The ILT20 2025 campaign came to and end on Sunday with the Dubai Capitals beating the Desert Vipesr to win their maiden title. It was a thrilling final with the Capitals winning the match with just four balls to spare.
The Capitals won the toss and opted to bowl first in Dubai. Batting first, the Vipers piled up a competitive score of 189/5. Max Holden, the England batter scored 76 off 51 balls. He alongside skipper Sam Curran (62* off 33) and a cameo fro Azam Khan (27 off 13) took them to that score. Openers Rahmanulah Gurbaz and Alex Hales were dismssed cheaply.
Windies pacer Oned McCoy took two for the Capitals. Haider Ali and Sikandar Raza took one each. Qais Ahmed bowled an economical spell of nine for 32 off his four overs.
The Capitals in the chase, did not have a good start as they lost David Warner (4) and Gulbadin Naib (5) early. Windies keeper-batter Shai Hope anchored the innings with 43 off 39 balls. The real impetus to the innings was provided by the lower-order.
After skipper Sam Billings' dismissal, Rovman Powell scored 63 off 38 balls. He powered seven four and three sixes and scored at a strike rate of 165. Former Sri Lankan skipper Dasun Shanaka scored 21 off 10 balls and Sikandar Raza after picking a wicket with the ball, chipped in with 32 off 12 deliveries. The Capitals needed nine off the final over and it was Raza who scored the winning runs for the Capitals.
Sam Curran Named Player Of The Tournament
Fazalhaq Farooqi was nominated as the best bowler of the tournament. He picked up 21 wickets from 11 matches. Shai Hope scored the most runs with 527 at an average of 58.56 from 12 matches. Sam Curran won the Player Of The Tournament due to his all-round performance with bat and ball. The southpaw scored 387 runs with the bat at an average of 55.29.
"Phenomenal. What a game of cricket. Few of us couldn't watch. Thankfully the guys got the job done. Couple of incredible knocks when the game was pretty much gone. We did a lot of good stuff. Holden showed his class and put us under pressure. Sam Curran the way he is playing right now, he is one of the best players in the world according to me. Pretty much carbon copy both teams and quality striking. The popularity of the tournament has grown over the last three years and that's why you play in the big finals. This venue is great, when it is packed it is as loud as it gets. To see a packed house tonight and to give them a worthy final was great" said Sam Billings after leading his team to a win.
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