Johnson Charles ignited the Dubai International Stadium, leading the Sharjah Warriorz to a resounding nine-wicket victory on Tuesday night. His breathtaking knock of 71 runs in 33 balls set up a flawless run chase in only 11.5 overs as the Warriorz maintained their undefeated record against the Dubai Capitals in the DP World ILT20.  An impactful show from the spinners including two wickets for 28 runs from Adam Zampa in the first innings restricted the Dubai Capitals to 131/9. The result gives the Warriorz’s net run rate a significant boost, keeping them firmly in the fray for a playoff berth. 

The powerplay made the chase a mere formality as Johnson Charles and Tom Kohler-Cadmore dominated the bowling to set the highest powerplay score of the season. The pair raced to 79 runs in just six overs, with Charles in particular wreaking havoc to smash five towering sixes, including a remarkable 24-run over off Zahir Khan.  

Charles brought up his fifty in 21 balls, studded with six sixes and two fours. He continued his rampage until he was halted by Sikandar Raza in the 11th over. Charles departed after striking three fours and eight sixes, which included a combination of power hitting, deft touches and switch-hits. 

Tom Kohler-Cadmore wrapped up proceedings in the next over with a clever boundary off Dushmantha Chameera. The Englishman finished with 54 runs in 32 balls, smashing eight fours and two sixes on his way there. 

Earlier in the day, Adam Rossington bludgeoned a six and two fours as the powerplay saw 55 runs for the Capitals. Shai Hope played second fiddle to Rossington until the latter was accounted for by Adam Zampa in the seventh over for 37 runs in 23 balls.  

Following the power play there was a steep drop in the run-rate. While Shai Hope occupied one end, batting with restraint, the wickets tumbled around him as the spinners dominated the middle overs.  Zampa claimed another when he dismissed Gulbadin Naib, and skipper Sikandar Raza was removed by Ashton Agar. In the same over, Najibullah Zadran was run out to leave the Capitals in hot water at 85/4 in 12 overs.  

UAE’s Rohan Mustafa kept the pressure on with the wickets of Khalid Shah and Dasun Shanaka to expose the tail. Meanwhile Hope’s stint at the crease came to an end for 45 runs in 52 balls at the hand of Tim Southee in the 18th over.  Rovman Powell provided a flicker of hope with an unbeaten 32 runs in only 16 balls, peppered with three fours and two sixes but the Dubai Capitals finished the innings at a below-par score of 131/9 in 20 overs.  

Player of the match, Johnson Charles said: “They got off to a bit of a flier, but I love playing in Dubai because the conditions tend to get a bit skiddier, which suits my style. I thought Ashton Agar and Rohan Mustafa bowled exceptionally well and complemented each other perfectly. We managed to put the opposition under pressure. Ash and I have played a lot together in the past, and it’s always a pleasure to play alongside him. It felt almost nostalgic since we haven’t had many opportunities to play together recently.” 

Dubai Capitals captain, Sikandar Raza said: “I thought we were traditional in our batting. We needed more sweeps, reverse sweeps and switch hits. We went into a shell rather than being aggressive. Johnson is a fantastic player and has done that to many teams; it was quite hard to bowl at him. He played a lot of great shots. One bad game is not going to derail us. We will try to get this game out of the system and winning the next two is the target.” 

Brief Scores –

Sharjah Warriorz beat Dubai Capitals by nine wickets 

Dubai Capitals 131/9 in 20 overs (Shai Hope 45, Adam Rossington 37, Rovman Powell 32 not out, Rohan Mustafa 2 for 12, Adam Zampa 2 for 28) 

Sharjah Warriorz 135/1 in 11.5 overs (Johnson Charles 71, Tom Kohler-Cadmore 54 not out, Sikandar Raza 1 for 9)

Dubai-based Indian karting sensation, Atiqa Mir has been signed up to drive in the World Series Karting (WSK) Championships 2025. After her exceptional results in a test session conducted at La Conca circuit in south of Italy, the 29-time WSK Champions Team Babyrace has signed Atiqa, the 10-year-old Dubai based racer who studies in the GEMS Jumeirah Primary School and resides at the Jumeriah 1. She has been signed on for the full season.

Speaking on this historic occasion Team Manager of Babyrace, Leornado Lorandi said, “We are excited to sign Atiqa for the 2025 season. She caught our eye due to her impressive performances in 2024 including her win in Le Mans and we offered her a test with us. During the test she performed very well and we offered her a drive with our team. She has a lot of natural talent and together we will work on getting the best out of her.”

The ten-year-old Atiqa is the first Indian female to drive in the WSK and will also be the only female in the Mini class on the entire grid of over 60 karts. She will race in all three WSK Championships this year; the WSK Super Master Series, the WSK Euro Series and the WSK Final Cup as a debutant.

Speaking at this occasion Atiqa said, “I’m super thrilled to get this opportunity to drive with in WSK with Babyrace. This will be the highest level of karting I have ever driven in. I will have to learn a lot of circuits and driving in the winter will be a challenge but I’m up for it.” 

“I am grateful to Babyrace, my parents, supporters and sponsors for making this happen. I do my endurance training at the Dubai Canal, and train in the Wasl Gym near my house. My school is also very encouraging of my racing career,” she added. 

Considered the ‘Formula 1’ of Karting, this is the highest level of Karting in the world which attracts the best driving talent, the top kart manufacturers, engine manufacturers etc from the world over. The WSK series is focused on developing young drivers by providing a platform for them to improve their racecraft, technical knowledge, and understanding of motorsport. Formula 1 drivers like Lewis Hamilton, Max Verstappen and Sebastian Vettel have started their motorsport careers in WSK.

India’s first F1 driver Narain Karthikeyan commented, “Atiqa is proving herself as one of the brightest stars for the future of Indian Motorsport. Her pace and performances in the Middle East Championships have been exceptional, and she has carried that performance onto her racing in Europe, becoming the first girl ever to win a race in the RMC International Trophy at the Le Mans Circuit last year.”

“She is ranked as the #1 female Karter in the world in her age group which is an incredible achievement, and will compete in World Series Karting in 2025, which is the Formula 1 of the karting world. I would urge everyone in motorsport to give her the best opportunities and support possible so that she can fulfil her promise,” said Narain Kathikeyan India’s first formula 1 driver and Racing Icon.

“Atiqa has managed to move up to the highest level of karting through her hard work and dedication. It will be tough for her racing against this quality of field. She has to learn new tracks, new conditions and adapt herself to this new environment. It will be challenging and a learning year for her, “said Asif Nazir, her father and India’s first National Karting Champion and Formula Asia Vice Champion.

About Atiqa:

Atiqa is the top female karter in the world in her age group. She has defied odds and stereotypes to move up in the male-dominated sport and raise the flag high for India. She is the first and only female in the world to Win a Race at RMC International Trophy in Le Mans, France and the first and only Indian Female to finish 2nd runner up at Champions of the future Academy Program.

She is also the first and only female to be crowned Vice Champion in UAE IAME National Championship 2024. She has already secured record Pole positions for a female in the world in her category.

About WSK:

The WSK series is focused on developing young drivers by providing a platform for them to improve their racecraft, technical knowledge, and understanding of motorsport. WSK events are known for their highly professional and rigorous race format, which often includes qualifying rounds, heats, pre-finals, and finals. This structure ensures a fair and comprehensive assessment of driver skill and strategy.

Many Formula 1 drivers like Lewis Hamilton, Max Verstappen, Sebastian Vettel, Charles Leclerc, Lando Norris, George Russel, Valteri Bottas, Daniel Riccardo, Mick Schumaker and Pierre Gasly have started their motorsport careers in karting, and a number of them have raced in the WSK (World Series Karting) events, a prominent karting series that attracts top talent from around the world.

Dubai Capitals are on the ascent having conquered three matches in succession while recording the highest run chase 207-2 against the Abu Dhabi Knight Riders in DP World ILT20 history .

Aside from the brilliant partnership between the heavy hitters namely Gulbadin Naib (Player of the Match scoring 80 out of 47 balls) and Shai Hope (not out with a total score of 74 from 53 balls), Dubai Capitals have now reinforced themselves as the quickest shift on the points table while looking ahead to secure the title at the third edition of ILT20.

The most talked about moment in the match was the 135 run, second wicket partnership between Shai Hope and Gulbadin Naib that set up the run chase for the Capitals.

Dubai Capitals member Shai Hope who was the leading chaser alongside Gulbadin Naib was all happy to share progress , he shared, “I always tell the guys in the dressing room to try not to fight that white line too often. Actually, hit the ball where they want you to hit. Try to get some twos. If you hit it well enough, you get a four, maybe a six in between.”

Sharing a brilliant chemistry with Gulbadin Naib and commenting on Naib’s form Shai Hope shares, “Gulbadin obviously had hold on that partnership pretty well in the middle which made the chase a lot easier. He got a lovely 80 in the tournament, so it’s good to see his form continuing and understanding the situation very well. We were communicating very, very well about what was required for the chase.”

Talking about tournament quality and retaining the Green Belt of the tournament, ” Someone overtook me a couple days ago, but yeah, it’s great to have my greenbelt back.”

Talking about the players competing at the current campaign of ILT20 and winning back-to-back games with Dubai Capitals, Shai shares, “There’s so many international high calibre players here and they also have some great UAE players as well. So, it’s a massive tournament in terms of skill level. It’s great to see Dubai Capitals on a bounce. Hopefully we can continue this for the next few games and make it to the playoffs.”

The Dubai Capitals will look to extend their winning streak against the Sharjah Warriorz on January 28 in what promises to be an exciting encounter. The match will be broadcast live starting at 8:00 PM IST.