Rival captains praise UAE players as MI Emirates, Capitals battle for ILT20 glory

After 33 matches and plenty of dramatic moments, we have finally reached the finish line. Now it’s a contest between MI Emirates and Dubai for the coveted trophy as the two teams gear up for a mouthwatering final in the ILT20 at the Dubai International Stadium on Saturday.

While MI Emirates finished the league phase on top, the Capitals sneaked into the playoffs, grabbing the fourth and last spot.

But they have been unstoppable since then, outclassing Abu Dhabi Knight Riders and defending champions Gulf Giants to storm into the final.

Mi Emirates, on the other hand, produced a brilliant all-round performance against the Giants in the Qualifier 1 for a place in the final.

Both captains, Dubai Capitals’ Sam Billings and MI Emirates’ Nicholas Pooran, sounded confident of their teams’ chances in the final on Saturday.

Both also emphasised the role played by the local UAE players in the star-studded tournament.

MI Emirates’ Muhammad Waseem, the UAE captain, is among the top-scorers this season with 278 runs from 11 matches, having also impressed in the inaugural season last year.

Rohid Khan, the uncapped UAE pace bowler, has impressed with the ball for MI Emirates, taking 11 wickets in eight matches.

“Waseem has been brilliant not only this year (in ILT20), but last year as well. He has been playing very well in international cricket as well,” Pooran said during the pre-match press conference at the Dubai International Stadium on Saturday.

“This tournament has been very important for the growth of the UAE players. Waseem has been also scoring a lot of runs in international cricket for the UAE. He is a very good player.”

Billings, on the other hand, praised the impact of UAE spinner Haider Ali who has taken seven wickets in six matches for Dubai Capitals.

“The emergence of someone like Haider Ali, for me this is the most positive thing, seeing the emergence of these new UAE players. I have seen this last season as well,” Billings said.

“I have seen the pool of talent in the UAE really grow, that’s a huge part of why this tournament is so important.

“I think if you see the most successful teams, in terms of teams reaching the final, the UAE players have played a huge part.”

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