"VAN" (Sports Desk - 03.09.2025) :: The DP World ILT20 Development Tournament enters its knockout stage later today (Tuesday, 2 September), with Sharjah Warriorz Development facing Gulf Giants Development in the first semi-final at 5pm, followed by Abu Dhabi Knight Riders Development taking on Desert Vipers Development at 9pm at the ICC Academy in Dubai. All four teams finished the league phase of their campaign with six points each, separated only by net run rate.
The league phase concluded with two games on Sunday and two on Monday. On Sunday, Desert Vipers Development defeated Abu Dhabi Knight Riders Development, while Sharjah Warriorz Development won the replay of their previously abandoned fixture against Dubai Capitals Development. Monday’s action saw Gulf Giants Development overcome Abu Dhabi Knight Riders Development, and Sharjah Warriorz Development beat MI Emirates Development.
On Monday evening, Gulf Giants Development overcame Abu Dhabi Knight Riders Development by five wickets. The Knight Riders were rocked early, slipping to 24/3 inside five overs before Ahmed Tariq (29 off 25) and Muhammad Shahdad (35 off 25) steadied the innings with a 40-run stand. Ali Abid (31 off 19) and Syed Haider Shah (28 off 20) added late runs to take the total to 155/7 in 20 overs. Zahid Ali (3/15) and Muhammad Uzair Khan (3/34) led the bowling effort for the Giants.
In reply, Hameed Khan (23 off 11) gave the Giants a flying start before skipper Jonathan Figy took charge. Figy smashed an unbeaten 71 off 41 balls, laced with eight fours and two sixes, to seal the win in 16.3 overs despite Ronak Panoly’s (3/26) three-wicket haul.
Monday afternoon saw the Sharjah Warriorz Development defeat the MI Emirates Development by four wickets in a low scoring contest. MI Emirates were all out for 103 in 19 overs, against a comprehensive bowling effort that saw Haider Razzaq (2/13), Simranjeet Singh (2/21), Shahbaz Ali (2/13), Rohan Mustafa (2/28) and Umair Ali (2/13) pick up two wickets each.
The chase wasn’t straightforward, as the Warriorz slumped to 46/5 inside nine overs with Danish Qureshi (2/15) striking early for MI Emirates. Skipper Rohan Mustafa (27* off 37) anchored the innings and found support from Vaibhav Goverkar (16 off 19) and Haider Razzaq (17 off 11) to guide Sharjah to 104/6 in 18.4 overs.
On Sunday, Sharjah Warriorz Development defeated Dubai Capitals Development by seven wickets on Sunday evening. Batting first, the Capitals were rolled over for 120 in 19 overs, undone by three-wicket hauls from Haider Razzaq (3/14), Umair Ali (3/14) and Wasim Akram (3/17). Israr Ahmed (49 off 37) top scored for the Capitals, aided by small contributions from Luqman Faisal (20 off 12), and Ritesh Grandhi (21 off 26).
In the second innings, Raees Ahmed (50* off 31) scored his third half-century of the tournament to ensure the Warriorz cruised home at 122/3 in 12.4 overs. Raees Ahmed cracked six fours and two sixes, joining Mohit Kalyan (33 off 25) for an 85-run stand. Farhan Khan was the pick of the Capitals bowling with figures of 2/30.
In another fixture on Sunday, Desert Vipers Development sealed their place in the semi-finals with a 22-run win over Abu Dhabi Knight Riders Development. The Vipers piled up a formidable 218/5, powered by Tanish Suri’s blistering 52 off 28 at the top. Basil Hameed (47 off 21), Taimoor Ali (45* off 31) and Sanjay Pahal (33 off 15) kept the scoreboard ticking through the middle and death overs as well. Ibrar Ahmad was crucial for the Knight Riders, finishing with 3/34.
In reply, the Knight Riders made a promising start as Ahmed Tariq (55 off 39) and Sagar Kalyan (23 off 19) added 57 for the first wicket. Ali Abid (48 off 35) joined Tariq and stitched together the biggest stand of the match with 70 runs to keep the chase alive. But Hafiz Almas Ayub (5/41) and Sanjay Pahal (4/47) ran through the line-up with wickets at regular intervals, bowling the Knight Riders out for 196 in 20 overs.
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