Jahangir's 99 sets up Capitals' tense win against Knight Riders

Shayan Jahangir's 99 off 54 balls propelled Dubai Capitals to a nine-run victory over Abu Dhabi Knight Riders in a tightly contested match. Jahangir's counter-attack lifted the Capitals to 196 for 5, a total they defended despite late hitting from Andre Russell (53* off 33) and Jason Holder (22 off 9). This marked the Knight Riders' fourth consecutive loss after winning their tournament opener.

Sent in to bat, the Capitals were in early trouble at 4 for 2, losing both openers quickly. Jahangir, joined by Jordan Cox, steadied the innings. After a cautious PowerPlay, Jahangir launched an assault, hitting boundaries off Liam Livingstone and then smashing Ibrar Ahmed for 18 runs in an over. George Garton also conceded 18 runs in his only over.

Jahangir and Cox built a 116-run partnership before Holder dismissed Cox LBW. Jahangir continued aggressively, moving into the 80s and then to 95 with a six off Sunil Narine. After being starved of strike, Rovman Powell accelerated the innings, hammering four sixes in the 18th and 19th overs. In the final over, Jahangir was bowled by a Russell yorker, falling agonizingly short of a century on 99.

Chasing 197, the Knight Riders lost early wickets. Phil Salt started brightly, but David Willey removed Alex Hales and Sherfane Rutherford, while Liam Livingstone was run out, leaving them at 49 for 3 after the PowerPlay. Waqar Salamkheil dismissed the dangerous Salt in the 10th over, and regular wickets followed—Brandon McMullen, Sunil Narine, and Alishan Sharafu fell—leaving the Knight Riders at 100 for 6 and then 107 for 7.

With 74 needed from the last five overs, Andre Russell and Jason Holder launched a counter-attack. Holder hit three sixes before holing out, leaving Russell with 26 to get off the final over. Russell began with a four off a no-ball and then hit a six, bringing the equation to 15 off 4 balls. A boundary took him to fifty and reduced the target to 11 off 3 balls. However, Muhammad Jawadullah bowled three consecutive dots to seal a dramatic nine-run win for the Capitals.

Brief Scores:
Dubai Capitals 196/5 in 20 overs (Shayan Jahangir 99, Rovman Powell 38*; Jason Holder 2-22, Andre Russell 2-32) beat Abu Dhabi Knight Riders 187/8 in 20 overs (Andre Russell 53*, Alishan Sharafu 26; Waqar Salamkheil 3-34, David Willey 2-37) by nine runs.