MI Emirates vs Gulf Giants Scorecard
A thrilling match at the Sheikh Zayed Stadium in Abu Dhabi saw the Gulf Giants recover to beat MI Emirates by 2 wickets in match 19 of the International League T20 2025. The match kept everyone on the edge of their seats, especially up to the last over, presenting one of the fiercest competitions in the league.
Being put into bat, MI Emirates made a total of 151 runs for the loss of 6 wickets in their stipulated 20 overs. The innings started on a cautious note where Kusal Perera was feeling the pressure, with 4 runs off 13 balls against Daniel Worrall. Muhammad Waseem gave a quick start to the innings but was dismissed after scoring 12 runs. Next, it was Tom Banton who played a key innings scoring a brisk 56 off 39 with 8 boundaries. Banton played some really delightful shots, most notably through the off-side. However, after he left, MI Emirates seemed to have lost the momentum with wickets falling too frequently.
Nicholas Pooran and Dan Mousley made little contribution, but Kieron Pollard with a furious 34 off 25 and Romario Shepherd remained unbeaten on 8 while getting the score on the board to compete. However, it was Pollard’s aggressive exploits that allowed MI Emirates to finish on an altogether competitive score.
Bowling for Gulf Giants, Daniel Worrall returned figures of 4-0-19-2, proving both economical and effective. Mark Adair and Blessing Muzarabani picked a wicket each, keeping up tight lines and length throughout.
Chasing 152, it was off to a rocky start for the Gulf Giants, as Farooqi got rid of James Vince for just 1 off the very second ball of their innings. Jordan Cox and Tom Alsop attempted to rebuild, but soon, poor Cox was caught by Pooran off Alzarri Joseph for just 9 runs. Alsop contributed a substantial 32 runs off 36 balls before regular dismissals created holes in the middle order.
Far from being disconcerted by the pressure, Gerhard Erasmus played a defining match inning, with 37 off 28 balls; it offered a much-needed acceleration. But as wickets fell, including those of Ibrahim Zadran and Shimron Hetmyer, the match tilted MI Emirates’ way. Tom Curran managed to get 16 off 13 while Mark Adair did his best to keep the Giants in the chase with 15 off 8 again, leaving them with a side-by-side victory against MI Emirates with a chance for the giant to win it on the final ball.
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In a nail-biting final over delivered by Dan Mousley, with the Giants required to chase down 7 runs to win, Aayan Afzal Khan and Muhammad Zuhaib were at the crease. They brought the runs home with one ball to spare, sending the Gulf Giants spiraling into euphoric jubilation on their fans’ behalf.
Fazalhaq Farooqi was the star bowler for MI Emirates, picking up three wickets for 34 runs, while it was below that the lower order of the Gulf Giants mounted a resistance that would see them win the match. It was one of those classics that showed that T20 cricket can keep its happy fan glued with so much uncertainty, cleverness in grinding play, and individual explosions.
