The Dubai Capitals - owned by the GMR Group - take on Gulf Giants in match five of the International League T20 (ILT20) 2023 at the Dubai International Cricket Stadium on Monday, January 16.

The Capitals began their season with an emphatic 73-run victory over Abu Dhabi Knight Riders. Skipper Rovman Powell led the team with an inspirational performance with the bat (48) and ball (2/15). The likes of Robin Uthappa (43), Joe Root (26, four catches) and Mujeeb Ur Rahman (2/16) also played a pivotal role in the win.

Gulf Giants, meanwhile, secured a six-wicket triumph against Abu Dhabi Knight Riders. James Vince’s 44-ball 65 helped the Giants chase the target of 115 runs in 14.1 overs.

Here are some talking points:

Rovman Powell - Captain Fantastic

While Joe Root and Robin Uthappa played influential knocks against Abu Dhabi Knight Riders, Dubai Capitals captain Rovman Powell put on a masterclass performance with 48 runs and a match-winning spell of 2/15.

Powell was also influential on the field, positioning Joe Root in key places as the Englishman completed four catches.

Come Monday, Powell will look to replicate Friday’s performance and inspire the Capitals to two wins in two matches.

Gulf Giants' pace unit a threat for Dubai batters

Gulf Giants have plenty of wicket-taking pace bowlers in David Wiese, Chris Jordan and Richard Gleeson who will threaten the Dubai Capitals batting order. Sanchit Sharma, the Indian-born UAE bowler who grabbed 3/9 against ADKR, is another bowler that could surprisingly be a thorn in the flesh for the likes of Dubai's Robin Uthappa, Joe Root and Sikandar Raza.