SHARJAH: A combined bowling performance, followed by Leus du Plooy’s blistering half-century stormed Dubai Capitals into the ILT20 final with a nine-wicket victory over Gulf Giants in the second Qualifier on Thursday.
Giants’ captain James Vince’s decision to bat first did not prove fruitful for his side as their batting lineup struggled against a disciplined Capitals’ bowling unit and could register a modest total of 138/6 in the allotted overs.
Hard-hitting opener Usman Khan provided a flying start to the Giants with his 21-run cameo. But his departure in the third over ignited a top-order collapse which resulted in them slipping to 40/4 in 7.2 overs.
In-form Shimron Hetmyer joined skipper Vince in the middle but, he too, failed to settle and perished in the 11th over after scoring a run-a-ball eight.
Vince, who was waging a lone battle for his side, finally found subtle support at the other end in the form of his compatriot Chris Jordan.
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The pair added an important 55 runs before the captain finally perished in the penultimate over.
Vince remained the top-scorer for the Giants with a gutsy 58. His 53-ball knock featured four boundaries and two sixes.
Meanwhile, Jordan carried his bat all the way through with a crucial 30. He conceded 29 deliveries and struck two boundaries and a six.
For the Capitals, Sikandar Raza, Haider Ali, Jason Holder, Olly Stone and Scott Kuggeleijn made one scalp each.
In return, the Capitals comfortably chased down the 139-run target for the loss of just one wicket and 25 balls to spare, courtesy of a strong start provided by their openers.
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Leus du Plooy and Tom Banton combined to add 98 runs for the first wicket, putting the Capitals in touching distance.
The opening stand remained majorly dominated by du Plooy while Banton was rotating the strike before finally falling victim to Liam Dawson in the 12th over after a run-a-ball 38. His knock featured four boundaries.
Meanwhile, du Plooy stood his ground firm and partnered with Tom Abell (20*) to steer the Capitals over the line with an unbeaten 41-run partnership.
Leus du Plooy top-scored for the Capitals with a 40-ball 63 which featured five boundaries and three sixes.
Dubai Capitals will now take on table-toppers MI Emirates in the ILT20 final, scheduled to take place on Saturday at the Dubai International Cricket Stadium.
READ: MI Emirates reach ILT20 final at Gulf Giants’ disposal