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Nicholas Pooran-led MI Emirates won their first International League T20 (ILT20) title after beating the Dubai Capitals by 45 runs in the 2024 final on Saturday. After registering a 209-run target at the Dubai International Stadium, the Emirates restricted the Capitals to 163 runs to clinch their maiden title victory.
Both MI Emirates and Dubai Capitals defeated defending champions Gulf Giants in Qualifier 1 and 2 respectively to contest for the ILT20 2024 trophy.
West Indies star batter Nicholas Pooran played a captain's knock as he scored an unbeaten 57-off-27 with two fours and six sixes while Andre Fletcher also scored a half-century as the Emirates scored 208 runs at a loss of three wickets. For the Capitals, Jason Holder and Scott Kuggeleijn ended up being the most expensive bowlers as they gave away runs at over 15 economy and were unable to dismiss any batter.
During the chase, Dubai lost an early wicket in Leus du Plooy on the second ball of the innings but skipper Sam Billings (40-off-29) and opener Tom Banton's (35-off-20) knocks fueled confidence in the Capitals side. However, they failed to soak in the pressure and got bundled out at 163 runs as Emirates' Trent Boult and Vijayakanth Viyaskanth picked up two wickets each.
