The MI Emirates versus Desert Vipers game in the International League T20 2025-26 at Abu Dhabi’s Sheikh Zayed Stadium? What a thriller! The place was packed – 20,000 fans strong – and these teams battled it out to the very last ball. MI Emirates won the toss and decided to let the Vipers bat first, setting us up for what became an amazing night.

Desert Vipers’ Solid Start Kicks into Gear

Fakhar Zaman and Andries Gous started things off pretty cool for the Desert Vipers, nice and steady. They put up 51 runs in the first few overs, which is exactly what you want. Fakhar Zaman just kept his head down and made a smooth 35 off 31 balls, hitting four boundaries. He was placing the ball perfectly, giving their innings a solid base. Andries Gous was doing well too, before he had to leave because he got hurt but he scored 21 from only 15 balls with three hits to the boundary.

Max Holden played great in the middle, scoring a vital 42 from 37 balls and kept the Vipers moving, even though he retired out. It slowed down a little when the MIE spinners came on, but DV kept rotating the strike and didn’t let things fall apart.

Sam Curran chipped in with 19 from 19 balls, keeping the runs ticking over. Then Shimron Hetmyer and Dan Lawrence came in swinging at the end. Hetmyer bashed 15 off just nine balls, including a six, while Lawrence got 15 not out from eight balls, finishing the innings with a great six. Because of them, the Vipers ended up with 159 for 4 after 20 overs.

MI Emirates’ Bowling: A Mixed Bag

MI Emirates took four wickets, but their bowlers had a hard time stopping the runs in the middle overs. AM Ghazanfar was the best of the bunch, bowling his four overs for just 32 runs and getting two big wickets, Fakhar Zaman and Sam Curran. Fazalhaq Farooqi got Hetmyer out but was a bit costly the rest of the time. Chris Woakes and Zahoor Khan also struggled to keep the batters quiet, giving away 22 and 37 runs respectively. Rashid Khan bowled well, only going for 13 runs in his two overs, but didn’t manage to get a wicket. Even with some good moments, the Emirates bowlers let the Vipers score too quickly at the end, setting them up with a good score.

MI Emirates’ Tough Chase

MI Emirates had a tough task chasing 160. Muhammad Waseem and Jonny Bairstow opened, but Bairstow didn’t last long, getting out for 8. Waseem looked good for his 24 off 21 balls, hitting three boundaries, but then he got out too. This put pressure on the guys in the middle.

Tom Banton hung in there with a really important 34 off 29 balls, keeping MI Emirates in the game. He and Nicholas Pooran, who made 31 from 29 balls, worked well together, rotating the strike lots. They kept MIE going through the middle overs until they both got out, which changed everything.

Pollard and Dhillon Swing the Game

The best part of the innings was Kieron Pollard. His 23 from just 13 balls got MI Emirates right back in it, including two fours and a huge six. Then Tajinder Dhillon came in and smashed 17 off 7 balls, with a six and a four. They made some awesome shots that got them close to the target.

It looked like MI Emirates were going to win, but then the Desert Vipers fought back. David Payne bowled amazingly, taking four wickets for 29 runs, breaking partnerships and putting the pressure right back on. He got Banton, Pollard, and Shepherd out, stopping the runs. Lockie Ferguson also got a key wicket, Dhillon, and bowled his spell giving away only 23 runs in four overs

Nail-Biting Finish

The game went right down to the wire. MI Emirates needed a good finish, but a load of wickets fell quickly in overs 18 and 19 as Romario Shepherd, Chris Woakes, and AM Ghazanfar all went, meaning the chase was in trouble. Rashid Khan hit a really important six in the last over and ended up not out on 13 off 8 balls, but it was too much to do as other wickets were falling.

Khuzaima Tanveer bowled the final over. He mixed it up with wides, yorkers, and length balls, and ended up bowling them out. MI Emirates finished on 158 for 9 after 20 overs, just one run short. It was heartbreaking for MIE, but a great win for Desert Vipers.

The Bottom Line

That game had everything! Good starts, middle-order fight, powerful hitting, and tight bowling at the end. Desert Vipers’ good bowling, especially from David Payne and Lockie Ferguson, got them the win by a single run. MI Emirates tried hard, with Banton, Pooran, Pollard, and Dhillon all doing well, but they lost too many wickets at the end. It was an amazing game for the International League T20 season.