ILT20 2026 · Match 27 · Sat 12 Dec, 6:30 pm GST (8:00 pm IST)

Desert Vipers vs Abu Dhabi Knight Riders match prediction and playing 11

Desert Vipers play Abu Dhabi Knight Riders in match 27 of the ILT20 on Sat 12 Dec at 6:30 pm GST (8:00 pm IST), Dubai International Stadium. Desert Vipers and Abu Dhabi Knight Riders have met 8 times in the ILT20: 5–3. Our fantasy pick for captain is Babar Azam, with Aneurin Donald as vice-captain.

Suggested fantasy XI

Highest expected points from both probable XIs: 11 players, at most 7 from one side, 1–4 wicketkeepers, 3–6 batters, 1–4 all-rounders and 3–6 bowlers

Wicketkeepers · 1

Batters · 4

All-rounders · 3

Bowlers · 3

  • Option 2: Lorcan Tucker in for Jason Holder (342 expected points, against 346)
  • Option 3: Lorcan Tucker in for Fakhar Zaman (340 expected points, against 346)

Build your own: pick players and get the three best teams →

Suggestions are statistical estimates from past matches, not guarantees. CricketViz is not affiliated with the International League T20 or any fantasy sports app.

Captain and vice-captain picks

Who to make captain and vice-captain, and why

CaptainBabar Azam DVExpected 31 points, so about 63 as captain (2×)Top scorer of this XI in 10% of 4,000 simulated matchesTop scorer of the match in 10 of 88 T20s
Vice-captainAneurin Donald DVExpected 31 points, so about 47 as vice-captain (1.5×)In the XI's top two in 29% of 4,000 simulated matchesSecond-top scorer of the match in 8 of 39 T20s

Close call: Babar Azam and Aneurin Donald are only 0.2 expected points apart, so either is a sound captain. Aneurin Donald tops this XI more often in our simulations (17% against 10%). Captaining Aneurin Donald is a differential pick that fewer teams are likely to make.

  • The captain earns double and the vice-captain one and a half times their points, so these two picks swing a fantasy team more than any other. Put your two highest expected scorers there.
  • When expected points are close, prefer the player who tops the scoring more often (the simulated share and the record below), or pick the other one as a differential that fewer teams will have.
  • All-rounders and top-order batters are steadier picks: they can score with the bat, the ball and in the field.
Captaincy options from the suggested XI
PlayerExp. ptsTop scorerTop twoBest CBest VC
Babar Azam DVC25 recent T20s3110%17%11%10/8813%11/88
Aneurin Donald DVVC25 recent T20s3117%29%10%4/3921%8/39
Shadab Khan DV25 recent T20s3116%29%12%12/9713%13/97
Finn Allen ADKR25 recent T20s2917%26%10%7/7010%7/70
Sunil Narine ADKR25 recent T20s295%13%8%9/1105%6/110
Fakhar Zaman DV25 recent T20s288%16%7%7/984%4/98
  • Exp. pts: from the player's recent T20s (up to 25, shown under the name), newest counting most.
  • Top scorer / top two: how often the player scores the most (or is in the top two) in this XI, over 4,000 simulated matches.
  • Best C / VC: how often the player was the match's top (or second-top) fantasy scorer, across both teams, in their T20s of the last three years; not how many people picked them. How we calculate this

Desert Vipers predicted playing 11

PlayerExp. ptsLast 5 games
Khuzaima TanveerBOWL · 23 T20s27512477-622
Vriitya AravindWK · 25+ T20s116210102
Mujeeb Ur RahmanBOWL · 25+ T20s204628121431
Nangeyalia KharoteRole unknown · no T20 record in our data12—
Andries GousWK · 25+ T20s2324253603
Babar AzamcaptainBAT · 25+ T20s31086412077
Fakhar ZamanBAT · 25+ T20s281619353944
Aneurin DonaldBAT · 25+ T20s311623167811
Shadab KhanAR · 25+ T20s311212226655
Naseem ShahBOWL · 25+ T20s1724026512
David PayneBOWL · 25+ T20s21-421463322
Rest of the squad (11)
Dan LawrenceBAT · 25+ T20s23122242743
Shimron HetmyerBAT · 25+ T20s223349777
Harry TectorBAT · 25+ T20s22440161025
Joe ClarkeWK · 25+ T20s20460222242
Sanjay PahalBAT · 2 T20s14125
Bilal TahirBAT · 10 T20s17-19292422
Nilansh KeswaniBOWL · 14 T20s1310510146
Saleem SafiRole unknown · no T20 record in our data12—
Abdullah AhmadzaiRole unknown · no T20 record in our data12—
Wali MuhammadRole unknown · no T20 record in our data12—
Ishtiaq AhmedRole unknown · no T20 record in our data12—

Abu Dhabi Knight Riders predicted playing 11

PlayerExp. ptsLast 5 games
Alishan SharafuBAT · 25+ T20s20491712313
Muhammad RohidBOWL · 25+ T20s14-4028120
Qais AhmadBOWL · 25+ T20s172482322
Arab GulBOWL · 7 T20s1415401716
Ravija SandaruwanBAT · 10 T20s17051236-3
Jason HoldercaptainAR · 25+ T20s2752032528
Michael PepperWK · 25+ T20s2465531339
Finn AllenBAT · 25+ T20s292311712079
Sunil NarineAR · 25+ T20s29286151545
Lorcan TuckerWK · 25+ T20s231542712014
Colin MunroBAT · 25+ T20s212225201537
Rest of the squad (9)
Gulbadin NaibBAT · 25+ T20s211323113633
Kane WilliamsonBAT · 25+ T20s212427191119
Andre FletcherWK · 25+ T20s20135492248
Usman TariqBOWL · 25+ T20s18182141214
Moeen AliAR · 25+ T20s1822193048
Matthew TrompRole unknown · no T20 record in our data12—
Amshi de SilvaRole unknown · no T20 record in our data12—
Jakeem PollardRole unknown · no T20 record in our data12—
Abdullah TarakhailRole unknown · no T20 record in our data12—

Predicted playing 11s are our estimate from each squad: once a side has played this season, its last XI, otherwise the captain first, then recent fantasy points, experience and last season's selections (following the league rule of at least two UAE players, two from Afghanistan and one more from an Associate nation). They change when the teams are announced at the toss.

How the points are counted

Playing in the XI+2
Each run+0.5
Each four / six (bonus on top of the runs)+0.5 / +1
50 / 100 runs (highest milestone only)+4 / +8
Out for a duck−2
Strike rate (5+ balls): under 70 / 130 and over−2 to −6 / +2 to +6
Each wicket (not run outs); bowled or lbw bonus+10; +2
3 / 4 / 5 wickets (bonuses add up)+6 / +8 / +10
Maiden over+4
Economy (1+ over): under 6 / 10 and over+2 to +6 / −2 to −6
Catch; 3+ catches bonus+4; +4 to +8
Stumping / direct-hit run out+6
Other run outs (thrower and catcher not recorded)+3 each
Captain / vice-captain2× / 1.5×

Our summary of a common T20 fantasy scoring system; apps differ, so check the values in the one you use. How we calculate expected points and picks →

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