IlT20 2023, Qualifier 1: Curran, Hasaranga star as Vipers outclassed Giants to secure the final berth
Desert Vipers players celebrating after the fall of a wicket (Twitter)
An all-round brilliance from Wanindu Hasaranga and Tom Curran helped Desert Vipers break the losing streak against the Gulf Giants to make it to the final of the inaugural edition of the ILT20 2023.
All-rounders propelled Vipers to a defendable total
Earlier Gulf Giants won the toss and elected to bowl first. Rohan Mustafa (23) and Alex Hales (3) were the usual openers for the Vipers. They gave a brisk start to the side, which was needed in an important game. But the Giants fought back with the ball, dismissing both the openers in quick succession. They also got the bonus wicket of the Vipers' skipper Colin Munro.
Wicket-keeper batter Sam Billings (31) steadied the ship with Wanindu Hasaranga on the other hand. The Sri Lankan all-rounder was the aggressor in that partnership. He played an enterprising knock of 31 off 20 balls before getting dismissed in the 12th over. Billings followed him soon to the changing room.
It felt like the Vipers may struggle to get to 150, but a superb late dash by Sherfane Rutherford (37) and Tom Curran (29) helped the Vipers finish strong with 178 on the board.
Curran and Hasaranga dismantle Giants
Chasing a target of 179 was always going to be a challenging target for Gulf Giants. The opening pair of skipper James Vince (21) and Chris Lynn (26) gave a flying start to the Giants. The dynamic duo of Vince and Lynn added 53 for the first wicket.
In came Hasaranga and on his first delivery, he dismissed the dangerous-looking Lynn. In the next over Curran accounted for the wicket of Vince. Having bowled a wicket maiden, Hasaranga returned and dismissed Colin de Grandhomme (11) and David Wiese (0) in the same over to reduce Giants to 75-4.
With more than 100 required off the final 10 overs, the Giants kept losing wickets at regular intervals. Their batters failed to get any momentum in their innings. As a result, despite a fighting knock from Shimron Hetmyer (36), the Giants fell short of the target by 19 runs to record their first loss of the season to the Vipers.
Brief Scores:
Desert Vipers: 178/7 (20)
Sherfane Rutherford 37 (19), Wanindu Hasaranga 31 (20)
Chris Jordan 3/40, Afzal Khan 1/2
Gulf Giants: 159/10 (19.4)
Shimron Hetmyer 36 (21), Chris Lynn 26 (23)
Tom Curran 4/31, Wanindu Hasaranga 3/36
Match Result: Desert Vipers won by 19 runs
 "Vaibhav Tripathi")
