Dubai 26 August 2025: The third edition of the DP World ILT20 Development Tournament got off to an exciting start on Sunday at the ICC Academy, Dubai. In a series of high-octane encounters, victories were claimed by Desert Vipers Development, Dubai Capitals Development, Abu Dhabi Knight Riders Development, and Gulf Giants Development, setting a high standard for the tournament’s early stages.

In another thrilling encounter, on Monday evening, Dubai Capitals Development secured their first triumph of the campaign with a five-run victory of Gulf Giants Development. Mohammed Irfan (68 off 34) scored his second consecutive fifty in no time while Sohaib Khan (35 off 24) also chipped in but Zahid Ali (4/18) and Ajay Kumar (3/29) ensured the Capitals would be bundled up for 163.

In reply, Jonathan Figy (67 off 46) was unable to repeat his match-winning exploits from his previous outing. He waged a lone battle while wickets tumbled around him. Abdulrahman Nasir Riaz (3/18), Muhammad Irfan (2/15) and Zeeshan Naseer (2/35) led a comprehensive performance to keep the Giants at bay.

Abu Dhabi Knight Riders Development defeated Sharjah Warriorz Development by four wickets in an early evening clash on Monday. Lethal spells from Sanchit Sharma (2/38) and Usaid Amin (3/26) ripped through the Warriorz top order to restrict them to 169/7. Though a series of batters had promising starts neither could leverage them for a big inning and Mohit Kalyan (34 off 22) emerged as the top scorer.

In the second innings, Haider Razzaq (3/36) picked up three wickets in the powerplay to push the Knight Riders on the back foot. Ali Abid (80* off 44) however, was in fine fettle. Abid carved five fours and six sixes with support from the middle and lower order to script the finish with three balls and four wickets to spare.

Sunday’s evening fixture came down to the wire as Gulf Giants Development defeated MI Emirates by two wickets. Vriitya Aravind (36 off 19) and Aryan Saxena’s (65 off 48) half-century gave the MI Emirates a strong start before Vishnu Sukumaran’s (51 off 23) late blitz that included six fours, and three sixes powered them to 192/6. Meanwhile, Mohd. Uzair Khan and Aayan Khan were the pick of the Giants bowling attack with frugal figures of 2/26 and 1/20 respectively.

In reply, opener Jonathan Figy (60* off 51) anchored the chase with a measured fifty while Hameed Khan (29 off 9) provided an explosive start to support him. However, it was Muhammad Aftab (72 off 34) Alam who did the heavy lifting and titled the contest in favour of the Giants. The number four batter struck five fours and five sixes until he became part of Faraaz Uddin’s four-wicket haul. With 27 runs needed in the final four overs, the Giants eventually breached the target with a boundary in the last ball of the innings.

Earlier in the day the season opener of the DP World ILT20 Development Tournament 2025 saw a thrilling last ball finish as Desert Vipers Development edged past Dubai Capital Development by one wicket. Batting first, the Capitals posted a mammoth total of 210/6. Opener Khalid Shah (69 off 33) set the tone with a dominant half-century followed by an unbeaten fifty from Muhammad Irfan (53* off 31). Luqman Faisal (36 off 23) and Israr Ahmed (29 off 19) also made quickfire contributions that would go in vain.

Despite Tanish Suri’s (35 off 25) knock at the top, the Vipers had fallen behind the equation, reeling at 79/6 at the 11-over mark. Zeeshan Naseer was exceptional with the ball, returning figures of 3/26 for the Capitals. However, it was Taimoor Ali's (59* off 28) sensational half-century that turned the tide. He was aided by rapid knocks from Sanjay Pahal (35 off 18) and Nilansh Keswani (22 off 9) as the Vipers surmounted 45 runs in the final two overs to pull off a memorable victory.

Brief Scores

Dubai Capitals Development defeated Gulf Giants Development by five runs
Dubai Capitals Development 163/10 in 18.4 overs (Muhammad Irfan 68, Sohaib Khan 35; Zahid Ali 4 for 18, Ajay Kumar 3 for 29) Gulf Giants Development 158/9 in 20 overs (Jonathan Figy 67, Abdulrahman Nasir Riaz 3 for 18, Muhammad Irfan 2 for 15, Zeeshan Naseer 2 for 35)

Abu Dhabi Knight Riders defeated Sharjah Warriorz Development by four wickets
Sharjah Warriorz 169/7 in 20 overs (Mohit Kalyan 34, Usaid Amin 3 for 26, Sanchit Sharma 2 for 38) Abu Dhabi Knight Riders Development 170/6 in 19.3 overs (Ali Abid 80*, Ronak Panoly 24, Haider Razzaq 3 for 36, Simranjeet Singh 2 for 23)

Gulf Giants Development defeated MI Emirates Development by two wickets
MI Emirates Development 192/6 in 20 overs (Aryan Saxena 65, Vishnu Sukumuran 51, Vriitya Aravind 36; Muhammaz Uzair Khan 2 for 26) Gulf Giants Development 196/8 in 20 overs (Mohammad Aftab Alam 72, Jonathan Figy 60*, Hameed Khan 29; Faraaz Uddin 4 for 14)

Desert Vipers Development defeated Dubai Capitals Development by one wicket
Dubai Capitals Development 210/6 in 20 overs (Khalid Shah 69, Mohammad Irfan 53*, Luqman Faisal 36; Hafiz Almas Ayub 2 for 21) Desert Vipers Development 211/9 in 20 overs (Taimoor Ali 59*, Tanish Suri 35, Sanjay Pahal 35; Zeeshan Naseer 3 for 26, Farhan 2 for 47)