Dubai Royals vs Delhi Warriors: Dhawan's Royals Take on Harbhajan's Warriors in Thrilling 2nd Semi-Final Battle

An exciting second semi-final awaits as Dubai Royals take on Delhi Warriors at the 1919 Sportz Stadium in Verna, Goa. The evening match starts at 7:30 PM IST on Tuesday, February 3.

Tournament Journey: 
Delhi Warriors finished the league stage in second place with 8 points but suffered their first loss in the final league match. Rajasthan Lions defeated them by 23 runs on February 2, despite Eoin Morgan's brilliant 87 off 53. Earlier, Warriors beat Gurugram Thunders by 4 wickets with Sheldon Jackson's match-winning 59 off 38 balls on February 1. They dominated the league with wins over Dubai Royals (9 wickets - Walton 100 off 49), Pune Panthers (59 runs), Maharashtra Tycoons (3 wickets), and Thunders again. Chadwick Walton leads the tournament with 215 runs.
Dubai Royals secured fourth place after defeating Maharashtra Tycoons by 7 wickets on February 2. Captain Shikhar Dhawan was Player of the Match as Royals chased 175 in just 15.5 overs. Earlier, they thrashed Pune Panthers by 130 runs on January 31 with Samit Patel's unbeaten 65 and Ambati Rayudu's 88. Their journey included a thriller win over Gurugram Thunders by 3 runs (Patel 65 off 32, Chawla 3/35), but they lost to Delhi Warriors (9 wickets), Rajasthan Lions (16 runs), and Maharashtra Tycoons initially.

Weather & Pitch: Evening temperatures will be pleasant around 28-30°C. The Verna pitch has been excellent for batting with high scores throughout the tournament. Early wickets will be crucial in this knockout encounter.

Team Squads:
Dubai Royals: Shikhar Dhawan (c), Samit Patel, Piyush Chawla, Christopher Mpofu, Fidel Edwards, Danushka Gunathilaka, Ambati Rayudu, Yusuf Pathan, Parvez Rasool, Gitansh Khera (wk), Abhishek Raut, Peter Trego, Monu Kumar, Amit Verma, Kirk Edwards, Rishi Dhawan
Delhi Warriors: Harbhajan Singh (c), Seekkuge Prasanna, Chadwick Walton, Imran Tahir, Colin Ingram, Irfan Pathan, Isuru Udana, Shahbaz Nadeem, Chirag Gandhi, Shreevats Goswami (wk), Gurkeerat Singh Mann, Rahul Shukla, Diwesh Pathania, Suboth Bhati, Ravi Jangid, Sheldon Jackson, Saurabh Tiwary, Obus Pienaar, Pawan Negi

Key Players - T20I Stats:
Dubai Royals:

Shikhar Dhawan (Captain): 1,759 T20I runs at 27.92 average, 11 half-centuries. Match-winner in last game
Samit Patel: In brilliant form (65*, 65 in recent matches)
Ambati Rayudu: 88 vs Panthers, 45 vs Thunders
Yusuf Pathan: 236 T20I runs at 134.02 SR, 2007 T20 & 2011 WC winner
Piyush Chawla: Match-winner vs Thunders (3/35, hat-trick vs Lions)

Delhi Warriors:

Harbhajan Singh (Captain): 25 T20I wickets at 6.20 economy, 2007 T20 & 2011 WC winner
Chadwick Walton: Tournament's top scorer (215 runs including century)
Shreevats Goswami: 56 off 30 in opening match
Sheldon Jackson: Match-winner vs Thunders (59 off 38)
Irfan Pathan: 49 off 26 vs Panthers
Suboth Bhati: 6 wickets in tournament, 4/24 vs Lions

Players to Watch: Walton's 215 runs and century make him Warriors' biggest threat. Patel's twin 65s show his current form for Royals. Jackson's 59 off 38 and Dhawan's captaincy will be crucial. Watch for Chawla's spin against Walton's power, and the captains' tactical battle - Dhawan versus Harbhajan in this high-stakes knockout clash.