(MENAFN- Khaleej Times)
Australian superstar David Warner hit an unbeaten 93 off 57 balls in his first match of the ILT20 Season 3 to set up Dubai Capitals' 26-run win over the Abu Dhabi Knight Riders on Sunday.
The impressive win at Dubai International Stadium gave Dubai Capitals (10 points from nine matches) the fourth and final playoff spot in the tournament.
Desert Vipers (14 points from nine matches), MI Emirates (10 points from 10 matches) and Sharjah Warriorz (10 points from 10 matches) had already booked their places in the playoffs.
After being put into bat, Capitals made 217 for four in 20 overs, thanks to Warner's magnificent innings.
Gulbadin Naib (47) and Shai Hope (36) also played useful knocks for the Capitals.
In reply, Abu Dhabi Knight Riders could manage 191 for five in 20 overs as Andries Gous' 78 off 47 balls went in vain.
Warner, who was named player of the match, was delighted with his performance.
"The innings took me back to when I was 21 again. You need to have that positive attitude," he said.
"Shai made my job easier. We got off to a positive start and put up a competitive total. I tried to hit straight. I am still learning. I love this game. I owe this game a lot. Hopefully, I can get one better next game.”
Meanwhile, Sunil Narine, captain of the Abu Dhabi Knight Riders, was dejected after the match.
“It was decent (the season). I think we still gave it all we could give. It's not the result we wanted but someone had to win and someone had to lose," he said.
"In a must-win game, you don't want to chase 217. We had a decent start and tried to take it deep but we didn't finish as we wanted to. They bowled brilliantly and that was the key factor.”
Brief scores:
Dubai Capitals beat Abu Dhabi Knight Riders by 26 runs
Dubai Capitals 217/4 in 20 overs (David Warner 93 not out, Gulbadin Naib 47, Shai Hope 36, Dasun Shanaka 34 not out, Sunil Narine 1 for 34)
Abu Dhabi Knight Riders 191/5 in 20 overs (Andries Gous 78, Kyle Mayers 42, Joe Clarke retired hurt for 29, Dushmantha Chameera 2 for 25, Gulbadin Naib 1 for 32)
Player of the Match: David Warner
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