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Surely there aren’t many better ways than to spend this festive week than at the cricket. 2025 has been a solid year for the MI Family, having won three titles, and the icing on the cake would be marching into 2026 with a date for the 4th of January.&nbsp;MI Emirates are on a five-match winning streak. Surfaces, conditions, match situations, new players coming in, the team has dealt with everything seamlessly, making sure the victory roll doesn’t stop. Right, this is the first Qualifier, the game that gives both teams an opportunity to jump directly into the Final. The Desert Vipers have had an equally dominant league stage, having lost just two games along the way. It stands 1-1 in the head-to-head encounters, with the Vipers pulling off a one-run win in the first game, and then MI Emirates bouncing back hard with an easy chase in the second.&nbsp;We are in Abu Dhabi. This is our backyard. This is our territory. This is our zone of mastery. The Blue and Gold know what it takes to win these big moments. 2025, let’s cap it off in style!&nbsp;What: Desert Vipers vs MI Emirates&nbsp;When: December 30, 2025 | 6:30pm local time, 8:00pm IST&nbsp;Where; Zayed Cricket Stadium, Abu Dhabi&nbsp;What to expect: This rivalry has produced some absolute nail-biters over the last four seasons. With everything to play for now and stakes at an all-time high, we should be in for some cracking action!&nbsp;&nbsp;

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QUALIFIER 1 | DVvMIE preview: Let’s say goodbye to 2025 with a direct Final entry

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Trust the Spiceman to have an instant impact. Playing his first game of the season, he was impressive with his measured knock at the top of the order. Here he is, speaking at the post-match press conference. Excerpts..&nbsp;On making it to the first Qualifier&nbsp;Any team in that position would be pumped and raring to go. Everything has been great. Everyone has been gelling really well. As we say, this is the MIE Family. Every single person feels at home and it is for us to continue that momentum. The job isn’t done yet. We just want to make sure we get into the final and lift that trophy.&nbsp;Impact of MIE’s spinnersThey have been really good. It is something that we talk about a lot in team meetings. I believe what’s working for them is that they aren’t trying anything. They give the wicket time to do what it can do. It’s about them putting balls in the right areas. Once they do that, we know how deadly they can be.&nbsp;On wining five games in a row&nbsp;I don’t want to think too far ahead, but our performance has been great. It is just about taking one game at a time. We have the first Qualifier. I would love for us to play just two games, the Qualifier and the Final. Just want to continue doing the basics as long as possible. As long as we back our abilities, I don’t see any team beating us.&nbsp;Thoughts on his own batting&nbsp;The wicket is pretty good. The ball was coming on nicely for the fast bowlers. Once you give yourself time to apply, the runs are there. We know for a&nbsp; fact that the ball does a bit for the first three overs, and then it gets a bit easier. As a batter, it is just about trying to maneuver the first two-three overs, and hopefully I can carry on and give a good start to my team.

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“Just want to make sure we get into the final and lift that trophy”: Andre Fletcher 

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It was W, W, W, W when it started. It is W, W, W, W, W when it is over. MI Emirates have capped off an absolutely dominant second half of the league stage with a win just as dominant. The bowlers set it up, the batters knocked it down. No fuss. No stress.&nbsp;The Polly touchAlthough MI Emirates weren’t chasing a massive target, the game seemed headed in the direction of a low-scoring thriller at the tenth over stage. 59/2, with Kieron Pollard just having walked out to join Tom Banton, who was relatively new to the crease as well. Polly took his time, was on three runs off 14 balls at one stage too. But then broke the shackles in typical KP fashion with a six. Poor Waqar Salamkheil was at the receiving end then of the assault that was to follow in the 15th over.&nbsp;14.1: SIX14.2: FOUR14.3: 2 runs14.4: SIX14.5: SIX14.6: SIX30 runs came off the over, and just like that, the game was sealed. All thoughts the Capitals might have had of taking this deep were gone. Woosh. Pollard finished with a 31-ball 44, and MI Emirates were home with 20 balls to spare.&nbsp;The Waseem startHe is knocking on the doors of the Green Belt, and once again, did what he’s been doing all season: get us off to a quick start. The new ball was the best time to bat given how difficult scoring became with the softer ball, Muhammad Waseem wasted no time to get going. A 19-ball 28 to set up the chase and give the other batters some time to settle in.&nbsp;The Ghazanfar wizardry&nbsp;3/28 in four overs despite bowling in the powerplay. Allah Ghazanfar was at his unplayable best on the night, getting rid of fellow countryman, Sediqullah Atah, in the sixth over, before returning in the 14th over with two more strikes to derail Dubai’s innings as they folded out for an underpar 122/8 in their 20 overs.&nbsp;Right then, we now are officially in the top two, and will face the Gulf Giants in the first Qualifier in Abu Dhabi on December 30. At home, playing the final match of the year, how’s fun a setting is that to seal a date for the 4th of January!&nbsp;

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MIEvDC report: No fuss! Captain Polly carries us to TOP-TWO FINISH

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The big-hitting all-rounder from Barbados, Kadeem Alleyne is all set to join the MI Emirates as a replacement for Jonny Bairstow. A right-handed top-order batter and a medium pacer, he is coming off a pretty impressive season in the Caribbean Premier League. Welcome to the Blue and Gold, Kadeem!&nbsp;Jonny B, the smasher at the top of the order, who formed a wonderful opening partnership with Muhammad Waseem, scored 246 runs in nine innings at a strike-rate of over 145. The stands will miss those sixes, JB!&nbsp;MI Emirates have already made it to the playoffs of the fourth season of the ILT20. They gear up to play their final league game with the Dubai Capitals on Saturday (December 27), which is set to be a direct shootout for a spot in the top two on the points table. &nbsp;

QUALIFIER 1 | DVvMIE preview: Let’s say goodbye to 2025 with a direct Final entry

By MI Emirates Media

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