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Absolutely clinical stuff this. At 2/2 there was a bit of a scare, but a 140-run stand between Muhammad Waseem and Nicholas Pooran made sure there were no surprises in store as MI Emirates chased down the target of 142 easily with 21 balls to spare. This now means the MI Emirates have stamped their boarding pass for the playoffs. YEP, THE Q IS OFFICIAL!&nbsp;W, W, W, WTalk about winning when it matters. Come the business end, trust MI Emirates to bring out their A game and go on a victory run. The last two games might have been close wins, but this was pretty authoritative. The seamers did their job first up to keep the Gulf Giants to an under-par total of 142, and then one big stand for the third wicket was good enough.&nbsp;The Waseem-Pooran showMuhammad Waseem: 59 runs | 42 balls | 3 fours | 3 sixes&nbsp;Nicholas Pooran: 69 runs | 49 balls | 6 fours | 3 sixes&nbsp;Coming together with Jonny Bairstow and Tom Banton falling cheaply, the duo were watchful in the beginning, taking their time to find their timing. It was in the eighth over that Waseem first cut loose, smacking two boundaries off Kyle Mayers. Pooran, for a large part of his innings, was batting at under a run a ball. But then in no time stuck a few big ones, brought the asking rate well within control, and then even overtook Waseem to bring up his fifty.&nbsp;Advantage seized in the bowling powerplayThe game was won with the ball. And more precisely, in the powerplay, with Romario Shepherd and Fazalhaq Farooqi sending back the top three batters inside the first four overs. Although Moeen Ali got a fifty, he was always playing catchup.&nbsp;Woohoo. We are into the playoffs. We are firmly in the top two on the points table. We have the rhythm. Let’s bring it home!&nbsp;

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MIEvGG report: Thumping win to jump the queue and bag the ‘Q’

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Rashid Khan, after playing a huge role in MI Emirates’ campaign so far, is set to leave to join the MI Cape Town pre-season camp ahead of the fourth season of the SA20. We also say goodbye to Kamindu Mendis, who would be leaving to join the Sri Lankan squad. &nbsp;Replacing Rashid Khan is Sunny Patel, who has been part of MI New York for the last two seasons. Dan Mousley, who again is no stranger to the Blue and Gold, having represented MI Emirates last year, would be coming in for Kamindu Mendis.&nbsp;MIE fam, let’s wish the duo of Rashid and Kamindu the best! And then say a massive hello to Sunny and Dan!&nbsp;

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Dan Mousley and Sunny Patel set to join MI Emirates

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A chase of 125 done in 17.3 overs is what the scorecard would tell you, but boy, it was tense! On a tricky pitch, with not a lot of dew either, the batters were struggling to get on with the scoring. But in the end, it was down to the experience of our senior pros that ensured panic didn’t set in and MI Emirates got home the two points to inch closer to a Q.Our true heroes, our bowlers&nbsp;Nobody took a three-fer or ran through the Desert Vipers’ batting lineup, but it was the bowlers who set this win up, ensuring none of their batters got going and plucking regular wickets to keep them to 124/7 in their 20 overs. Shakib Al Hasan was at his miserly best, giving away just 14 runs in his four overs, picking two wickets along the way. Just unplayable stuff!&nbsp;Welcome to the party, Sanjay Krishnamurthi&nbsp;He got a chance to bat tonight at 51/3, and with Shakib not quite getting going at the other end, he reversed the pressure with a two huge sixes in his crucial 18-ball knock of 21.&nbsp;And then Polly does Polly things&nbsp;He didn’t waste time getting his eye in. Walking in to bat at 79/5 and the team in a spot of bother with the asking rate over six an over, Kieron Pollard decided to take down leggie Qais Ahmad, smashing him for 18 runs in the 15th over and virtually killing the game in the process. Here’s how it went:&nbsp;Ball 1: DOT – defended&nbsp;Ball 2: SIX – full toss, smoked over deep mid-wicket&nbsp;Ball 3: SIX – another full toss, another hoick over deep mid-wicket&nbsp;Ball 4: DOT – appeal for LBW, but saved by the inside-edge&nbsp;Ball 5: FOUR – flat ball, slapped just past a diving fielder down the ground&nbsp;Ball 6: 2 RUNS – edged through the slipsThe game was sealed. This was experience coming to the fore, making sure it didn’t go down to the last over, also making sure MI Emirates solidified their top two spot on the points table.&nbsp;

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DVvMIE report: Low-scoring thriller sealed, ft. Polly power

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The pieces of the puzzle are falling&nbsp;in place. Three wins in a row in the second half of the tournament, a steady rise to the second spot on the points table, winning games from difficult situations, every player stepping up with useful performances, all the ingredients in this year’s ILT20 campaign are slowly but surely being checked.&nbsp;MI Emirates are back home as well, with two matches in front of a vocal Abu Dhabi crowd. The last time these two teams met, the Giants had a fairly one-sided win, making this contest all the more spicy for us to try and get one over them in our momentum surge. A win here for us will secure an official playoff confirmation, further cementing a top two spot as well.&nbsp;What: MI Emirates vs Gulf Giants&nbsp;When: December 23, 2025 | 6:30pm local time, 8:00pm IST&nbsp;Where: Zayed Cricket Stadium, Abu DhabiWhat to expect: The Gulf Giants, with six points, are in that must-win territory. Although they are coming off three consecutive losses, there’s no taking them lightly. With the pitches getting slower and the average scores dipping, expect spin to play a major role once again.&nbsp;

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Match 9 | MIEvGG preview: Let’s grab the ‘Q’

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The big moments need the big guys to step up. And Shakib Al Hasan did just that, first with his superb spell of 2/14 in four overs and then with what might have looked like a scratchy effort, but was a vital stay at the crease with the bat, hitting the winning runs in the process to help MI Emirates seal their third game in a row. Here are the excerpts from his post-match chat..&nbsp;Thoughts on the game&nbsp;We played professionally. It was a tough place to come and play. Happy with the way I contributed. We are sitting nicely on the second spot and have two more matches. This is the important stage of this tournament and this momentum will help us leading up to the playoffs and the final.&nbsp;On Arab Gul’s impressive bowling performance&nbsp;As a newcomer, he is bowling really well. He bowled brilliantly yesterday as well. He didn’t show any panic. Normally newcomers show panic when they come into situations like this but it shows a lot about his character. He can only grow from here.&nbsp;On MI Emirates’ team combination&nbsp;I think we’ve got a very good combination of spinners and fast bowlers. We can use the seamers or the spinners depending on the situation. We’ve got a very good combination at the moment and it is working.&nbsp;On the strategy in the chase&nbsp;We had to bat twenty overs. We knew that if we have wickets in hand, we would win because of the batting lineup we have. That’s exactly what we did.&nbsp;What he reckoned was the turning point in the game&nbsp;As a newcomer, Sanjay (Krishnamurthi), playing only his second game, him hitting those two boundaries took a lot of pressure off the team. Then Pollard came in and took Qais Ahmad on, which was the turning point of the game.&nbsp;

“This momentum will help us leading into the playoffs”: Shakib Al Hasan

By MI Emirates Media

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