‘Winners are grinners’ – Twitter ecstatic as Dubai Capitals beat Abu Dhabi Knight Riders to win the curtain-raiser of ILT20

In the opening game of the International League T20 2023 (ILT20) tournament on Friday (January 13), Dubai Capitals easily defeated Abu Dhabi Knight Riders by a margin of 73 runs. The captain Rovman Powell and the former Indian batter Robin Uthappa contributed to the Capitals’ high total. Then, Powell excelled with the ball, picking up two wickets, and Mujeeb Ur Rahman also secured crucial wickets to stop the Knight Riders.

At Dubai International Cricket Stadium, captain Sunil Narine chose to bowl first after winning the toss. However, his choice was costly as the Capitals got off to a strong start thanks to a 35-run partnership between openers Robin Uthappa and Joe Root. Before getting caught off an Ali Khan delivery in the sixth over, Root had scored a crucial 26 off 21.

Bhanuka Rajapaksa was removed by Andre Russell in the ninth over, but Uthappa continued to add runs from the other end, scoring 43 off of 33 before being bowled by Narine. Later, to maintain the pressure and contribute to the Capitals’ high total of 187/6, Powell (48 off 29) and Sikandar Raza (26 off 17) both scored quickly. Ravi Rampaul and Ali Khan each took two wickets for the Knight Riders, but they were both expensive.

The Knight Riders lost their opening while chasing a large target. Isuru Udana’s delivery gave Colin Ingram just one run in the first over and took his wicket, The Knight Riders never seemed assured in the chase. They were kept alive by Paul Stirling, but he received no help from the top order. Before being dismissed by Powell in the 12th over, Stirling scored 54 runs off of 38.

The Dubai team was dominant in their bowling as Powell, Mujeeb and Akif Raja each took two wickets in the game. They managed to restrict the Knight Riders to a score of 114/9, taking a 73-run win. Rovman Powell was awarded the Player of the Match for his all-rounded performance.

Here is how Twitter reacted to Dubai Capitals’ win

Joe Root: 26 Runs and 4 catches
Rovman Powell: 48 runs and 2 wickets

The Heroes of @Dubai_Capitals certainly brought the #Bawaal to secure the W!#DCvADKR #DPWorldILT20 #CricketonZee #HarBallBawaal pic.twitter.com/tynHm99GWO

— Zee Cricket (@ilt20onzee) January 14, 2023

https://twitter.com/binte_ali16/status/1614119953787129856?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw%7Ctwcamp%5Etweetembed%7Ctwterm%5E1614119953787129856%7Ctwgr%5E9a6dbcadcee0bd6686b9b7f2b3fe958b54417216%7Ctwcon%5Es1_&ref_url=https%3A%2F%2Fpublish.twitter.com%2F%3Fquery%3Dhttps3A2F2Ftwitter.com2Fbinte_ali162Fstatus2F1614119953787129856widget%3DTweet

Dubai Capitals vs Abu Dhabi Knight Riders
International League T20, 1st Match
Result: Dubai Capitals won by 73 runs
Dubai Capitals Innings: 187/6(20)
Rovman Powell – 48 | Ravi Rampaul – 2/36
Abu Dhabi Knight Riders Innings: 114/9(20)
Paul Stirling – 54 | Rovman Powell – 2/15

— Sports hell yeahh.!! (@Sportsinfo_25) January 14, 2023

ILT20 2023, पहले मैच में दुबई कैपिटल्स ने अबू धाबी नाईट राइडर्स को 73 रनों से दी मात#CricTracker #DubaiCapitals #ILT20Ofiicial pic.twitter.com/OX8OExGaiK

— CricTracker Hindi (@ct_hindi) January 14, 2023

https://twitter.com/AdamTheofilatos/status/1614135398308904965?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw%7Ctwcamp%5Etweetembed%7Ctwterm%5E1614135398308904965%7Ctwgr%5E6acffe538cbbb50fdf75bc187bf81b7c56ba2e8a%7Ctwcon%5Es1_&ref_url=https%3A%2F%2Fpublish.twitter.com%2F%3Fquery%3Dhttps3A2F2Ftwitter.com2FAdamTheofilatos2Fstatus2F1614135398308904965widget%3DTweet

https://twitter.com/Dubai_Capitals/status/1614132703925878784?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw%7Ctwcamp%5Etweetembed%7Ctwterm%5E1614132703925878784%7Ctwgr%5E90f41ce29dd47196856f158fca450f1f1015d956%7Ctwcon%5Es1_&ref_url=https%3A%2F%2Fpublish.twitter.com%2F%3Fquery%3Dhttps3A2F2Ftwitter.com2FDubai_Capitals2Fstatus2F1614132703925878784widget%3DTweet

https://twitter.com/AdamTheofilatos/status/1614134801845612546?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw%7Ctwcamp%5Etweetembed%7Ctwterm%5E1614134801845612546%7Ctwgr%5E4773ebded9606a24c48b43b2dcd4bdb62a1ca80d%7Ctwcon%5Es1_&ref_url=https%3A%2F%2Fpublish.twitter.com%2F%3Fquery%3Dhttps3A2F2Ftwitter.com2FAdamTheofilatos2Fstatus2F1614134801845612546widget%3DTweet

Dubai Capitals kicks off ILT20 with a solid win against Abu Dhabi Knight Riders. pic.twitter.com/TtqhNiCk0O

— Mufaddal Vohra (@mufaddal_vohra) January 13, 2023