India, Dec. 30 -- Abu Dhabi Knight Riders defeated Gulf Giants by 32 runs in the last league match to qualify for the ILT20 Playoffs. The Knight Riders will now face Dubai Capitals in the Eliminator on January 1. The Desert Vipers will take on MI Emirates on Tuesday in Qualifier 1 for a place in the final. A mammoth 131-run partnership between Michael Pepper (83 off 51) and Phil Salt (72 not out off 56 balls) gave steam to the Knight Riders.

Their knocks catapulted the Knight Riders to a formidable 179/1. Defending 180, Jason Holder set the tone early, removing Rahmanullah Gurbaz for a duck in the opening over before returning to dismiss James Vince (19 off 10). Moeen Ali (79 off 49) held the Giants' innings together with a counter-attac...