Dubai Capitals, owned by the GMR Group, beat MI Emirates by seven wickets in match 29 of ILT20 2023 at the Dubai International Cricket Stadium on Sunday, February 5.

While Dasun Shanaka (58) and Jake Ball (3/37) put on match-winning displays for Dubai, stand-in captain Nicholas Pooran (43) and Zahir Khan (2/32) were the top performers for the Emirates.

Having won the toss and electing to bowl first, Dubai Capitals restricted the MI Emirates to 58/3 within the Powerplay, thanks to Jake Ball's twin strikes and Sikandar Raza getting rid of Lorcan Tucker.

Nicholas Pooran (43 off 31 balls) injected some form of confidence into the batting with a 56-run partnership for the fifth wicket alongside Dan Mousley. While the former was dismissed in the 17th over, Mousley remained unbeaten on 31 off 35 balls as MI Emirates ended their innings at 164/7.

Besides Jake Ball, Australian spin star Adam Zampa was the top bowler with 2/24 in his four overs.

Dubai Capitals were in a short pinch as they lost quick three wickets after plotting 44 runs on the board.

Enter Dasun Shanaka and Sikandar Raza, the Capitals maintained a calm approach to chase the 165-run target in 18.1 overs.

The Shanaka-Raza pairing stitched a match-defining 122-run stand for the fourth wicket, besides completing their respective half-centuries.

While Dasun Shanaka took 32 balls to reach his fifty, Sikandar Raza crossed the mark in 33 balls as they helped Yusuf Pathan begin his Dubai Capitals captaincy with a win and keep the side in the fray to qualify for the Playoffs.