Match: Gulf Giants vs Desert Vipers, (DC vs DV, Qualifier 1, ILT20 2023)
Date: February 8, 2023 – 7:30 PM IST
Venue: Dubai International Cricket Stadium
The inaugural ILT20 has reached its final stage with four teams fighting it out for a spot in the final. It will be Desert Vipers and Gulf Giants taking on each other in Qualifier 1 at Dubai International Cricket Stadium on Wednesday, February 8th. The winner heads to the final while the loser gets another chance in Qualifier 2.
Gulf Giants finished at the top of the table in the group stage with 16 points. They won seven matches and only lost one against Sharjah Warriors while two games were washed out. The Giants are coming off a seven-wicket win over Sharjah in the final group fixture.
David Wiese was the wrecker in chief, picking 5 for 20 in four overs as they bowled out the opponents to just 107. Colin de Grandhomme top scored with 35 while James Vince added 27 as they crossed the line in 16.3 overs.
Desert Vipers secured the second position with 14 points, winning seven games and losing three. They suffered a 25-run defeat in the most recent fixture against none other than Gulf Giants.
Matheesha Pathirana picked 2 for 36 and the rest of the unit was expensive as well, with Shimron Hetmyer smashing a fifty to power the Giants to 180/6. Desert Vipers’ openers put on a 57-run stand in just 5.3 overs but then suffered a collapse, losing 5 for 88. Tom Curran scored 42* but the target was out of reach.
Gulf Giants have won both the clashes between the two sides in the ILT20 and the Vipers would be desperate for a revenge.
Pitch Report and Weather Forecast for DC vs DV, Qualifier 1, ILT20 2022/23
Dubai International Cricket Stadium has traditionally assisted bowlers more than the batters. The average batting first score from over 100 T20 matches played here reads 156. However, in the ongoing competition the average first innings score stands at 168.
The weather in Dubai could be partly cloudy and humid on Wednesday evening but there’s no threat of rain. The temperature should hover around 18-22°C during the match hours.
Gulf Giants – Expected XI and Team News
James Vince and Tom Banton form the opening pair for Gulf Giants, with Chris Lynn and Shimron Hetmyer to follow. Carlos Brathwaite and David Wiese add balance to the side with their all-round ability. Chris Jordan and Sanchit Sharma have done well with the ball.
Probable XI – Tom Banton (wk), James Vince (c), Chris Lynn, Gerhard Erasmus, Shimron Hetmyer, Carlos Brathwaite, David Wiese, Dominic Drakes, Aayan Afzal Khan, Chris Jordan, Sanchit Sharma
Desert Vipers – Expected XI and Team News
Desert Vipers have Alex Hales and Rohan Mustafa opening the innings, followed by Colin Munro, Sam Billings and Sherfane Rutherford. Wanindu Hasaranga and Tom Curran balance the side as all-rounders. Matheesha Pathirana and Sheldon Cottrell are the specialist pacers.
Probable XI – Rohan Mustafa, Alex Hales, Colin Munro (c), Sherfane Rutherford, Sam Billings (wk), Tom Curran, Wanindu Hasaranga, Ali Naseer, Gus Atkinson, Sheldon Cottrell, Matheesha Pathirana
Head to Head of GG vs DV
Total Encounters – 2
Gulf Giants won -2
Desert Vipers won – 0
Best Captaincy Picks for the DC vs DV match
Alex Hales: Batter, Desert Vipers
Alex Hales had a spectacular first half of the season, where he smashed 418 runs in five innings at a strike rate of 161. He registered one hundred and four fifties but then had lean returns. You can still back him to come good, looking at his stellar T20 record.
James Vince: Batter, Gulf Giants
James Vince has had a pretty good ILT20 campaign, scoring 321 runs in eight innings at an average of 46 while striking at 139. The English batter has smashed three fifties in the tournament and remains a top C/VC option.
David Wiese: All-rounder, Gulf Giants
David Wiese has been outstanding for the Giants in this competition. He has snared 15 wickets from eight games at an economy of 6.14 and strike rate of 10.8. He has also scored 88 runs in seven innings with highest of 35. Wiese can be a good C/VC pick.
Top Differential Picks
Shimron Hetmyer: Batter, Gulf Giants
The West Indian batter has scored 196 runs in the season at an average of 49 while striking at 175. Hetmyer has blasted 70 off 35 and 54 off 35 in the two games versus Desert Vipers. He’s picked by only 16% of MPL teams and is a top differential pick.
Rohan Mustafa: All-rounder, Desert Vipers
Opening the innings, Rohan Mustafa has scored 159 runs at a strike rate of 131 and has picked three wickets with the ball. He is selected by 27% of the MPL teams and could be a good differential.
MPL Fantasy XI
Where and what time to watch the match live in India
Zee network has the rights of the ILT20 League broadcast in India. You can watch the Qualifier 1 between Gulf Giants and Desert Vipers on multiple channels such as &FLIX, &FLIX HD, &PicturesHD, Zee Zest, Zee Zest HD, Zee Cinema and Zee Cinema HD. You can also catch the action live on online streaming platform Zee5 application.
Note: The players recommended here need not be a part of the Playing 11 on game day. Users are advised to do their own research also and follow official sources and create their teams.
