Desert Vipers vs Abu Dhabi Knight Riders, ILT20, Today Match Prediction 21 January 2024

DV vs ADKR Match Prediction & Analysis

Desert Vipers came agonizingly close to winning the first edition of the ILT20, but couldn’t put in a solid performance on the final day. 

They’re firm in backing up their stellar performance last season and are all set to start this year’s edition off on the right note. Their opening encounter is against the Abu Dhabi Knight Riders, a team which had a season to forget. Their only win of the season came in their last match against the Sharjah Warriors, providing some consolation to their players and management in what was a miserable campaign. 

They’ve pressed the reset button, opting to go for a new crop of players, and are now looking to kick off this year’s campaign with a win. The Vipers have had no difficulty defeating the Knight Riders in two of their previous meetings, and will be itching to have a go at them again.

RECENT PERFORMANCE

DV

ADKR

HEAD TO HEAD

TEAMS PREVIEW

Desert Vipers Preview

Desert Vipers ILT20’s inaugural campaign came to a disappointing end, as they lost the final to Gulf Giants. They were one of the teams to beat last season going into the tournament, and played like one. With 7 wins and 3 losses from 10 games in the league stage, they proved to be a headache for most teams, except eventual winners the Giants who got the better of the Vipers three out of four times, including the final.

A fresh challenge awaits the Vipers this season, as they set their sights on going one better and claiming the ultimate prize. Their squad for this season is well-rounded and have several globetrotters who feature in the top T20 franchise leagues around the world plying their trade.

Big New Zealander Colin Munro, having flown in from the BBL, did a wonderful job last year and is all set to resume his captaincy role. Top order batsmen Alex Hales and his English compatriot Adam Hose have followed their captain to the ILT20 from down under too. They’ve got good mix of all rounders with some big names like Bas De Leede, Sherfane Rutherford, Wanindu Hasaranga in there. Moreover, they’ve got a mini Pakistani contingent with the Eagle Shaheen Shah Afridi, crafty all rounder Shadab Khan, Mohammad Amir and Azam Khan. 

With players likely to come and go the other franchise leagues running from the other franchise leagues running concurrently, managing players will be difficult but they’ve strong replacements warming the bench.

Desert Vipers Predicted Playing XI:

Rohan Mustafa, Alex Hales, Colin Munro (c), Dinesh Chandimal (wk), Sherfane Rutherford, Wanindu Hasaranga, Bas De Leede, Tymal Mills, Luke Wood, Matheesha Pathirana, Ali Naseer.

Desert Vipers Actual Playing XI:

Colin Munro, Sherfane Rutherford, Mohammad Amir, Sheldon Cottrell, Bas de Leede, Rohan Mustafa, Alex Hales, Adam Hose, Wanidu Hasaranga, Tanish Suri, Dan Lawrence

Abu Dhabi Knight Riders Preview

Abu Dhabi Knight Riders had a shocking ILT20 last year, managing to win only one contest which came as a consolation in their last match of the tournament against an underperforming Sharjah Warriors team. The Knight Riders will be hoping their worst is over, as they embark on a new season with a strong squad with destructive T20 batsmen and crafty bowlers capable of winning matches for their team single-handedly.

Sunil Narine and Andre Russell, who’re clearly in their twilight of their playing career, are still competing very hard and will be looking to win another title to add to their trophy cabinet with the Knight Riders this season. They have some able partners with international experience in Ravi Bopara, Charith Asalanka, David Willey, and Josh Little.

A few players namely Laurie Evans, Sam Hain, Imad Wasim are coming into this tournament from the BBL and will be ready to hit the ground up and running. Wicketkeeper Andries Gous is another exciting players who’s no newbie in these conditions, having played the recent Abu Dhabi T10 tournament here. They’ve got a good squad that can challenge teams on any given day, if they pull together as a team. Pick up a few wins on the bounce, and they will have done better than how they fared last season. But they’re not here just to get better as a team; they’re here to lift the trophy.

Abu Dhabi Knight Riders Predicted Playing XI:

Alisan Sharafu, Joe Clarke (wk), Andries Gous, Charith Asalanka, Andre Russell, Laurie Evans, Sunil Narine (c), Imad Wasim, Marchant de Lange, Josh Little, Sabir Ali Rao.

Abu Dhabi Knight Riders Actual Playing XI:

Alishan Sharafu, Laurie Evans, Michael Pepper, Ali Khan, Joshua Little, Matiullah Khan, Andre Russell, David Willey, Sunil Narine, Andries Gous, Imad Wasim

PITCH AND WEATHER CONDITIONS

Weather Conditions

The pitch here tends to be flat, but run scoring could be difficult when there is hardly any pace to work with. Weather forecast suggests that there won’t be any interruption in play.

DV vs ADKR Pitch Report

Dubai International Stadium will be hosting this match. Interestingly, Desert Vipers have defeated every opposition they got to play here, except Gulf Giants who they won against once and lost to thrice including the final.

Toss: To Bat

Win toss and bat first to put a huge score on board. That’s half the job done. Besides, they get to field second, and their team gets to be in the shed when the sun’s out and the conditions are hot and dry. That’s how the team winning the toss will be thinking.