Gulf Giants will take on Abu Dhabi Knight Riders in their opening match of the International League T20 (ILT20) 2023 at the Sheikh Zayed Stadium in Abu Dhabi on Sunday, January 15.
Led by star England cricketer James Vince, the Adani Sportsline-owned Giants will start as one of the favourites to clinch the inaugural edition of the ILT20 2023.
Under the tutelage of 2010 ICC Men’s T20 World Cup-winning coach Andy Flower, the Giants have assembled a strong squad featuring T20 stalwarts such as Chris Lynn, Chris Jordan, David Wiese, Shimron Hetmyer, Tom Banton, Liam Dawson and Qais Ahmad. Flower’s men will look to start their ILT20 campaign with a win on Sunday.
On the other hand, the Sunil Narine-led Abu Dhabi Knight Riders will aim to bounce back after suffering a 73-run defeat against Dubai Capitals in their first match of ILT20 2023 at the Dubai International Cricket Stadium on Friday.
Put into bat, the Capitals rode on captain Rovman Powell’s 48 off 29 balls and Robin Uthappa’s 33-ball 43 to post 187/6 in their 20 overs. In reply, the Knight Riders lost wickets at regular intervals as they could only manage 114/9 in their allotted 20 overs.
With the likes of Andre Russell, Paul Stirling, Colin Ingram and Narine at their disposal, the Knight Riders will offer a strong challenge to the Giants at their home ground.
Gulf Giants vs Abu Dhabi Knight Riders head-to-head
This will be the first meeting between Gulf Giants and Abu Dhabi Knight Riders in the inaugural ILT20.
Going by the team combinations of both sides, we expect a close encounter between the Giants and the Knight Riders at the Sheikh Zayed Stadium on Sunday.
