Dubai, November 6: The finalists for the DP World ILT20 Schools Cup 2026 are confirmed after two days of semi-finals that featured centuries from Janani Thirukkumaran and Naman Bhatt and a Super Over finish in the girls’ competition.
DPS Sharjah will play Gems Legacy School in the girls’ final, while DPS Dubai take on defending champions Gems Modern Academy in the boys’ final. Both finals are on 13 November at the ICC Academy in Dubai, headlining the DP World ILT20 Junior Cricket Festival ahead of Season 5 of the league.
Girls: Janani’s 52-ball hundred powers DPS Sharjah
Delhi Private School, Sharjah beat Delhi Private School, Dubai by 121 runs. Captain Janani Thirukkumaran struck 100 off 52 balls and shared an opening stand of 157 with Ishita Jha, who made 50 off 41, as DPS Sharjah reached 217/2 in 20 overs.
DPS Dubai were held to 96/7. Only Mehul Kulkarni (21 off 33) and Twisha Ralhan (15 off 23) reached double figures, and Ishita Jha took 2/14.
The second semi-final went to a Super Over. Gems Modern Academy, the defending champions, made 151/5 with Vaiga Akhilesh scoring 64 off 49. Askhara Veeranan’s unbeaten 80 off 66 took Gems Legacy School to 151/4 to tie the scores, and they won the Super Over.
Boys: Naman Bhatt’s unbeaten 105 seals 10-wicket win
DPS Dubai beat DIA Emirates Hills by 10 wickets. Jaimeek Shah (43 off 21) and Arhaan Chopra (43 off 28) lifted DIA Emirates Hills to 146/7, with Reyansh Pillai (2/10), Shaurya Mehta (2/20) and Naman Das (2/27) among the wicket-takers.
Naman Bhatt then hit 105 not out off 47 balls, with eight fours and eight sixes, and Naman Das added an unbeaten 38 off 23 as DPS Dubai reached 149/0 in 11.1 overs.
Gems Modern Academy beat Our Own English High School by eight wickets. Nirmay Puthanveettil (2/21) and Rudra Bankar (2/24) helped restrict Our Own English High School to 132/8. Jaidev Gattani (31 off 26) and Aryan Thapar (49 off 25) put on 80 for the first wicket before Shreyan Dutta (20 not out) and Gautam Bhatia (23 not out) finished the chase in 16.1 overs.
Finals line-up, 13 November
- Girls’ final: DPS Sharjah vs Gems Legacy School
- Boys’ final: DPS Dubai vs Gems Modern Academy
The tournament began in October with 45 teams, including 13 girls’ sides. Read our report on the start of the DP World ILT20 Schools Cup, and follow more international cricket news on Indian Sports News.
