ILT20: Adani's Gulf Giants set to cross swords with Ambani's MI Emirates in battle of bragging rights

It's the battle of the billionaires in the inaugural edition of the ILT20 as Gautam Adani's Gulf Giants take on MI Emirates, owned by Mukesh Ambani. The 18th fixture of the ongoing tournament will take place at the Dubai International Cricket Stadium on Friday evening, January 27.

While the ILT20 has produced some mouthwatering clashes in the nascent stages of the tournament so far, the upcoming fixture proposes to be the biggest due to its off-field significance. Gautam Adani, who is the richest Indian in the world, dived into cricket after the Adani Group acquired the Gulf Giants of the ILT20.

Meanwhile, Mukesh Ambani, who is the second richest Indian and 12th overall in Bloomberg's Billionaires Index, is the owner of MI Emirates, via Reliance Industries' subsidiary Indiawin Sports. This will be the first clash between the sides owned by two of the biggest business tycoons in the world.

Gautam Adani and Mukesh Ambani went big ahead of WPL

However, this won't be the last encounter between the two heavyweights as both of them pounced on the opportunity to acquire a franchise in the historic Women's Premier League (WPL). The Adani Group acquired the Ahmedabad-based franchise for a staggering INR 1289 crore, while Ambani's Indiawin Sports grabbed the Mumbai-based franchise for a whopping INR 912.99 crore.

Coming to the match, MI Emirates are currently placed third on the points table, while league leaders Gulf Giants sit pretty on the top with four wins in six matches. While Giants' previous game against the bottom-placed Abu Dhabi Knight Riders was washed out, MI Emirates succumbed to their second successive defeat after being battered by the highflying Desert Vipers.

Both teams will be looking to maintain their stronghold at the top half of the table with a victory in the upcoming fixture, making it an unmissable contest for the viewers. Spectators will be hoping that the Rain gods will keep distance from the venue on Friday.

For a better experience: Download the CricTracker app from the IOS App Store and Google Play Store