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Yes, yes, yes. That’s how we come back. That’s the MI Emirates we know. That’s how we put the first Eliminator behind us. That’s how we make it 3-0 over the Abu Dhabi Knight Riders. THAT’S HOW WE STORM INTO THE FINAL!&nbsp;“See you on the 4th of January,” was what Kieron Pollard said in the pre-season captains’ meet. He knew the fight this team had in them. He knew the effort the entire coaching ecosystem would put in. He knew the tactical genius he was. He knew the MI Family Spirit.Just simply too clinical&nbsp;Our bowlers never allowed the ADKR batters to cut loose. Opting to bowl first after the winning the toss, it was the spinners who started proceedings, and both Shakib Al Hasan and Allah Ghazanfar were just couldn’t be put away. Ghazanfar, in fact, through his spell of 3/24, ensured the Knight Riders didn’t have an escape at the death as well.&nbsp;Muhammad Rohid and Fazalhaq Farooqi chipped in with a couple of wickets each as well to tighten the screws, keeping them to an under-par 120/8 in their 20 overs on a good batting track.Banton, Shakib ensure no-fuss chase&nbsp;At 36/2 with both openers dismissed, it might have looked nervy. Nah. Not if you were MIE and had Shakib and Tom Banton out there. Shakib was the aggressor, Banton, the anchor. With an 82-run stand, they made sure we were home, easily, with nearly four overs to spare.So we meet again, Desert Vipers! Sunday, 4th of Jan, Dubai. Save the date. #2 is coming home!

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Qualifier 2 report: WE ARE INTO THE FINAL!!! Let’s tell the world…

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The message is simple – to keep it simple. The MI Family knows what it takes to win the big moments. And Bowling Coach, Vinay Kumar, has been part of many such moments himself. Here he is, looking back and forward in the post-match press conference. Excerpts..&nbsp;On Rohid Bangash’s bowling performance&nbsp;He bowled really well. It wasn’t easy at all because Zahoor was supposed to play in this game. Before the toss he got injured and Rohid came in. Credit goes to him for the way he performed. It isn’t easy for any player to prepare in 10 minutes. That is why we bought him at the Auction. He was our main player in the last season. Really happy. The Sharjah wickets skids on and the areas he bowled was really good and the temperament was top class.&nbsp;Message to the team for the FinalKeep it simple. Yes, it is the final, but at the end of the day, it is just another cricket game. You need to be focused. You need to be calm, relaxed, understand the conditions and play good cricket.&nbsp;A look back at MI Emirates’ campaign&nbsp;If you look back, we won five out of five in the league stage. Yes, we lost in the first qualifier, but credit has to be given to the captain and the coaching staff for keeping everyone in the loop. It’s important to make sure the players remain in the middle path, not go too high or too low. That is the biggest strength in MIE where they back the players. When it comes to crunch situations, the seniors step up and perform for the team. If you look at Shakib, he didn’t get an opportunity initially when Rashid Khan was there and this was the first time he went out to bat at number four, and the way he performed was outstanding. They all feel like this is home. Only then can they come up with such a performance.On Kieron Pollard’s captaincy&nbsp;He has played a lot of cricket. In T20 cricket, he is a legend. He understands the game really well. When a batter is under pressure he himself comes and stands at short leg or silly point where he puts more pressure on batters to go for big shots. He is looking much fitter and leaner and he mentioned that he would love to play for a few more years. He is working really hard and it is paying off nicely.&nbsp;On input of other coaches in the MI universe&nbsp;We have worked as a team. Everyone will be very happy with the way the team has performed. There is another game happening in South Africa today and everyone is very keenly watching that game. It is a one family and everyone will be very happy. If required, they will chip in with their inputs and we will be very happy to take that and move forward.&nbsp;Thoughts on the wicketThe wicket was very skiddy. When you come to Sharjah, we expect this kind of a track. We’ve always mentioned to batters playing here to look to play straight, and not go for the horizontal shorts. That was very visible. When a batter played straight, they got runs, whenever they played across, they struggled. That’s how the wicket played. &nbsp;&nbsp;

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“Yes, it is a final, but it is just another cricket game”: Vinay Kumar

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This is it. This is what we have been playing for over the last month. This is what matters. This is the knockout. There is no coming back. There are no extra lives. MI Emirates are ready, raring to go, and desperate to bring it home!&nbsp;We’ve forgotten the minor blip we had in the previous game. We are coming on the back of five back to back wins in the second half of the league stage in different conditions and despite losing a few of our players. That’s the momentum and confidence we aim to carry going into this all-important second Qualifier. A win here will book us a date for the grand finale.&nbsp;The Abu Dhabi Knight Riders are a side we have fond memories against in the two league games, beating them rather comfortably. It’s a nice starting point as we take the field in an Abu Dhabi derby. These are two proud franchises with a rich cricketing history globally. It’s always an iconic clash when these sides meet. You couldn’t have asked for a better way to begin 2026!&nbsp;What: MI Emirates vs Abu Dhabi Knight Riders&nbsp;When: January 2, 2026 | 6:30pm local time, 8:00pm IST&nbsp;Where: Sharjah Cricket Stadium, Sharjah&nbsp;What to expect: Trust the Sharjah pitch to be at its run-fest best. The trend here has been to chase even in the latter half of the tournament, and expect this Friday to be nothing different. The stakes are high, and we are ready!&nbsp;

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Qualifier 2 | MIEvADKR preview: Mission Abu Dhabi derby in Sharjah for Dubai date 

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It might not have been the result or the performance we were after, but in true MIE fashion, we didn’t go down without a fight. One of the major positives to come out of this was 81-run stand for the second wicket stand between Muhammad Waseem and Tom Banton that kept MI Emirates in the hunt. We had one half of that partnership, Waseem, at the post-match press conference. Excerpts..&nbsp;On the pitch and the team’s performance&nbsp;We are a bit disappointed because of our bowling performance, but it’s fine, it’s part and parcel of the game. Throughout the tournament we have bowled superbly but today wasn’t our day. We have one more chance and we will come back strongly. I think this was the best wicket of the tournament.&nbsp;On the team’s batting approach chasing a big targetWe started well today. We were chasing a big total and we were just looking to get as many runs as possible in each over. In such cases, you get mis-hits, dot balls, lose wickets. But our approach was to go for the chase. But we were unlucky to not chase it.&nbsp;Positives of the ILT20 for UAE players&nbsp;This is a big opportunity for the UAE players. The ILT20 is one of the big leagues in the world and all international players play in it. We can learn a lot and try and apply it in UAE cricket to do well.&nbsp;Thoughts on the second Qualifier&nbsp;Different ground, different pitch. We’ll play on that day depending on the ground and the pitch. We would only take the positives from this match. We’ll back our bowlers and batters and hopefully qualify for the final.&nbsp;

Qualifier 2 report: WE ARE INTO THE FINAL!!! Let’s tell the world…

By MI Emirates Media

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