Blitzers, Pearls, Thunderbolts and Marvels off to a winning start in ILT20 Development Tournament

ILT20 Blitzers, ILT20 Pearls, ILT20 Thunderbolts and ILT20 Marvels recorded impressive wins in the opening weekend of the ILT20 Development Tournament at the ICC Cricket Academy in Dubai.

The tournament is aimed at providing a potentially life changing opportunity to UAE players with 13 spots still up for grabs in the DP World ILT20 Season 2.

In the tournament opener, player of the match Usman Khan’s unbeaten 68 off 52 balls (nine fours, one six) ensured a comfortable seven-wicket win for the Blitzers.

Earlier, Marvels who lost opener Mayank Choudhry on the tournament’s very first ball, struggled to get going in their innings after being asked to bat first.

Pearls recorded a 19-run win against the Dynamos in the second match on Saturday.

In the opening match on Sunday Asif Khan’s 87 not out (59 balls, six fours, six sixes) went in vain as the Thunderbolts powered through the 166-run chase for the loss of five wickets.

Braves who were asked to bat first posted a competitive 165-run total on the back of Asif’s blazing innings; the opener hit some lusty blows to propel his side past the 160-run mark. Junaid Shamzu smashed 31 off 10 balls (two fours, three sixes) in an unbroken 65-run alliance with Asif.

Thunderbolts chased down the runs courtesy a smashing unbeaten 19-ball 45 by Ansh Tandon. The left-hander hit two fours and five sixes in his brilliant innings. Captain Rohan Mustafa scored 43 off 36 balls (six fours), Thunderbolts completed the chase with three balls left. Haider Ali took two wickets.

Marvels registered their first win when the defeated Pearls by seven wickets in the second match on Sunday.

Brief scores

Match one – ILT20 Blitzers beat ILT20 Marvels by seven wickets

ILT20 Marvels 114 all out, 18.1 overs (Aayan Afzal Khan 24 not out, Basil Hameed 20; Uzair Khan 3-14, Muhammad Zubair 3-25).

ILT20 Blitzers 115 for 3, 16.4 overs (Usman Khan 68 not out, Ali Abid 18; Muhammad Zuhaib 1-18).

Match two – ILT20 Pearls beat ILT20 Dynamos by 19 runs

ILT20 Pearls 151 for 8, 20 overs (Aryansh Sharma 63, Zawar Farid 26; Sanchit Sharma 2-25, Vikum Sanjaya 2-35).

ILT20 Dynamos 132 all out, 19.4 overs (Samal Udawaththa 28, Muhammad Shahdad 23; Zawar Farid 4-20, Adhitya Shetty 3-27).

Match three – ILT20 Thunderbolts beat ILT20 Braves by five wickets

ILT20 Braves 165 for 4, 20 overs (Asif Khan 87 not out, Junaid Shamzu 31 not out; Shahbaz Ali 2-38).

ILT20 Thunderbolts 168 for 5, 19.3 overs (Ansh Tandon 45 not out, Rohan Mustafa 43; Haider Ali 2-31).

Match four – ILT20 Marvels beat ILT20 Pearls by seven wickets

ILT20 Pearls 121 all out, 18.2 overs (Lovepreet Singh 25, Aryansh Sharma 22, Khalid Shah 22; Muhammad Zuhaib 4-17, Aayan Afzal Khan 3-13).

ILT20 Marvels 122 for 3, 17.2 overs (Mayank Choudhry 47, Rahul Chopra 31 not out; Adhitya Shetty 1-16)

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