An excellent unbeaten 72 off just 50 balls from T20 great Chris Lynn and a typically belligerent 25 not out off 13 balls from finisher Shimron Hetmyer helped the Gulf Giants win the inaugural edition of the International League T20.

The Giants had faced off against fellow finalists Desert Viper in the first Qualifier match, but the Vipers had come away victorious on that occasion thanks to an incredibly brave innings from Sherfane Rutherford.

This time around, with Rutherford out injured, it seemed like the one to turn the tables would be all-rounder Wanindu Hasaranga. The leg-spinner hammered 55 off 27 balls and was the dominant member in a 72-run alliance with Sam Billings to rescue the Vipers from a precarious 44/4. But just when it seemed like the Vipers were set for a big total, both batters were dismissed in a space of just 3 balls.

The Vipers eventually trudged to 146/8 on a pitch that wasn’t nearly as flat as the scoreline would suggest. For the Giants, it was all-rounder Carlos Brathwaite who led the way with the ball, picking up 3 for 19 including the huge scalps of Alex Hales, Billings, and Tom Curran. Hales, who ended the tournament as the leading run-scorer, was dismissed early by Brathwaite for the second time in two innings. 

Qais Ahmad took two wickets as well, including his leg-spin counterpart Hasaranga, while Colin de Grandhomme and White Belt-holder Chris Jordan took a wicket apiece as well to restrict the Vipers and give the Giants an attainable 147-run target.

James Vince got the Giants off to a positive start before falling to Luke Wood, and when No. 3 batter de Grandhomme was dismissed just two balls later, it started to look tough for the Giants. But an ice-cool Lynn and Gerhard Erasmus put on a vital 73 runs to steady the ship. Erasmus’ dismissal brought out the in-form Hetmyer. With the required rate climbing and the Giants needing 42 off 24 balls, Hetmyer broke free by smashing Wood for back to back boundaries. Lynn then followed up with two fours later in the over to tip the scales completely in the Giants’ favour. Three boundaries in the next over, bowled by Curran, meant that any doubt was now alleviated.  

In the end, it was a stroll for the two in-form batters, as the Giants won by 7 wickets with 8 balls to spare. The Giants will go down in history as the first-ever ILT20 champions.