Despite a 40-ball 61 from captain Nicholas Pooran, defending champions MI Emirates opened their 2025 International League T20 (ILT20) campaign with an agonizing one-run loss to the Dubai Capitals at the Dubai International Cricket Stadium on Saturday.
MI Emirates bowled brilliantly after winning the toss to restrict the Capitals to 133-8 from their 20 overs.
Scotland’s Brandon McMullen played some eye-catching shots on his way to a top score of 58 off 42 balls including four fours and three sixes.
West Indies T20 skipper Rovman Powell also showed flashes of good form with the bat with 25 off 20 balls including one four and two sixes.
Afghan pacer Fazalhaq Farooqi was brilliant with both the new ball and at the death, claiming excellent figures of 5-16 from his four overs while the other two wickets credited to bowlers were shared by Alzarri Joseph and Zahoor Khan.
The Emirates chase started horribly with Muhammad Waseem (0), Andre Fletcher (0), Tom Banton (7) and Kusal Perera (12) all falling in the first powerplay with the score on just 23.
Captain Pooran and Akeal Hosein then put on 79 for the fifth wicket before Hosein fell for 30 off 31 balls in the 16th over, bringing the vastly experienced Kieron Pollard to the crease to join Pooran with MI Emirates needing just 32 off 28 balls.
What seemed like it was going to be an easy chase was made more difficult when Pooran held out to long on off the bowling of Gulbadin Naib with the score on 120 in the 18th over needing 14 off 15 balls.
Two balls and no runs later, Alzarri Joseph fell for a duck making life more difficult for Pollard and incoming batsman AM Ghazanfar.
The pressure went up about 80% when the 19th over, bowled by Olly Stone, went for just one, leaving MI Emirates needing 13 off the final over with Pollard on strike.
The responsibility of facing Pollard in the final over fell on the shoulders of 20-year-old debutant Farhan Khan.
The first two legal balls of the over were dots, sandwiched by a wide. Pollard made significant enough contact with the third, producing a boundary over behind square leg leaving the equation at eight off three.
The next two balls went for just two, meaning Pollard could be the hero of the day with a six off the final ball.
Unfortunately for him, he could only produce a one-bounce four off the last ball meaning the Emirates finished 132-7 off their 20 overs.
Pollard finished 16* off 15 balls. Gulbadin Naib was the pick of the bowlers with 3-13 from his four overs while Olly Stone finished with 2-14 from his four overs.
Full Scores:
Dubai Capitals 133-8 in 20 overs (Brandon McMullen 58, Rovman Powell 25, Fazalhaq Farooqi 5-16)
MI Emirates 132-7 in 20 overs (Nicholas Pooran 61, Akeal Hosein 30, Gulbadin Naib 3-13, Olly Stone 2-14).