ILT20 2023 Match 9: Abu Dhabi Knight Riders vs Desert Vipers | Fantasy Tips and Teams


image-ld48n63xAbu Dhabi Knight Riders vs Desert Vipers (Source: Twitter)

Abu Dhabi Knight Riders and Desert Vipers meet again in the space of two days in Match no.9 of the inaugural edition of the International League T20 (ILT20) on Friday, January 20th, 2023 at Sheikh Zayed Stadium in Abu Dhabi. The match is scheduled to begin at 19.30 PM (IST). Notably, the Vipers defeated the Knight Riders by 7 wickets the other night on the 18th in Dubai.

Abu Dhabi has had a disastrous start to their campaign as they have played 3 matches so far and lost all three of them. They lost their tournament opener against Dubai Capitals by 73 runs before registering two more losses against Gulf Giants and the Vipers by 6 and 7 wickets respectively. They are rock bottom in the table with no points and a terrible net run rate of -2.723.

Meanwhile, Desert Vipers have made a good start in the season with two victories out of their first two games. They won their opening encounter against Sharjah Warriors by 7 wickets and beat the Knight Riders by the same margin.  With four points, they are placed third in the table with an NRR of +1.803.

Before the game starts, let us look at the important stats, the best player picks and the best-predicted teams for the fantasy contests of the match.


Ground Stats: Sheikh Zayed Stadium, Abu Dhabi

The surface in Abu Dhabi is a decent one for batting with chasing the way to go for the skipper winning the toss.  In the last match at the venue, Gulf Giants won by chasing against the Knight Riders.


Numbers at the ground (This Tournament)

Total Matches: 2

Matches won batting first: 1

Matches won batting second: 1

Average score batting first: 159

Average score batting second: 135

Average runs per over: 7.92

Average runs per wicket: 21.78


ABD vs VIP, Match 9: Probable Final XIs

Abu Dhabi Knight Riders Team News

No major updates

Abu Dhabi Knight Riders Probable Final 11

Brandon King, Kennar Lewis (wk), Dhananjaya de Silva, Colin Ingram, Charith Asalanka, Andre Russell, Sunil Narine (c), Akeal Hosein, Matiullah Khan, Sabir Rao, Lahiru Kumara



Desert Vipers Team News

No major updates

Desert Vipers Proable Final 11

Rohan Mustafa, Alex Hales, Colin Munro (c), Sam Billings (wk), Sherfane Rutherford, Benny Howell, Wanindu Hasaranga, Tom Curran, Sheldon Cottrell, Gus Atkinson, Shiraz Ahmed


 ABD vs VIP, Match 9: Top Five Picks 

  1. Brandon King (ABU): West Indian Brandon King hit a half-century in his last outing opening the innings against the same opposition as he is expcted to carry his form in this fixture as well.
  2.  Andre Russell (ABU): With just 38 runs in three matches and a golden duck in the last game, hard-hitter Andre Russell is due for a big performance for the Knight Riders. His all-round abilitiy is crucial for the team as they look to turn things around.
  3.  Sam Billings (DES): Wicketkeeper batter Sam Billings has smashed 84 runs in just two matches with scores of 49 and 35. He is an ideal pick for the wicketkeeper slot for this contest.
  4. Colin Munro (DES): With just one run in two encounters, Viper's captain Colin Munro would look to hit form soon.  Batting at no. 3, Colin is expcted to lead his side from the front with a good outing with the bat in this fixture.
  5. Wanindu Hasaranga (DES): Sri Lanka's Wanindu Hasaranga is one of the prime spinners going around the world right now especially in the T20 format. He picked up 3 wickets in the only match that he has played for the Knight  Riders this season as his ability with the bat also adds value to the side. 


 ABD vs VIP, Match 9: Must picks for the match

Abu Dhabi Knight Riders

1.Brandon King - 69 runs in 3 matches

2.Andre Russell - 38 runs and 2 wickets in 3 matches


Desert Vipers

1.Sam Billings - 84 runs in 2 matches

2.Colin Munro - 1 run in 2 matches

3.Wanindu Hasaranga - 3 wickets


 ABD vs VIP, Match 9: Risky picks

Abu Dhabi Knight Riders: Dhananjaya de Silva, Colin Ingram

Desert Vipers: Rohan Mustafa, Sherfane Rutherford


ABD vs VIP, Match 9: Best Captain and Vice-captain choices

1.Andre Russell (ABU)

2.Colin Munro (DES)

3.Wanindu Hasaranga (DES)


ABD vs VIP, Match 9: Team for Head-to-Head contests

Wicketkeepers: Sam Billings

Batters: Brandon King, Charith Asalanka, Alex Hales, Colin Munro 

All-rounders: Andre Russell, Sunil Narine, Wanindu Hasaranga,

Bowlers: Akeal Hosein, Gus Atkinson, Sheldon Cottrell

Captain: Andre Russell
Vice-Captain: Colin Munro

ABD: 5 Players, VIP: 6 Players


ABD vs VIP, Match 9: Team for Winner takes all Contests

Wicketkeepers: Sam Billings

Batters: Colin Ingram, Charith Asalanka, Rohan Mustafa, Sherfane Rtherford

All-rounders: Dhananjaya de Silva, Benny Howell, Tom Curran

Bowlers: Maitullah Khan, Lahiru Kumara, Sheldon Cottrell

Captain: Dhananjaya de Silva
Vice-Captain: Sam Billings

ABD: 5 Players, VIP: 6 Players


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