Dubai Capitals, owned by the GMR Group, fell to a 22-run defeat against the Desert Vipers in match 25 of ILT20 2023 at the Dubai International Cricket Stadium on Thursday, February 2.

Sikandar Raza (41) and Fred Klaassen (3/34) were the top performers for Dubai, while the Vipers triumphed thanks to the match-winning displays of Sherfane Rutherford (50 off 23 balls) and the pairing of Sheldon Cottrell and Luke Wood (both registered figures of 2/36).

Dubai Capitals won the toss and elected to bowl first. The Rovman Powell-led side made just one change from the previous game, with Robin Uthappa replacing Niroshan Dickwella.

The Capitals restricted the Vipers to 45/3 within the Powerplay, thanks to Fred Klaassen's twin strikes and Yusuf Pathan getting rid of opposition skipper Colin Munro for a solitary run.

Sam Billings (54 off 48 balls) resuscitated the batting with his half-century alongside Sherfane Rutherford. The latter hit a 23-ball 50, which included five sixes in the 16th over. However, the West Indian was caught in a terrible mix-up that saw him run out by Robin Uthappa.

Chamika Karunaratne and Adam Zampa pocketed a wicket each, as Desert Vipers ended their innings at 182/7.

Dubai Capitals began their run chase of 183 with 45/2 in the opening six overs, after openers George Munsey (0) and Robin Uthappa (30) were dismissed early in the Powerplay.

Zimbabwe star Sikandar Raza injected confidence into the batting with a patient 41 off 32 balls, before passing on the baton to skipper Rovman Powell.

Powell's 25-ball 33 seemed like a ray of hope for the Capitals to possibly pull off an odds-defying victory but after his wicket fell in the 19th over, the door to a win was seemingly shut.

Adam Zampa took a leap of faith for a late turnaround, but he remained unbeaten on 14 and his side falling short of the target by 22 runs.