ILT20 2025 – Sharjah Warriors vs Desert Vipers Tips and Betting Preview

The second half of the ILT20 season continues on Saturday with another double header of action and it begins in Sharjah as the Sharjah Warriorz look to cause a bit of an upset when they go up against the league leaders Desert Vipers.

The Warriorz have slid a little behind the top four in the table and could do with a win to stay level with those positions. The Vipers are blazing a trail at the top and a win here would put them on the edge of securing a top four finish.

Sharjah Warriorz

The Sharjah Warriorz begin the second half of their season two points off the top four but the problem they have got is that their net run rate is the worst in the competition and is basically a point against them so we are getting to the stage where the wiggle room is beginning to run out for them. Three teams are on six points ahead of them though so if they can win this match and join those sides they would be in control of their destiny despite their unhelpful run rate.

The run rate took a pounding against this opposition earlier in the week when they were skittled for 94 and could only contain the Vipers for 10 overs in the run chase. That was the second time their batting has failed them but in the main it has been the bowlers that have struggled. Given that two of their matches have been in Sharjah that is understandable but even so if they are going to turn their fortunes around they will need that bowling to come to the party sooner rather than later.

Desert Vipers

The Desert Vipers now have five wins from their six matches and the best net run rate in the competition so they are well on track to secure a top four finish and then from there the attention will turn to making sure that they end the regular season in the top two and give themselves the two cracks at reaching the final that comes with finishing in those spots. A win here would leave them needing a maximum of one more point for a top four finish and just three more points for a top two spot.

The Vipers are in a good groove with the ball at the minute. They haven’t conceded 160 to any team since their opening match so that is five games on the trot that they have kept opposition batters below a total which is pretty much a par one in this neck of the woods. Their batters have generally got the job done throughout the competition and certain key players look to be getting better which is no bad thing. There is plenty to like about the Vipers just over halfway into the regular season.


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Key Players

Jason Roy was the only Sharjah Warriorz batter to get going in the reverse meeting between these sides even though he had to be subbed in midway through the first innings. He’ll hope that has earned him a start and Sharjah will hope he can go big here.

Mohammad Amir blew the game right open for the Desert Vipers last time out with four wickets in a wonderful spell of bowling. The Vipers will be hoping that the Pakistan quick can blast some powerplay wickets here too.

Betting

We are in Sharjah for this match and that can only mean one thing – sixes. We haven’t had a match on this ground for six days and this will only be the fourth game to be played here so we don’t need to worry about the pitches tiring or being dodgy for batting or anything like that and when you consider that the Desert Vipers have some big hitters in their ranks and Sharjah don’t lack for players who can clear the ropes either I think it is fair to think we are going to get sixes here.

The line is 13.5 for this match and that always looks too low on this ground. The sixes totals here so far have been 24, 16 and 18 so this is a ground that has delivered decent amounts of sixes so far and I see no reason why in a day game anything is going to change in that regard. The added bonus here is that Sharjah have to sort their net run rate out so if they are in a position to chase this score down quickly they will be looking to fire in the maximums so I very much like the over here.

Tips

Back Over 13.5 sixes for a 3/10 stake at 2.00 with Betfair