11.16pm  Right then, that is it from this exciting game where Gulf Giants open their account for the season while Dubai Capitals will need to come back stronger in the next one. However, it's Super Sunday in the International League T20 2025 on 19th January. Firstly, Sharjah Warriors will battle it out against MI Emirates at 3.30 pm IST (10 am GMT). Then Gulf Giants will be back in action as they take on Abu Dhabi Knight Riders at 7.30 pm IST (2 pm GMT), but as you know, you can always join us early for all the build-up to both matches. Until then, cheers and goodbye!

11.15pm  Gerhard Erasmus is the PLAYER OF THE MATCH for his crucial half-century. He says that he has played a fair amount of cricket towards the end of the last year and also played a couple of warm-up games, which is nice for the setup. Mentions that with the wind option here, you tend to have a lot of options throughout the innings. Further mentions that in a professional setup, there wasn't much tense energy but a lot more positive energy to get the first win. Concludes by saying that he is lucky to be on the field and grateful to contribute to the team.

11.14pm  James Vince, the victorious skipper of Gulf Giants says that it was not a great start to the season but he is happy that they are on the board now. Adds that it was a tricky chase, but the batters had a good understanding and executed it well. Mentions that they bowled well to restrict their opponents to 165. Ends by saying that Gerhard Erasmus and Shimron Hetmyer's big hits towards the end calmed the nerves as they got the jobe done comfortably in the end.

11.12pm  Sikandar Raza, the captain of Dubai Capitals says that the wicket was more like a Sharjah wicket, and after the innings, he thought that the Giants would have to bat well to chase here. Mentions that the way those batters were batting, even 170 looked wouldn't have been enough looking in hindsight. Adds that the beauty of the tournament is that anybody can beat anybody here and beating the table leaders will give us a lot of confidence in the next game, he concluded.

11.11pm  Presentation Time...

11.10pm  The Dubai Capitals put in a spirited effort, but their fielding woes resurfaced. They managed to claim two wickets in the Powerplay but failed to maintain the pressure. While Sikandar Raza, Gulbadin Naib, and Scott Kuggeleijn were relatively economical, the rest of the bowlers leaked runs. Gulbadin’s costly drop of Shimron Hetmyer on 5 proved to be a turning point in the game as they suffered back-to-back defeats.

11.08pm  Earlier in the game, Dubai Capitals put up a decent total on the board, though they would have hoped for more. Several batters got starts but failed to capitalize, with Dasun Shanaka top-scoring with a quickfire 33 off 20 balls. For Gulf Giants, Mark Adair and Aayan Khan claimed two wickets each, while the rest of the bowlers contributed effectively. A special mention goes to Blessing Muzarabani, who was exceptionally economical and even bowled a rare maiden over in a T20 match.

11.06pm  Despite a couple of early setbacks, Gulf Giants got off to a strong start, thanks to Impact Player Adam Lyth, who provided a solid boost at the top. Jordan Cox carried the momentum forward but couldn’t stay at the crease for long. From there, it was all about the 80-run partnership between Shimron Hetmyer and Gerhard Erasmus. The latter took charge with a well-crafted half-century, while both showcased composure, avoiding unnecessary risks. Together, they sealed the win with 11 balls to spare, with Hetmyer finishing unbeaten on a blazing 41 off just 20 deliveries.

11.02pm  The Gulf Giants are back on track in ILT20 2025! After two back-to-back losses, they have delivered a stellar all-round performance to maintain their perfect group-stage record against the Dubai Capitals. With this win, the Giants jump to fourth place while the Capitals go bottom of the table due to their NRR.