Statistics
Best performances - Batsmen
LS Livingstone
76(48) 6x4 - 3x6
Control %74%
- Productive Shot
- cover drive
- 14 runs
- 2x4 - 0x6
16/12Result
17th Match (N), International League T20 at Abu Dhabi, Dec 16 2025
Player of the Match
16/12Result
17th Match (N), International League T20 at Abu Dhabi, Dec 16 2025
Player of the Match
Match Centre
Match Details
Toss
Desert Vipers , elected to field first
Player Of The Match
Season
Hours of play (local time)
18.30 start, First Session 18.30-20.00, Interval 20.00-20.20, Second Session 20.20-21.50
Match days
16 December 2025 - night match (20-over match)
Umpires
TV Umpires
Reserve Umpire
Match Referee
Points
Abu Dhabi Knight Riders 2, Desert Vipers 0
Scorecard Summary
ABU DHABI KNIGHT RIDERS 181/5 (20 OVERS)
- Liam Livingstone76 (48)
- Alishan Sharafu39 (35)
- Lockie Ferguson3/34 (4)
- Sam Curran1/36 (4)
DESERT VIPERS 180/6 (20 OVERS)
- Fakhar Zaman44 (32)
- Max Holden52 (43)
- Andre Russell2/16 (3)
- Ajay Kumar2/47 (4)
Scorer: Binoy George | Commentator: Rvel Z
END OF OVER:20 | 11 Runs 1 Wkt | DV: 180/6 (2 runs required, RR: 9.00)
- Tom Bruce2 (2b)
- Dan Lawrence11 (7b)
- Ajay Kumar4-0-47-2
- Andre Russell3-0-16-2
Right then, hope you enjoyed this riveting contest! Thanks for joining us and see you tomorrow with more ILT20 action. For now, it's goodbye and goodnight from Rvel Zahid and our team at ESPNcricinfo
Lockie Ferguson, Desert Vipers Captain: Look, great game of cricket, right down to the wire. Boys will obviously be hurting but we'll take the learnings from tonight. Knight Riders batted really well to get to that total but our bowlers bowled well too. It was around par -- one run too many, maybe (chuckles). We tend to learn more from the losses… we've had a lot of confidence build up over the tournament and we look forward to the next game.
Jason Holder, Knight Riders Captain: Credit to our bowlers for holding their nerve and to the batters for setting up the game. Tough in the end and really glad the boys got the job done. Thought his spell was game-changing -- got wickets and stemmed the run flow. Still got quality and has a few years left in his career. (on Russell) (On batting) I thought we paced it quite well. Obviously, we lost two quick wickets but got a few partnerships going and they read the situation well.
Liam Livingstone, Player of the Match: It's been a bit frustrating … had trust in the way I've been playing. Obviously came in a difficult situation and we needed a score to give us a chance. Obvious we needed to win. Slogged it into the leg side (my strengths). Pretty happy with the way I paced it -- getting 25 off 25 and then pressing on the gas accelerator. Most pleasing thing is being able to get a score and contribute. (On partnership with Alishan) That's my job -- to be the responsible one, the experienced one and try to stay in to build partnerships further down the line. Thankfully it came off well today and hopefully we can continue.
A one-run win for Knight Riders helps them get on the board! A well-deserved victory for them and Holder claps his hands and breathes a sigh of relief! Kumar bowled a memorable last over; a masterstroke from Holder to entrust him with it, even though his previous overs were a bit of a mixed bag and not exactly accurate. But he delivered the goods when it mattered most. Holder bowled superbly, conceding just 28 in his quota. Narine did Narine things - never a surprise - as he was, as always, very economical, though he didn't take any wickets. Russell was on top of his game as well. Holden and Fakhar gave the side a blazing start and made life easier for the middle order but maybe if one of them had stayed a little longer, the game would have been one-way traffic in favor of Vipers. Once they both got out, ADKR sensed the opportunity, stemmed the run flow, picked wickets at regular intervals and made the equation onerous for the opposition. Surely one of the best games of the season so far!
Shadow-Shell: "Umm, this is not Knight Riders' first win of this season. They've already won in their first match, against Sharjah Warriors"
SalmanKhan : "@Kasinathan: Knight Riders don't want to win. How can they not bowl out Russell is beyond comprehension!! A massive blunder"
19.6
1b
Ajay Kumar to Bruce, 1 bye, oh, terrific bowling, genius at work! Held his nerve in the most crucial moments of the match, trusted his skills and maintained great presence of mind, bowled a cunning slower one on a fuller length and kept it wide of off, he might have been expecting a yorker but was flummoxed by the slower cutter and is unable to connect on the sweep, only a single and ADKR are finally on the boaard - it's their first win of the season and they are all smiles. Riders came close to a win in their last encounter and showed tremendous improvement, tonight they manage to eke out a narrow win. Relieved Bravo but his heart must have been in his mouth for the last 10 minutes or so. Handshakes all-around, exhilarating game of cricket that brought us on the edge of our seats! Russell bowled really well at the death and applied a stranglehold, timely wickets allowed the pressure to amp
19.5
2
Ajay Kumar to Bruce, 2 runs, Oh, he has become a yorker machine, fourth stump line blockhole stuff, jabbed to wide long-on and cow corner region, that won't perturb ADKR. Need a boundary or a couple for a super over. Kumar has. been spot on with his yorker, can he nail another one?
19.4
W
Ajay Kumar to Khuzaima Tanveer, OUT, Over the wicket, gobsmacked him with a pitch-perfect slower one, it's a fuller leg-cutter outside off and he does down on one knee to slog sweep it, miscued and taken at deep midwicket, hung in the air for a while and that allowed Shadley to line under it, made it look very easy in the end, still got some firepower in their batting line-up. Will Vipers suffer their first defeat of this season?
Khuzaima Tanveer c van Schalkwyk b Ajay Kumar 16 (9b 2x4 1x6) SR: 177.77
19.3
1
Ajay Kumar to Lawrence, 1 run, Wide of the crease, nice angle, spearing in a yorker, opens the face and digs it out to point, tumbling save keeps them down to one, 5 off 3, will there be a Super Over?
19.2
2
Ajay Kumar to Lawrence, 2 runs, Pace-off shortish ball on middle, clipped using his fluid wrists to deep midwicket and tears across for a run and then scampers back for a brace, fabulous running between the wickets!
19.1
0
Ajay Kumar to Lawrence, no run, Around the wicket, spears a wide yorker and it's a dot, blocked, excellent delivery, much-needed dot, pressure back on Vipers
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