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Vriitya Aravind dazzles as Gulf Giants Development win at DP World ILT20 Development Tournament

Aravind led Gulf Giants Development to a mammoth 56-run victory over the ILT20 Marvels

The DP World ILT20 Development Tournament 2024 got under way on Sunday at the ICC Academy Oval 1 in Dubai. The second edition of the development tournament provides the UAE players an opportunity of sealing one of the 12 remaining berths in the six DP World ILT20 Season 3 squads.

On Monday evening, Vriitya Aravind led Gulf Giants Development to a mammoth 56-run victory over the ILT20 Marvels. Aravind’s unbeaten knock of 77 runs in 64 balls placed the Giants at 165/4 in 20 overs. Aryan Lakra was also in fine form, striking three fours and three sixes to score 37 runs in only 18 balls.

The Marvels’ run chase struggled due to the loss of early wickets and the lack of partnerships. Madhav Manoj Nair top scored for the Marvels with a cautious 27-run innings, but the Giants shone with the ball as well, as Zeeshan Naseer picked up three wickets while Muhammad Saghit Khan and Muhammad Zuhaib scalped two wickets each. The Marvels finished at 109/10 in 17.4 overs.

Earlier in the day, ILT20 Pearls put on 160/6 in 20 overs to outshine ILT20 Thunderbolts by 16 runs. The Pearls batted first and rode on the back of Asif Khan’s 41 and small but significant contributions from Rohan Mustafa, Yasir Kaleem and Shahrukh Ahmed. Meanwhile Abdul Ghaffar scalped three wickets for the Thunderbolts.

Abdul Ghaffar also made an impact with the bat putting on a late innings show of 23 runs in 12 balls, before he would become Muhammad Shahid Bhutta’s third victim of the night. Uzair Khan also picked up three wickets while Matiullah Khan bagged two wickets to limit the Thunderbolts response to 144/10.

On Sunday, the season opener saw ILT20 Marvels defeat Desert Vipers Development by 17 runs. Batting first, Vishnu Sukumaran and Ahmed Tariq put on an early stand of 36 runs, after the loss of both openers.

Sharp bowling from the Vipers buoyed by strong spells from Khuzaima Tanveer and Basil Hameed who picked up three and two wickets respectively, kept the Marvels in check.

It was Sanchit Sharma’s quickfire knock of 48 runs that came in as little as 22 balls to catapult the Marvels to a competitive 138/10 in 20 overs.

In response, the Vipers’ top order was severely dented by spells from Muhammad Rohid Khan and Zahoor Khan. Tanish Suri put on a fighting 42 in 39 balls, along with contributions from Danny Pawson, who scored 23 runs and Junaid Shamsu’s unbeaten 25. However, the Vipers finished short at 121/8 in 20 overs.

In Sunday’s second fixture, Dubai Capitals Development kicked off their campaign with a 15-run victory over Gulf Giants Development. Put in first, Capitals’ openers, Mayank and Khalid Shah put on 44 runs in the first five overs.

Coming in at number four, Junaid Khan hoisted four maximums in his 48-run endeavour as he set the platform for Hafiz Almas Ayub and Muhammad Farooq Momand. The pair provided the final flourish with 24 runs in only eight balls.

The Giants’ run chase struggled to find momentum as they lost wickets at regular intervals and stumbled to 61/5 in 10.1 overs. Muhammad Saghit Khan fought back with a 19-ball stint of 41 runs and put on 65 runs with Aayan Afzal Khan but the Giants were bowled out for 143 runs.

Brief Scores

Gulf Giants Development defeat ILT20 Marvels by 56 runs

Gulf Giants Development 165/4 in 20 overs (Vriitya Arvind 77*, Aryan Lakra 37, Uzair Haider Mann 19, Nilansh Keswani 2 for 27, Sanchit Sharma 2 for 35) ILT20 Marvels 109/10 in 17.4 overs (Madhav Manoj Nair 27, Aryan Saxena 15, Zawar Farid 14, Zeeshan Naseer 3 for 9, Muhammad Saghit Khan 2 for 29, Muhammad Zuhaib 2 for 1)

ILT20 Pearls defeat ILT20 Thunderbolts by 16 runs

ILT20 Pearls 160/6 in 20 overs (Asif Khan 41, Yassir Kaleem 29, Shahrukh Ahmed 27*, Abdul Ghaffar 3 for 54) ILT20 Thunderbolts 144/10 in 18.2 overs (Raees Ahmed 25, Rahul Chopra 25, Abdul Ghaffar 23, Uzair Khan 3 for 23, Muhammad Shahid Bhutta 3 for 38, Matiullah Khan 2 for 15)

ILT20 Marvels defeat Desert Vipers Development by 17 runs

ILT20 Marvels 138/10 in 20 overs (Sanchit Sharma 48, Vishnu Sukumaran 29, Ahmed Tariq 22, Basil Hameed 3 for 36, Khuzaima Tanveer 2 for 24) Desert Vipers Development 121/8 in 20 overs (Tanish Suri 42, Junaid Shamsu 25*, Danny Pawson 23 runs, Muhammad Rohid Khan 3 for 25, Zahoor Khan 2 for 23)

Dubai Capitals Development defeat Gulf Giants Development by 15 runs

Dubai Capitals Development 158/6 in 20 overs (Junaid Khan Afridi 48, Mayank 24, Safeer Tariq 17, Muhammad Irfan 2 for 27) Gulf Giants Development 143/10 in 18.3 overs (Muhammad Saghit Khan 41, Aayan Afzal Khan 28, Uzair Haider Maan 16, Haider Ali 2/19, Farhan Khan 2/20, Ibrar Khan 2/35)