Watch: Fans surround MI Emirates star Rashid Khan for autographs

The inaugural International T20 League 2023 (ILT20) is nearing to an end as the Desert Vipers will face off against the Gulf Giants in the final. The summit clash is scheduled to be held at the Dubai International Cricket Stadium in Dubai on Sunday, February 12. The cricket league organized by Emirates Cricket Board commenced on January 13 and dished out many exciting matches throughout the first season. The si-team tournament was conducted at three venues — Dubai International Stadium, Zayed Cricket Stadium in Abu Dhabi and Sharjah Cricket Stadium.

Afghanistan’s T20I captain Rashid Khan played for two franchises in two different leagues, which is not-so-common in franchise cricket. Rashid featured in an eliminator game against Dubai Capitals in the ILT20 for the MI Emirates days after leading MI Cape Town in the inaugural SA20. He had helped his side to win the eliminator of the ILT20 League.

Rashid Khan-led MI Cape Town had a worst campaign as they finished at the bottom of the points table, winning only 3 out of 10 matches. Meanwhile, MI Emirates finished third on the six-team table to make it to the playoffs and reached the second qualifier of the tournament. However, the Emirates failed to make it to the final as they lost to Gulf Giants in the second semifinal.

After the star cricketer played for the MI Emirates in the Qualifier 2, he was seen having fun with some of the Gulf Giants players. In a video shared by the official Twitter account of International T20 League, he was seen giving autographs to them. “Excited fans surrounding the ace cricket star Rashid Khan for some cool autographs and fun moments! What a delightful scenario!” they captioned the post.

Rashid Khan surrounded by fans for autograph

The first season of the ILT20 2023 will see an impressive clash between Desert Vipers and Gulf Giants in the final. Desert Vipers’ Alex Hales is the leading run scorer, having scored 468 runs from 11 matches while Gulf Giants’ Chris Jordan is the leading wicket taker, picking up 19 wickets from nine matches. The prize awaiting the winner is a whopping 700,000 (USD) dollars while the runners-up will receive 300,000 (USD) dollars.