END OF OVER:20 | 25 Runs | MIE: 176/5 | RR: 8.80
- Najibullah Zadran35 (17b)
- Dwayne Bravo15 (6b)
- Andre Russell4-0-57-1
- Sunil Narine4-0-24-1
Get ready for an action-packed Sunday. First, Desert Vipers will face Gulf Giants in Dubai and then tonight's winner MI Emirates will take on Dubai Capitals in Abu Dhabi. This is Rvel Zahid, signing off on behalf of Thilak Rama and Binoy George.
Let me catch my breath! What an incredible game of cricket we had. In the end, Najibullah Zadran and Dwayne Bravo held their nerve and went berserk against Russell, who ran out of ideas, in the last over. 25 runs came off the last six deliveries as Pollard looked out of sorts and Knight Riders still can't get off the mark in this inaugural edition of the ILT20. Zadran maintained his composure and was cool as a cucumber when it mattered most. Sunil Narine will be frustrated after dominating the proceedings for the most part of the game but they lost control in the last four overs and some ragged fielding display didn't help their cause.
Najibullah Zadran is of course the Player of the Match: "Last over 20 runs is not easy. Russell is an experienced bowler but we spoke and told ourselves we can do it. I wait for the ball, back myself and stay calm during that time. I want to dedicate this award to my mother."
Kieron Pollard: "That is the nature of T20 cricket. That is what fans and viewers want to see, a close game. Obviously, DJ was there, he is an experienced campaigner and we know what Najibullah can do, so my money was on my team. It was a good game. We were not at our best with the ball, we tried to get wickets rather than trying to contain them but that's why you have two innings and our batters bailed us out. We can do better as a bowling and fielding team. You have to improve every time you get a chance and that is the chat we have in the dressing room."
Sunil Narine: "That's how cricket goes, swallow the hard pill and we move on quickly. That was a good total on that pitch and our bowlers tried their best. In close games like this, you try to pinpoint too many things. We could have fielded better and should have finished better with the bat. We have to get a few things in order. We have to take it one game at a time and take it from there."