Abu Dhabi Knight Riders opened their DP World ILT20 Season 4 campaign with an emphatic 39-run win against the Sharjah Warriorz at the Sharjah Cricket Stadium. Liam Livingstone delivered a stunning performance, smashing an unbeaten 82 off 38 balls and guiding his team to a commanding total of 233 for 4, the second-highest score in the tournament’s history.
Livingstone dominated the final over by taking 33 runs off Dwayne Pretorius, hitting five sixes, including four consecutively. He received valuable support from Sherfane Rutherford, who made 45, while Alex Hales and Alishan Sharafu contributed 32 and 34 runs respectively. Adil Rashid was the standout bowler for the Warriorz, picking up two wickets for 31 runs.In pursuit of the challenging target, the Warriorz stumbled early. Johnson Charles scored 10, Tom Abell managed 6, and Tom Kohler-Cadmore added 14, leaving the team struggling at 56 for 3 within seven overs.
Tim David revived the innings with a powerful 60 off 24 balls, striking three consecutive sixes off Piyush Chawla and reaching his half-century in just 21 deliveries. However, wickets continued to fall around him. Sikandar Raza was dismissed for 8 and Dinesh Karthik for 5. David’s aggressive attempt to chase the total ended in the 13th over when Ajay Kumar removed him, finishing with impressive figures of 1 for 22.
With the required run rate climbing close to 20 runs per over in the final phase, the task became increasingly difficult. Pretorius scored 39 off 20 balls and Adil Rashid added a quick 25 off 11, including three sixes against Andre Russell, but the Warriorz ultimately fell short, ending at 194 for 9.
Earlier in the match, Michael Pepper set the tone for the Knight Riders with a brisk 15 off 9 before being dismissed by Pretorius. Hales and Sharafu helped the team finish the powerplay at 58 for 1. Their partnership of 51 was broken by Adil Rashid, who dismissed both batters in quick succession.
Livingstone and Rutherford then seized complete control with a 95-run stand, attacking both Sikandar Raza and Pretorius for 19 runs each in separate overs. Rutherford fell in the 18th over, but Andre Russell joined Livingstone to add a rapid 50-run partnership off just 13 balls, sealing the massive total.
Player of the Match Liam Livingstone said that the top-order set a strong foundation and he found his rhythm toward the end. Sharjah Warriorz captain Tim Southee admitted that his bowlers failed to take wickets at crucial stages, allowing Knight Riders to dominate both in the middle and at the death.
