ILT20: Rovman Powell stars in Dubai Capital’s 73-run win over Knight Riders in the opener

ILT20: Rovman Powell stars in Dubai Capital’s 73-run win over Knight Riders in the opener

Dubai: West Indian Rovman Powell exhibited his shrewd cricketing skills, both as a batter and a skipper, to give Dubai Capitals a 73-run win over Abu Dhabi Knight Riders in the opening match of the inaugural International League Twenty20, which got off to a spectacular start at the Dubai International Stadium on Friday.

The glitz and the fireworks that got off the tournament were missed in the opening match, which ended as a one-sided affair after Knight Riders let the advantage slip to allow Capitals to score a huge total.

Knight Riders lost the momentum in the final three overs when they were bowling and never got off from the depths during the chase. Opener Paul Stirling’s half-century was the lone bright spot for the ADKR innings. Batting on first on a double-paced wicket, after being put into bat, must have proved a blessing for Dubai, whose batters must have given them the right insight to bowl on the right areas.

Earlier, Sheikh Nahayan Mabarak Al Nahayan, Minister of Tolerance and Coexistence and Chairman, Emirates Cricket Board, during the inauguration of the ILT20, said: “UAE, one of the world’s most innovative countries, is pleased to inaugurate its very own T20 league. The first