The first two matches of the ILT20 League were won by the teams batting first. But, the next five games in a row have now been won by the chasing teams. The only game played on the sixth day of the league was only claimed by the team batting second.
Let’s look at how the game progressed and impacted the SportiScore market.
Match 6: Abu Dhabi Knight Riders vs Desert Vipers
Desert Vipers 135 for 3 (Hales 64 (↑8%), Hasaranga 3/18 (↑24%)) beat Abu Dhabi Knight Riders 133 for 8 (King 57, Narine 1/26 (↓4%)) by 7 wickets.
Following the trend, Desert Vipers also opted to chase after winning the toss. The decision paid dividends early as they struck twice inside the first three overs. Brandon King held one end for the Knight Riders but he kept losing partners. At one stage, the batting side was in a decent position at 103 for 3 with 40 deliveries still left in the innings.
But, the next 17 deliveries brought only 4 runs and cost ADKR 3 wickets. This phase of the game ruined all the momentum for the Abu Dhabi side. Brandon King was left stranded at one end before eventually falling in the final over. He made a well compiled 57 off just 44 deliveries. All the other batters could manage only 68 runs in 76 balls. Wanindu Hasaranga(↑24%) conceded just 18 runs in his 4-over spell and also grabbed 3 key wickets.
Desert Vipers were asked to chase down 134 runs and it was never going to be a tough ask for them. Rohan Mustafa smashed 5 boundaries in his 11-ball innings. His innings of 23 runs denied the bowling side any chance to build pressure. ADKR picked a couple of wickets within 7 balls to try and get back into the game.
However, Alex Hales(↑8%) stood firm and stitched a 76-run stand with Sam Billings. Hales scored 67 runs in 47 balls and Desert Vipers got to the target with 26 balls still left in the chase. The Knight Riders remain winless after 3 matches and the Vipers have risen to the second position in the points table.
SportiScore Analysis
Wanindu Hasaranga(↑24%) gained the highest SportiScores on day 6 of the ILT20 League. His 31.2 SPQs came as a result of a super bowling spell. In his 4 overs, Hasaranga gave away just 18 runs and picked up 3 important wickets. The second on the list is Alex Hales(↑8%), who played a match-winning innings of 64 runs. These runs came in 47 deliveries and included 7 fours and a maximum.
Sheldon Cotrell(↑10%) was also highly impressive yesterday as he conceded only 12 runs in 3 overs and picked up a wicket as well. That’s why he bagged 15.6 SPQs. Tom Curran(↓4%) also had a fine day with the ball and got 7.5 SportiScores. He didn’t pick up a wicket but went for only 22 runs in 4 overs.
Let’s look at the performances and SportiScores earned by all the top players on day 6 in the ILT20 League:
| Player | Performance | SportiScores Earned |
|---|---|---|
| Wanindu Hasaranga | 3/18 | 31.2 |
| Alex Hales | 64(47) | 23 |
| Sheldon Cottrell | 1/12 | 15.6 |
| Tom Curran | 0/22 | 7.5 |
| Sunil Narine | 3(6) & 1/26 | 7 |
| Colin Munro | 1(3) | -7 |
| Andre Russell | 0(1) & 1/37 | -10.5 |
| Lahiru Kumara | 0/35 | -12.5 |
Market Update
Wanindu Hasaranga’s(↑24%) price went north by a margin of 21.4 SportiScores. Alex Hales(↑8%) also got a price increase of 12.4 SPQs. Whereas, Lahiru Kumara’s(↓30%) expensive spell depreciated his value by 21.6 SPQs. A bad day for Andre Russell(↓20%) saw his price falling by 20 SportiScores.
Let’s take a look at the price fluctuations of the players after the 7th match of the season:
| Player | SportiScores | 18 Jan Price | 19 Jan Price | % Change | Cumulative SPQs Earned |
| Wanindu Hasaranga | 31.2 | 88.2 | 109.6 | 24% | 31.2 |
| Alex Hales | 23 | 146.4 | 158.8 | 8% | 74 |
| Sheldon Cottrell | 15.6 | 68.5 | 75.6 | 10% | 7.6 |
| Tom Curran | 7.5 | 98.3 | 94.6 | -4% | 5 |
| Sunil Narine | 7 | 115.3 | 110.8 | -4% | 30.3 |
| Colin Munro | -7 | 84.8 | 67.6 | -20% | -14 |
| Andre Russell | -10.5 | 100.55 | 80.55 | -20% | 14.05 |
| Lahiru Kumara | -12.5 | 72.8 | 51.2 | -30% | -12.5 |
