The second part of the double header of action on Saturday sees the International League T20 back in Dubai as the Dubai Capitals and the Desert Vipers continue their ILT20 campaign in a key match in the tournament.
The Capitals begin the day second from bottom in the standings and need to get back to winning ways while the Vipers are in a very good position and will be looking to move to the top of the table with a win here.
Dubai Capitals
When the Dubai Capitals walloped the Abu Dhabi Knight Riders in their opening match of the season it looked like they were going to take the tournament by storm. However since then, they have only won one of the four completed matches they have played, and were grateful that the rain returned when it did against the Sharjah Warriors last time out because they were in a right mess early in their batting innings. That has left them second bottom in the table and needing three wins from their last four to make the next stage of the event.
The Capitals reminded us what they could do in their last completed match when they battered the MI Emirates side. This is a team who bat very well. They have put up 175 in four of their five matches but the issue they have is with the ball. To have put that many runs up so often and only won two games highlights that they are struggling to maintain pressure with the ball. The big issue that they have is they lack an out and out death bowler and need Jake Ball to step up and be that man.
Desert Vipers
The Desert Vipers were my pick for this tournament before a ball was bowled and I’m perfectly happy with the position they are in going into this match. They sit second in the table with four wins from five, with their only loss coming against the Gulf Giants which wasn’t exactly a disaster. The Vipers lucked out with the schedule as they were not due to play during the period where the rains set in so they have the chance to steal a march on the field.
By not having matches scheduled in that period it does mean that the Vipers have a frenetic end to their regular season but if they get on a role then they will enjoy the matches coming thick and fast. I think the Vipers have the best batting team in the competition but that doesn’t come at a lack of bowling resources. They are very solid with the ball too and unlike some teams in this competition they can maintain the pressure throughout the bowling innings.
Special Offer
OPEN AN ACCOUNT WITH 888SPORT AND BET £10 TO GET £30 IN FREE BETS PLUS A £10 CASINO BONUS! PERFECT OFFER TO USE ON THE ILT20 LEAGUE! CLICK THE IMAGE BELOW TO JOIN. USE CODE 30F. NEW ACCOUNTS ONLY. 18+ T&Cs apply (See image for significant terms). Gamble Aware.
Key Players
Rovman Powell is a big player for the Dubai Capitals now that Joe Root has left to get ready for his England exertions. He is the man to propel the score to something realistically good and could bowl a couple of useful overs too.
Alex Hales is the best opener in the world at the minute and if the Dubai Capitals do not get him out early then he is in the kind of form to make them pay and set the match up for the Desert Vipers to come out on top.
Betting
Had the rain not been around this part of the world then I would have been very confident about the Desert Vipers winning this match. There isn’t scheduled to be any rain for this match but we don’t know what effect the weather has had on the way these pitches will play so I’m a little reluctant to get too involved in this one. I still think the Vipers will win but they are short enough and the handicap is a big one so I’ll go with a player market for a bet on this one.
That market is on the runs of Alex Hales. He has a runs line of 25.5 and he has doubled that in every match in this tournament. Hales has played five matches and has five 50s to his name and is continuing the good form he showed at the T20 World Cup and at the Big Bash League in recent times. The pitch is largely irrelevant for Hales because the bowling doesn’t look strong enough to trouble him and he matches up well to the Capitals. If Jake Ball is the senior threat to the team he is a teammate of Hales at Nottinghamshire so the England man will have faced plenty of him in the nets. Hales is in a rich vein of form right now and I’ll back that to continue here.
Tips
Back A.Hales – Over 25.5 runs for a 3/10 stake at 1.85 with BetVictor
Back him here:
Copyright secured by Digiprove © 2023
