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Right. That ends the action from Thursday. Desert Vipers continue their winning run and meet Abu Dhabi Knight Riders next, on Saturday. The MI Emirates, on the other hand, have dropped down to third after that loss. They next play on Sunday, taking on Sharjah Warriorz. What does Friday hold in store? 17th January, 2025 sees Sharjah Warriorz take on Dubai Capitals in Sharjah. Thanks to this win by the Vipers, the winner on Friday, will leapfrog the rest to move to second. Who will that be? Join us to find out! The first ball will be bowled at 8 pm IST (1430 GMT) but our buildup will begin much sooner. So do tune in early then. Meanwhile, you can catch all the action from the SA20, Women's Ashes, BPL, BBL and do not forget, West Indies tour of Pakistan kicks off too! Enjoy the cricket. ADIOS! TAKE CARE!

FAKHAR ZAMAN from the Desert Vipers HAS BEEN GIVEN THE PLAYER OF THE MATCH, for his wonderful 67. Zaman says that it was easy to bat against the pacers but the spinners were getting some grip. Adds that he was hitting the ball very well to the leg side and was targeting the shorter boundary. Mentions that Sam Curran is a talented player and he made it easy for him and he gives credit to Sam for playing beautifully and complementing him. Concludes that during the last stages of the chase, there were no nerves as everyone was pretty confident and adds that the team usually does not talk about winning or losing in the dressing room.

The victorious skipper of Desert Vipers, LOCKIE FERGUSON, says it feels great to win 3 out of 3 games and feels even better to beat a strong side like MI Emirates. Is happy with the way David Payne set the tone up with the new ball and lauds the batting unit too. Was not sure about the par score at the start of the match but while bowling towards the end of the first innings, Ferguson says that he saw some dew and believed that his batters could chase down 160. Adds that he really enjoyed the way Fakhar Zaman targetted Waqar Salamkheil and changed the tempo and is not short of words of praise for the in-form Sam Curran.

The captain of MI Emirates, NICHOLAS POORAN, says that he thinks that MI had a par score at the end of the first inning but could not defend it. Adds that they had a chance and this group is still young and credits Fakhar Zaman as he snatched victory from his team. Mentions that he and his team will work on weaknesses and come back stronger. Admits that MI Emirates haven’t been consistent with the bat in this match and just wants them to bat a bit more aggressively and take more risks. Concludes that he is happy for Kieron Pollard hitting 900 sixes and says that the big man has been hitting sixes for ages.

... THE PRESENTATION ...

Earlier in the game, Nicholas Pooran won the toss and chose to bat first, becoming the first captain to do so in this edition. Like the Vipers, the Emirates too, got off to a good start, but they then let it slip. They slipped from 48/0 to 86/4 and though Kieron Pollard revived the innings with a fine cameo, they missed that one batter who could bat deep, like Fakhar. For the Vipers, skipper Lockie Ferguson led from the front with 2/25 while his spinners choked MI. Please stay tuned for the presentation...

No wickets with the new ball hurt MI Emirates. Neither did they pick up a wicket, nor could they stop the flow of runs. Salamkheil and Mousley got them back into the game, as the duo had combined figures of 8-0-56-3. But their biggest weapon with the new ball - Fazalhaq Farooqi - got a tour around the park and there was barely any support from the rest. Zahoor Khan bowled well in his last 2 overs but the damage was already done by then.

A look at the Desert Vipers' batting lineup and one would say - what a strong six that is. And you have Hasaranga at 7, who is no slouch either. They went about this run chase pretty confidently, attacking the new ball in the Powerplay and then, biding their time when things got tough. Full marks to Fakhar Zaman who single-handedly dominated the MI Emirates, with a fine 67, which included 9 hits to the fence. He got good support first from Alex Hales, as the duo added 62 for the opening wicket in quick time and later, in difficult conditions, from Sam Curran, who ensured that the wicket rut stopped with Azam Khan. Towards the end, it got a little bit tense but with Rutherford in such good form, Desert 'vipe'd this target off with 5 balls to spare.

The scorecard might say Desert Vipers won it comfortably, which they did, but not entirely. 160 was not the easiest of targets to chase and MI Emirates came back strongly after the 7th over. They picked up 3 wickets in the span of 19 balls and all of a sudden, the required rate shot above 10. That was the time when Waqar Salamkheil and Dan Mousley were running through their overs pretty quickly. But then, Fakhar Zaman took a calculated risk of targetting the spinners and it paid off. Overs 14-16 went for 45 runs and changed the complexion of the game completely.

3 matches, 3 wins. That's how good Desert Vipers have been so far. They just look like a team which has such good balance. Strong batting core, strong bowling unit and the results are showing. As far as MI Emirates are concerned, their misery at Dubai continues - 9 MATCHES, 7 LOSSES..

SIX! THANK YOU VERY MUCH SAYS BY SHERFANE! DESERT VIPERS HAVE WON THIS BY 5 WICKETS! He has dispatched it completely! AM Ghazanfar fires it with a short of a length, angling into the batter, around leg, from around the wicket. Sherfane Rutherford goes deep in the crease, makes room to get the desired elevation and thumps it over the deep square leg fence for a biggie to end this chase for his team.

4 to defend. Who bowls? Ghazanfar or Hosein? The former. AM Ghazanfar has figures of 2-0-17-0 so far.

A length ball, heaved towards long on for a single. Zahoor Khan finishes with figures of 3-0-24-2.

FOUR! This is what happens when you are in form. Even good balls are sent to the boundary. Yorker outside off, an excellent ball from Zahoor, but what does Sherfane Rutherford do? Stays as calm as a cucumber, opens the face of his bat and guides it to the right of short third! 6 needed from 7 balls now!

Very full, on middle, nearly a yorker. Wanindu Hasaranga can only dig it down to long on for a single.

Much fuller, just outside off, Sherfane Rutherford looks to dig it out but gets it through the bottom part of the bat wide of cover for a single.

A low dipping full toss, around middle and leg, Wanindu Hasaranga makes room by going to the leg side and drills it to the right of long on for a single.