ADKR took on the Dubai Capitals in the Eliminator at the iconic Zayed Cricket Stadium in Abu Dhabi. The Knights looked to clinch a victory in this crucial game and progress to Qualifier 2 and take one step closer towards the ultimate glory. The fans were exhilarated to support their favourite team and get behind them in this all-important game.
Skipper Sunny won the toss and chose to bowl first on a pitch which looked to have assistance for the bowlers. The bowlers looked to start with accurate lines and lengths and pick up early wickets. The opening bowlers managed to do exactly that as Willey continued to pick wickets in the powerplay as he has done all season long and Sabir Ali who was playing his first game of the season paired with him to knock over DC top-order. The Knights continued to put pressure on the batters and looked to stem the flow of runs. Allen also came into the party with a crucial wicket after a good partnership as the Knight looked to put pressure on the opposition. However, Raza & Billings put on a good partnership for DC which took them to a total of 188.
The Knights looked to come out with a positive intent and aggressive approach to chase down a big total and progress to the next stage. However, the loss of early wickets caused problems for the batting order, as Clarke & Hain looked to rebuild. Unfortunately, the Knights kept on losing wickets at regular intervals yet Sam Hain continued to fight through the tough conditions. Willey came to the party and contributed some crucial runs as well. However, the fight shown did not prove to be enough as the ADKR lost the game by 85 runs. The Knights had an excellent campaign this year and played quality cricket all throughout the season. They will be proud of their performance and will be looking forward to coming back next year and going the full distance to lift the trophy.
