), Matiullah Khan, Ravi Rampaul (WI), Raymon Reifer (WI), Andre Russell (WI), Sabir Ali, Paul Stirling (IRE), Zawar Farid.

DESERT VIPERS SQUAD

Colin Munro (NZ) (c), Ali Naseer, Gus Atkinson (ENG), Sam Billings (ENG), Dinesh Chandimal (SL), Sheldon Cottrell (WI), Tom Curran (ENG), Wanindu Hasaranga (SL), Alex Hales (ENG), Benny Howell (ENG), Jake Lintott (ENG), Adam Lyth (ENG), Tymal Mills (ENG), Ronak Panoly, Matheesha Pathirana (SL), Rohan Mustafa, Sherfane Rutherford (WI), Shiraz Ahmed, Ruben Trumpelmann (NAM), Mark Watt (SCO).

DUBAI CAPITALS SQUAD

Rovman Powell (WI) (c), Akif Raja, Fabian Allen (WI), Ravi Bopara (ENG), Chirag Suri, Niroshan Dickwella (SL), Jash Giyanani, Hazrat Luqman, Hazratullah Zazai (AFG), Chamika Karunaratne (SL), Fred Klaassen (NED), Dan Lawrence (ENG), Mujeeb Ur Rahman (AFG), George Munsey (SCO), Yusuf Pathan (IND), Bhanuka Rajapaksa (SL), Joe Root (ENG), Dasun Shanaka (SL), Sikandar Raza (ZIM), Isuru Udana (SL), Robin Uthappa (IND), Ollie White (NZ).

GULF GIANTS SQUAD

James Vince (ENG) (c), Aayan Afzal Khan, Tom Banton (ENG), Liam Dawson (ENG), Dominic Drakes (WI), Gerhard Erasmus (NAM), Richard Gleeson (ENG), Tom Helm (ENG), Shimron Hetmyer (WI), Chris Jordan (ENG), Chris Lynn (AUS), Jamie Overton (ENG), Ollie Pope (ENG), Qais Ahmad (AFG), Rehan Ahmed (ENG), Chundangapoyil Rizwan, Sanchit Sharma, Ashwant Valthapa, David Wiese (NAM).

MI EMIRATES SQUAD

Kieron Pollard (WI) (c), Vritya Aravind, Basil Hameed, Trent Boult (NZ), Dwayne Bravo (WI), McKenny Clarke (WI), Bas de Leede (NED), Fazalhaq Farooqi (AFG), Andre Fletcher (WI), Imran Tahir (SA), Tom Lammonby (ENG), Dan Mousley (ENG), Muhammad Waseem, Najibullah Zadran (AFG), Craig Overton (ENG), Samit Patel (ENG), Nicholas Pooran (WI), Will Smeed (ENG), Jordan Thompson (ENG), Lorcan Tucker (IRE), Brad Wheel (SCO), Zahir Khan (AFG), Zahoor Khan.

SHARJAH WARRIORS SQUAD

Moeen Ali (ENG) (c), Chris Benjamin (ENG) (wk), Bilal Khan (PAK), Joe Denly (ENG), Mark Deyal (WI), Jamal Todd (NZ), Junaid Siddique, Tom Kohler-Cadmore (ENG), Evin Lewis (WI), Dawid Malan (ENG), Karthik Meiyappan, Mohammad Nabi (AFG), Muhammad Jawadullah, Naveen-ul-Haq (AFG), Noor Ahmad (AFG), Rahmanullah Gurbaz (AFG) (wk), Alishan Sharafu, Marcus Stoinis (AUS), Paul Walter (ENG), Chris Woakes (ENG).

How to watch the tournament

Cricket fans in Afghanistan are once again able to watch this world-class tournament live and in the comfort of their own homes by tuning in to Ariana Television.

For the full broadcasting schedule CLICK HERE

Related Topics:#AbuDhabiKnightRiders #DubaiCapitals Cricket featured ILT20 UAE

Up Next

MI Emirates begin ILT20 campaign with clinical win against Warriors

Don't Miss

Afghan players call for politics to be kept out of sport

Sport

Early medal leaders emerge as Winter Olympics continue in Italy

Published

1 day ago

February 9, 2026

Ariana News

The 2026 Winter Olympic Games continued to build momentum over the weekend as the early medal race took shape and athletes delivered standout performances across venues in northern Italy.

After the first days of competition, Italy, Japan and Norway sit among the early leaders on the medal table, each with three medals apiece, including one gold, one silver and one bronze. Sweden follows with two medals, while Switzerland, Slovenia, Canada and China have each secured one medal so far.

Host nation Italy provided one of the Games’ early highlights with its first gold medal, sparking celebrations among home supporters and boosting confidence as competition intensifies.

Elsewhere, traditional winter sports powerhouses have begun asserting themselves in disciplines including speed skating, alpine skiing and cross-country skiing, while team sports such as curling and ice hockey are settling into early round-robin play.

Attention now turns to Monday’s schedule, which features another full day of competition and several medal events. Athletes are set to compete across alpine skiing, speed skating, luge, cross-country skiing and figure skating, while preliminary and group-stage action continues in curling and ice hockey.

With qualification battles tightening, results on Monday are expected to further reshape the standings.

As the Winter Games move deeper into their opening week, storylines are rapidly emerging around defending champions, rising stars and nations looking to build early momentum in the medal race.

Ariana Television holds the exclusive rights to broadcast Winter Olympic events across Afghanistan, providing live coverage to viewers nationwide throughout the Games.

Fans are encouraged to follow Ariana News and Ariana Television’s social media pages for updated schedules, programming information, highlights and results as the competition continues in Milan and Cortina.

Sport

Champions League Elite action continues as qualification race tightens

Published

1 day ago

February 9, 2026

Ariana News

The AFC Champions League Elite 2025/26 returns with an action-packed slate of matches today as top Asian clubs continue their battle for qualification in the league stage of the continent’s premier club competition.

With the margin for error narrowing, teams across the region are expected to approach today’s fixtures with urgency as the race toward the knockout rounds intensifies.

Monday’s scheduled matches include:

Al-Wahda vs Al AhliNasaf Qarshi vs Al-ShortaAl Duhail vs SharjahShabab Al-Ahli vs Al Hilal

The fixtures bring together established continental contenders and ambitious challengers, promising a day of tactical contests, attacking football and high-stakes drama as clubs look to strengthen their positions in the standings.

All Champions League Elite matches scheduled for today, February 9, will be broadcast live and exclusively on Ariana Television, giving fans across Afghanistan and the region full access to Asia’s top club football action.

Fans are encouraged to follow Ariana News and Ariana Television’s social media pages for updated match schedules, kickoff times and programming information, as well as highlights and post-match coverage.

As the road to continental glory continues, today’s Champions League Elite fixtures are expected to deliver another compelling chapter in the 2025/26 season.

Sport

New Zealand cruise past Afghanistan by five wickets in T20 World Cup

Despite the strong batting display, Afghanistan struggled to contain New Zealand’s deep and aggressive batting lineup.

Published

2 days ago

February 8, 2026

Ariana News

New Zealand produced a confident all-round performance to defeat Afghanistan by five wickets, chasing down a target of 183 with 13 balls to spare in their first match of the T20 World Cup in India’s Chennai on Sunday.

Afghanistan, batting first, posted a competitive 182 for 6 from their 20 overs, built around a powerful knock from Gulbadin Naib, who top-scored with 63 off 35 balls. Naib’s innings, laced with clean hitting and smart placement, gave Afghanistan much-needed momentum after a mixed start. Contributions from Rahmanullah Gurbaz (27) and Sediqullah Atal (29) helped steady the innings, while late runs pushed the total beyond the 180 mark.

Despite the strong batting display, Afghanistan struggled to contain New Zealand’s deep and aggressive batting lineup.

New Zealand’s chase was anchored by Tim Seifert, who set the tone at the top with a fluent 65 off 42 balls, attacking both pace and spin with ease. Although early wickets fell, Glenn Phillips swung the match decisively with a blistering 42 off 25 deliveries, keeping the required run rate firmly in check.

The middle order ensured there were no late jitters, with Daryl Mitchell (25 not out) and captain Mitchell Santner (17 not out) calmly guiding the team home in 17.5 overs, finishing at 183 for 5.

Afghanistan’s bowlers found moments of success, particularly Mujeeb Ur Rahman, but were unable to apply sustained pressure as New Zealand consistently found boundaries during key phases of the chase.

Afghanistan will face South Africa in their next match on Wednesday.