The Desert Vipers won their fifth ILT20 2025-26 match in a row, defeating the Gulf Giants by eight wickets at the Dubai International Cricket Stadium on Friday, December 12. Sam Curran and Max Holden’s undefeated 123-run combination made light work of the Gulf Giants’ total, aided by a sensational powerplay from Khuzaima Tanveer, who took four wickets.
Tanveer finished with 4/10 in the first innings, the best by a UAE bowler in ILT20 history, and he was also the first to take four wickets in the powerplay. His early attack kept the Giants on the back foot, limiting them to 157/7 after 20 overs. Then, Curran’s unbeaten 67 off 43 balls, with five fours and three sixes, combined with Max Holden’s 64 runs off 41 balls to help them easily reach the mark.
The Desert Vipers won their sixth consecutive game over the Giants.
Fakhar Zaman (14 off 8) was the first Vipers batter to fall in the second over, thanks to a brilliant delivery from Chris Wood. Holden kept the runs coming, and aside from Hasan Nawaz’s run out (7 off 9) in the fourth over, the Vipers appeared to be in control of the chase. They concluded the power play with 53/2.
Curran joined the attack in the 11th over, hitting 19 runs off Dawson’s bowling, including three sixes, to significantly reduce the necessary run rate. His power-hitting continued off Kyle Mayers’ bowling, as he reached his half-century in just 32 balls with a beautiful four, scoring 18 runs in the 14th over.
This gave the Vipers impetus, and Holden joined Curran on the half-century list in just 31 balls, including a four. The two batters kept the scoreboard ticking by finding the normal boundaries while rotating the strike. Chris Wood and Mark Adair were unable to contain them, as they smashed an undefeated 123-run partnership in just 77 balls to reach the mark in 16.5 overs.
Tanveer, bowling first, made early inroads into the Giants’ top order, striking twice in the second over, first dismissing Rahmanullah Gurbaz (2 off 4) with a brilliant delivery, then James Vince (0 off 2) edging behind. He added another in the fourth, removing the dangerous Pathum Nissanka for 19 from 12. In the sixth over, he struck again when Gerhard Erasmus (4 off 9) nicked at slip. A dominating powerplay left the Giants reeling at 30/4.
Mayers (30 off 24) briefly raised the innings by taking 18 off Da_id Payne in the ninth over, but Noor Ahmad trapped him LBW to stop the momentum at 67/5 midway through. Asif Khan (36* off 38) held one end, but the Vipers maintained control: Tom Curran removed Azmatullah Omarzai (20 off 15), and Noor dismissed Mark Adair (1 off 2) shortly after.
Dawson’s late attack rescued the Giants, blasting Lockie Ferguson for 16 in the 19th over and then bowling a 21-run final over. He finished unbeaten on 38 off 14 (3 fours, 3 sixes), taking the total to a respectable 157/7.
Desert Vipers captain Lockie Ferguson said, “Tanveer has been outstanding for us all season. He was brilliant last year too — winning games with the bat — and tonight he was exceptional with the ball. He’s played a lot of cricket recently, his rhythm is spot on, and the ball is coming out beautifully. He’s in a really good space. It was also great to see Max and Sam put together a big partnership.”
Gulf Giants captain James Vince said, “Tanveer bowled exceptionally well, full credit to him. We’ll probably look back and think about what we could have done differently, but we were on the back foot early. We did well to recover to 157… This was the first match of the tournament where we were outplayed from the start. We were simply outplayed today, though the dew was a factor.”
India
