NEW DELHI: The Desert Vipers clinched a thrilling two-wicket victory over the Abu Dhabi Knight Riders in the ILT20 clash at the Sharjah Cricket Stadium.

After a shaky start that saw three wickets tumble inside the powerplay, Shimron Hetmyer reignited the chase with a blazing 48 off 25 balls. The momentum swung further when Khuzaima Tanveer unleashed a late-overs assault, hammering 31 off just 12 deliveries to power the Vipers past the 171-run target.

Earlier, the Knight Riders were guided by Alex Hales, who crafted a fluent 53 off 37 balls, striking three sixes and four fours. He reached his half-century in just 31 deliveries. UAE batter Alishan Sharafu chipped in with 25 off 19 before Dan Lawrence's sharp catch in the deep gave Noor Ahmad his first breakthrough of the night.

After Sharafu's dismissal, the momentum shifted sharply in favour of the Vipers as their spinners took control. Hales was removed by Noor, and the middle order began to crumble, leaving the Knight Riders struggling to rebuild.

In response, the Vipers began their chase in explosive fashion as Andries Gous (17 off 9) and Fakhar Zaman (12 off 9) hammered 19 runs off the opening over.

But stand-in skipper Sunil Narine pulled things back immediately, removing Gous in the third over. Zaman departed soon after off Ajay Kumar’s bowling, and with two new batters at the crease, Narine struck again to dismiss impact player Max Holden (1 off 6).

Sam Curran (19 off 15) and Lawrence steadied the innings with a valuable 32-run stand before Piyush Chawla removed Curran. Lawrence then found strong support from Hetmyer as the pair added 68 off just 38 balls, putting the pressure back on ADKR.

With eight runs needed in the final over, Tanveer sealed the chase in style, finishing with a six and a boundary to secure a dramatic win for the Vipers.

(With PTI Inputs)