Sharjah Warriorz vs MI Emirates Prediction & Match Preview – ILT20 2025-26

Sharjah Warriorz take on MI Emirates in the 6th match of the International League T20 2025-26 at Sharjah Cricket Stadium on Sunday, 7 December. Both teams have lost their first game and will be looking for a first win.

The Warriorz fell by 39 runs to Abu Dhabi Knight Riders, ending on 194/9 in reply to 234. Tim David hit 60 off 24 balls, but the rest of the batting lacked rhythm, and Tom Kohler-Cadmore, Tom Abell and Sikandar Raza will need to contribute more. Kohler-Cadmore scored 388 runs in 10 innings at a strike rate of 140 last season. Adil Rashid took 2/31 and Saurabh Netravalkar conceded 33 in four overs, but the wider attack struggled to sustain pressure.

MI Emirates lost to Gulf Giants by six wickets after posting 163/6. Tom Banton made 493 runs at a strike rate of 152 last season, and Nicholas Pooran added 301 at 160 and began this campaign with 46 off 39. Muhammad Waseem and Andre Fletcher add power, and Kieron Pollard made a fifty off 33 balls. Fazalhaq Farooqi, who took 21 wickets last season, leads a retained bowling core including Muhammad Rohid and A.M. Ghazanfar.

It looks a close contest between two strong batting units, but we lean towards the Warriorz.

Pitch report

Sharjah Cricket Stadium is known for being batter-friendly in limited-overs cricket, with a generally flat pitch and relatively short boundaries. Seamers may get some bounce or seam early, but spinners and bowlers with variations come into the game in the middle overs. Partnerships and a steady scoring rate usually win matches, and chasing sides must plan for dew or a slowing surface.

Expected scores

• 1st innings: 160–175
• 2nd innings: 150–170

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