MI Emirates set to face Abu Dhabi Knight Riders in Qualifier 2 of the International League T20 (ILT20) 2025-2026 at the Sharjah Cricket Stadium in Sharjah on Friday, January 2.
Preview
In the Qualifier 2 T20 match of the ILT20 2025-26, MI Emirates (MIE) are set to face the Abu Dhabi Knight Riders (ADKR). The MI Emirates also performed well, winning seven out of 10 games and placing second in the points table. Moreover, they lost the previous game, Qualifier 1, by 45 runs against the Desert Vipers. However, in the last game batting, Tom Banton performed well and scored 63 runs off 27 balls. Muhammad Waseem and Romario Shepherd also played well. But their bowlers failed to perform well.
On the other hand, Abu Dhabi Knight Riders had a decent season as they won just 4 games out of the 10 but still qualified for the play-offs. Moreover, they won the eliminator game by 50 runs. Phil Salt and Michael Pepper performed well and scored 43 and 72 runs, respectively. In bowling, Jason Holder, Sunil Narine, and Liam Livingstone performed well and took three wickets each. This will be a very important game for both teams; the winner of this game will qualify for the final.
Match Information
MI Emirates vs Abu Dhabi Knight Riders, Qualifier 2
International League T20, 2 Jan 2026, Fri, 8:00 PM IST ,Sharjah
Probable PlayingXI
MI Emirates
T Banton, A Gul, Fazalhaq Farooqi, Waseem Muhammad, ADS Fletcher, Dan Mousley, Romario Shepherd, Shakib Al Hasan, Kieron Pollard(C), Zahoor Khan, Sanjay Krishnamurthi
Bench: JM Bairstow, Ackeem Auguste, Tajinder Singh, Chris Woakes, JA Thompson, PHKD Mendis, Allah Mohammad, Mohamed Shafeeq, MD Rohid Khan, Naveen-ul-Haq, NP Kenjige, Zain-ul-Abidin, Nicholas Pooran, U K Shinwari, Rashid Khan, SR Patel, Kadeem Alleyne
Abu Dhabi Knight Riders
Jason Holder(C), LS Livingstone, A Sharafu, AD Hales, B McMullen, AD Russell, SP Narine, Piyush Chawla, MS Pepper, PD Salt, A Kumar
Bench: Abdul Manan Ali, UBT Chand, Sherfane Rutherford, Adnan Idrees, GHS Garton, SC van Schalkwyk, I A Shah, Khary Pierre, OP Stone, M Chowdary
Injury News – (Will be added when there is an update)
Pitch Report
Captains
Tom Banton MIE | WICKETKEEPER – 9
Tom Banton is an excellent English batter. Moreover, he scored 63 runs in 27 balls in the previous game against the Desert Vipers. He is definitely a key player for the MI Emirates.
Philip Salt ADKR | wk – 6.5
Phil Salt, a British top-order batter, has routinely performed well. Moreover, he has scored 43 runs in the last game against the Dubai Capitals. Furthermore, he can perform well in tough situations.
Top
Waseem Muhammad MIE | BAT – 8.5
UAE’s top-order batter Muhammad Waseem is an aggressive batsman. He also scored 334 runs in the last 11 innings. Moreover, he scored 41 runs in the last game against the Desert Vipers. MI Emirates will definitely hope for a good innings from him in this game.
Michael-Kyle Pepper ADKR | WK – 7
Michael Pepper is a top-order batter who has been consistently performing well. He scored 174 runs in the last 4 games. Moreover, he also scored 72 runs in the previous game.
Budget
Romario Shepherd MIE | all – 8
Romario Shepherd is a brilliant all-rounder who has played explosive innings on numerous occasions and also taken important wickets. Moreover, he scored 39 runs in 23 balls in the previous game against the Desert Vipers. MI Emirates will definitely hope for a good performance from him in this game.
Liam Livingstone ADKR | ALL-ROUNDER – 8
Liam Livingstone is an excellent all-rounder from England. He has the ability to perform well at any time with the bat and bowl. Moreover, he also took three wickets in the last game against the Dubai Capitals.
Avoid Player Message
Arab Gul – MIE | BOWLER – 5
Muhammad Rohid Khan – MIE | BOWL – 6
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