The in-form Gulf Giants will lock horns with Dubai Capitals in their third match of the inaugural International League T20 (ILT20) at the iconic Sharjah Cricket Stadium on Thursday, January 19.
Led by captain James Vince, the Giants head into the game brimming with confidence, having won both their matches so far.
The Adani Sportline-owned outfit defeated the same opponents by six wickets in their previous meeting on Monday.
Electing to bowl first, the Giants rode on Rehan Ahmed’s 3/28 and Richard Gleeson’s 2/22 to restrict the strong Capitals batting line-up to 182/8 in their 20 overs. Chasing a steep target, skipper Vince’s unbeaten 83 off 56 balls, Gerhard Erasmus’ 28-ball 52 and Ahmed’s 28 off 17 balls helped the Giants chase down the total with six balls to spare.
Earlier, the Giants started their ILT20 2023 campaign with an emphatic six-wicket win over Abu Dhabi Knight Riders at the Sheikh Zayed Stadium on Friday.
Having accumulated four points from two matches, the Giants are currently placed second in the ILT20 2023 points table, behind MI Emirates.
On the other hand, the Rovman Powell-led Capitals will eye redemption against the Giants in Sharjah.
The Capitals previously secured a dominating 73-run victory against the Knight Riders in their opening ILT20 fixture and are currently placed fourth in the six-team standings with two points from as many matches.
Under the tutelage of former West Indies head coach Phil Simmons, the Capitals will hope their star opener Robin Uthappa can continue his scintillating form, having scored a brilliant 46-ball 79 against the Giants at the Dubai International Cricket Stadium in their last encounter.
Captain Powell, Joe Root, Bhanuka Rajapaksa, Sikandar Raza and Mujeeb Ur Rahman will be the other players to watch out for.
Going by recent form, the Giants will start as favourites to do the double over the Capitals in Sharjah on Thursday.
