Dubai Capitals into playoffs after 26-run Knight Riders win

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David Warner's explosive batting propelled the Dubai Capitals into the playoffs of the DP World ILT20 Season 3 after they clinched a stunning 26-run win over the Abu Dhabi Knight Riders at the Dubai International Cricket Stadium on Sunday.

With the win, the Dubai Capitals become the fourth and final team to seal their spot in the playoffs.

Warner, playing his first match of the season, was the game-changer as his magnificent unbeaten 93 steered the Dubai Capitals to their sixth win in seven matches against the Abu Dhabi Knight Riders.

Chasing a steep total of 218, the Knight Riders had their task cut out as they needed an outright win to stay alive in the competition. Their batters got off to a cagey start, but once they got going, there was no stopping them. Andries Gous was the wrecker-in-chief as he clobbered six boundaries in 11 deliveries to guide his side to 50/0 at the end of the powerplay. Having set the tempo for the chase, Kyle Mayers stepped on the gas with a few clutch boundaries.

Gous and Mayers formed the foundation of the Knight Riders' chase as they looked well-set at the halfway mark at 89/0, with both batters firing on all cylinders. However, an inspired bowling change gave the Capitals a route back into the contest as Gulbadin Naib outfoxed Mayers. Having been hit for a massive six in the previous ball, Naib recovered well to bamboozle Mayers with a slower delivery as the West Indian missed out on a 50 after falling for a brilliant 42 off 29.

Joe Clarke joined Gous, who was on 55, and the American turned it up a notch. He struck back-to-back sixes off Ahmad - the first over long-on and the second straight over the bowler's head - as the Knight Riders amassed 122/1 in 13 overs and needed 96 runs off the final 42 deliveries.

Clarke launched an astonishing 91m six over long-on and retired hurt soon after to be replaced by the big-hitting Andre Russell. However, the momentum swung in the Capitals’ way as the Knight Riders suddenly had two new batsmen at the crease after a stellar 17th over from Dushmantha Chameera. Gous was the first to depart as he looked for a maximum but was caught out at mid-wicket for a 78 off 47. The Knight Riders’ strategy of retiring Clarke to bring on Russell didn’t pay off as the West Indian got out on his first ball.

The Capitals had more reasons to celebrate as David Willey fell after making just one run and the Knight Riders were stranded at 153/5, needing 65 runs in 18 balls. It proved to be too big a target to chase as the Dubai Capitals closed out a commanding 26-run win. This was the first time in seven matches that the team batting first had won the match at the Dubai International Cricket Stadium.

Batting first, the Dubai Capitals made a strong start as both their openers, Shai Hope and Warner, looked in fine touch. The duo took turns to find the boundaries as the Capitals raced to 43/0 inside the powerplay, despite Willey’s stunning spell in which he gave away just 11 runs in three overs.

The Knight Riders nearly had their breakthrough in the seventh over when Warner holed out, but Russell couldn’t hold on to the catch. Warner capitalised on the reprieve as he smashed Gudakesh Motie for four boundaries in the next over to get going. Hope followed that up with two sixes before Roston Chase bowled him to snap the 82-run opening wicket stand.

Warner went on to raise his half-century in 33 deliveries and achieved a milestone in the process as this was his career’s 116th 50+ score in T20s, the most by any batter in the world. The swashbuckling Australian went after the opposition bowlers, hitting Sunil Narine for a massive six, as the Capitals had 111 runs on the board after 12 overs. With a healthy 9+ run rate, they were on track to put up a 200+ total.

Naib kept the scorers busy as he fired a couple of big hits to race to 27 runs off 15 deliveries. The Knight Riders’ fielding was sub-par as Alishan Sharafu dropped Naib in the 15th over and the Afghan star went on to dispatch two massive sixes off Jason Holder to steer his side closer to a mammoth total.

Narine came back into the attack and struck right away as Naib was dismissed for a superb 25-ball 47. 

Sunil Narine, captain of the Abu Dhabi Knight Riders, said: Sunil: “It was decent (the season). I think we still gave it all we could give. It’s not the result we wanted but someone had to win and someone had to lose. In a must-win game, you don't want to chase 217. We had a decent start and tried to take it deep but we didn't finish as we wanted to. They bowled brilliantly and that was the key factor.”

Player of the match, David Warner said: "[The innings] took me back to when I was 21 again. You need to have that positive attitude. Shai made my job easier. We got off to a positive start and put up a competitive total. I tried to hit straight. I am still learning. I love this game. I owe this game a lot. Hopefully, I can get one better next game.”

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