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We couldn’t have asked for any better motivation in our bounce-back quest. The Sharjah Warriorz had ended our run in the third season of ILT20, and getting our conquest for the fourth season up and running against them would be the perfect way to put that behind us.&nbsp;Although the scorecard might reflect a match lost inside 15 overs in the chase, MI Emirates have plenty of positives to take out. The finish with the bat, the start with the ball, the never say die attitude, we know will stand us in good stead going ahead. The Warriorz are coming off a loss as well, the only loss coming batting second in the tournament, and would be itching to get on track as well. Make it all the more delicious!&nbsp;&nbsp;What: Sharjah Warriorz vs MI Emirates&nbsp;When: December 7, 2025 | 2:00pm local, 3:30pm IST&nbsp;Where: Sharjah Cricket Stadium, Sharjah&nbsp;What to expect: The toss will play a major role, and winning it to bowl first will be a massive relief. But irrespective, this rivalry has produced some thrillers in the past, and there’s no reason we shouldn’t expect another.&nbsp;

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Match 2 | SWvMIE preview: Time to avenge the Season 3 Eliminator 

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Doesn’t matter which format, trust Chris Woakes to deliver the early breakthroughs. Defending a slightly under-par score, he got MI Emirates to the perfect start with two quick wickets. But Pathum Nissanka, Moeen Ali and Azmatullah Omarzai rebuilt rather well to get the Gulf Giants home in the chase of 164 with over five overs to spare. Here he is, sharing his thoughts on the game at the post-match press conference. Excerpts..&nbsp;Thoughts on the way the game went&nbsp;We didn’t get as many runs as we’d have liked. It was a tricky surface to begin with when we batted, so it was important to get wickets upfront when we bowled. But we didn’t capitalize on that. That was probably the problem. We had them two down early but then we didn’t really capitalize after that. I suppose that is where we just let the game slip and they got away from us on what turned into a good surface when the dew came down a little bit.&nbsp;Whether the pitch was tricky to bat on initially &nbsp;It was tricky to bat on to begin with. Obviously, we lost a few early wickets which never helps in the powerplay. But the surface wasn’t easy to come in and score straightaway. We had a great partnership between (Kieron) Pollard and (Nicholas) Pooran to get us back into the game. To get us up to 160 from the position we were in was really good. With the surface getting better, it wasn’t going to be enough.&nbsp;Difference in the playing conditions compared to last yearSlightly different time of the year, a month earlier which is a bit different. Still a bit warmer than January, when it cools off a bit. Felt like it got a bit wet out there towards the end of the game But in general, coming to different environments as a player, you get used to that. You know a lot of the players anyway. You try to come into the dressing room and bring that group together and gel as quickly as possible. The games come thick and fast. We haven’t had a good performance tonight but the games come thick and fast. You’ve got to try and build quickly as a group.&nbsp;On Rohid Bangash’s performanceReally the first proper time I’ve seen him bowl close and personal. He’s an exciting talent, so many coming out of the country, which is scary with the way they are developing. He’s got a future. He’s got quite a bit to learn, but playing with the best in tournaments like this will only be good for him.&nbsp;On his personal cricketing future&nbsp;I hope so. If people will buy me and I’ll be there. I intend to play for a few more years and hopefully that will be the case.&nbsp;

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“We didn’t capitalize on the start we had with the ball”: Chris Woakes

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Not the best start, MI Emirates Fam, but certainly one where we showed the stomach for a counter-punch when our backs were to the wall. It wasn’t the start we were hoping for but we’ll take some massive positives out of this one. Let’s recap ..&nbsp;Polly, Pooran rise to the occasion&nbsp;After being put into bat, MI Emirates were in a spot of bother at 57/4 in the tenth over. But like they’ve done a zillion times in the past across different franchises in the Blue and Gold, the P power in Kieron Pollard and Nicholas Pooran came to the fore, stitched together a 78-run stand with Polly playing aggressor and Nicky P, the anchor.&nbsp;Polly’s brute power on full displayPoor Tabraiz Shamsi bore the brunt of the Llord’s mood. He was batting on three off the first eight balls he faced. And boom..&nbsp;12.2: MASSIVE SIX over long-on12.3: SIX AGAIN. Hammered over the bowler’s head&nbsp;12.4: A mistime, but still with enough power for ANOTHER SIX over deep mid-wicket&nbsp;The momentum shifted. And soon enough, Polly rushed towards his 67th fifty in the format, off just 32 balls.&nbsp;A finish for the agesFrom 66/4 in 12 overs to 163/6 in 20. 97 runs came off the last eight overs. After Pooran fell for a well-made 46, Romario Shephed took over and belted Nuwan Thushara two fours and a six in the 19th over, followed by Rashid Khan, who joined the squad today as a replacement for Jordan Thompson, walked out to bat off the last ball of the innings, and smoked a six in typical whippy Rashido fashion!&nbsp;Perfect start with the ball, but alas, not quite the finish&nbsp;No matter what format, trust Chris Woakes to strike with the new ball. And he did. Twice, getting rid of Rahmanullah Gurbaz and Gerhard Erasmus in consecutive overs. But Pathum Nissanka held his nerve, and with Moeen Ali and Azmatullah Omarzai for chipping in, took the Gulf Giants past the finish line with relative ease.&nbsp;Right, we’ve been in such situations before. We know what it is to gather momentum and peak as we go along. We’ll go again, on Sunday afternoon at the Sharjah Cricket Stadium against the Sharjah Warriorz.&nbsp;

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GGvMIE report: A typical Polly fightback, but alas, the Giants hunt it down

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Big news. The English all-rounder, Jordan Thompson, has unfortunately been ruled out of ILT20 Season 4 due to an injury. The Afghan legend, and someone who’s no stranger to the #OneFamily and the MI Emirates, Rashid Khan, will come in as his replacement.Rashid is a proper magician who has seriously revolutionized the T20 game, first with his mystery spin that’s bamboozled the best in the world for nearly a decade now, and then with the bat, inventing out-of-the-box strokes like the ‘snake shot’. Having led MI Cape Town to their maiden title win just ten months ago, he sure knows a thing or two about winning big championships.&nbsp;Rashido, Habibi, welcome to Abu Dhabi!&nbsp;

Match 2 | SWvMIE preview: Time to avenge the Season 3 Eliminator

By MI Emirates Media

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