Deccan Gladiators crowned as Champions of the 2021 edition of the Abu Dhabi T10 League

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Morgan and Bravo's heroics helps Delhi Bulls clinch thriller

~ Delhi Bulls defeat The Chennai Braves by five wickets ~

Sunday 21, November: Captain Dwayne Bravo and Eoin Morgan cool and calm innings ensured that the Delhi Bulls walked off with a five-wicket victory in their Abu Dhabi T10 match against The Chennai Braves on Sunday. After being put into bat by the Delhi Bulls, The Chennai Braves put up 124/2 in their 10 overs. After the Delhi Bulls lost their top four batsmen cheaply, the experienced duo of Bravo (43 runs from 17 balls) and Morgan (26* runs from 12 balls) strung a partnership of 56 runs in 22 balls, which helped the Delhi Bulls chase down their target in 9.4 overs.

The Delhi Bulls suffered a huge blow when Munaf Patel removed Rilee Rossouw and Sherfane Rutherford in the second over. Roman Walker made matters worse when he dismissed Rahmanullah Gurbaz and Mohammad Hafeez in the fifth over. Thereafter, Captain Bravo got things moving with the Bulls as he smashed three boundaries off Dasun Shanaka's bowling in the sixth over. Curtis Campher kept The Chennai Braves' hopes alive when he removed Bravo in the ninth over. However, Morgan and Romario Shepherd scored 14 runs in the last over and closed out the game for the Delhi Bulls with two balls to spare.

Earlier, Bhanuka Rajapaksa played a blistering innings of 64* runs from 31 balls, laced with 6 fours and 4 sixes and helped The Chennai Braves post a high total on the board. Rajapaksa took on Mohammad Hafeez, smashing him for two boundaries and a six in the fourth over. The opening batters Rajapaksa and Mark Deyal produced some fantastic hits and recorded a partnership of 81 runs from 34 balls.

After losing Deyal and Dasun Shanaka in quick succession, Ravi Bopara joined the party as he smacked Fazalhaq Farooqi and Romario Shepherd for a boundary and a six in the ninth and tenth overs respectively. Bopara remained unbeaten on 19 runs from 11 balls as The Chennai Braves raised their score to 124/2 in their 10 overs.

Brief scores: Delhi Bulls 128/5 (Dwayne Bravo 43, Eoin Morgan 26*, Munaf Patel 2-20) beat The Chennai Braves 124/2 (Bhanuka Rajapaksa 64*, Mark Deyal 29, Romario Shepherd 1-16) by 5 wickets.

 

[Saj]

Sunday 21 November: The Bangla Tigers registered their first victory in the Abu Dhabi T10 after defeating Northern Warriors by 5 wickets on Sunday. After Captain Rovman Powell's innings of 63 runs helped the Warriors post a total of 126/4, Will Jacks played a blistering innings of 57* runs from 22 balls to help the Tigers chase down their target in 9.1 overs.

The Bangla Tigers were in dire straits when they lost five wickets for just 58 runs on the board. Will Jacks showed tremendous form when he smashed Samit Patel for two fours and a six in the second over, however, he kept losing partners at the other end until Benny Howell walked to the crease.

Howell made his intentions clear when he smacked Chris Jordan for two boundaries and a six in the seventh over. Jacks took the game completely away from the Warriors when he struck three boundaries and a six off Abhimanyu Mithun's bowling in the eighth over. Jacks (57* from 22 balls) and Howell (35* from 11 balls) strung an unbeaten partnership of 72 runs in 29 balls to take the Tigers home with 5 balls to spare.

Earlier, the Bangla Tigers had the Northern Warriors on the mat after Gareth Delany was dismissed by Luke Wood in the first over and Kennar Lewis was bowled out by James Faulkner in the second over, leaving the Warriors at 13/2 in 1.2 overs. Moeen Ali got things going for the Northern Warriors as he struck Isuru Udana for two boundaries and Karim Janat for three boundaries in the third and fourth overs respectively. However, Ali's stay at the crease was short-lived as he was bowled out by Janat for 24 runs from 12 balls in the fourth over itself.

Thereafter, Captain Rovman Powell took centre stage and smashed Benny Howell for a six and a four in the fifth over. He rode on the momentum and went on to play a blistering innings of 63 runs from 27 balls, laced with 4 boundaries and 6 sixes. Powell was ably supported by Samit Patel, who scored 21* runs from 13 balls and also strung a partnership of 80 runs from 35 balls with his skipper. Powell and Patel's explosive batting catapulted the Warriors to a total of 126/4 in their 10 overs.

Brief scores: Bangla Tigers 130/5 (Will Jacks 57*, Benny Howell 35*, Umair Ali 1-9) beat Northern Warriors 126/4 (Rovman Powell 63, Moeen Ali 24, James Faulkner 1-18) by 5 wickets.

 

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Updated table

 

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Monday, November 22, 2021: Delhi Bulls have been fined for maintaining a slow over rate during their win against The Chennai Braves on November 21 in the Sky 247.net presents Abu Dhabi T10 powered by Wolf 777 News. Match Referee, Chris Broad, imposed the sanction after Dwayne Bravo’s side was ruled to be 1 over short of the target after time allowances were taken into consideration.

In accordance with Article 2.22 of the ADT10 Code of Conduct for Players and Player Support Personnel (which relates to minimum over-rate offences), for the first offence by the team in a season the captain is fined 20 per cent and every other member of the playing XI are fined 10 per cent of their match fees.

Bravo accepted the offense and the proposed sanction, so there was no requirement of a formal hearing. On-field umpires Nigel Llong and Paul Baldwin, TV umpire Ranmore Martinesz and fourth umpire Khalid Elahi levied the charge.

 

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The Deccan Gladiators Head Coach Mushtaq Ahmed, who has helped his team record a 24-run victory over The Chennai Braves in their first match of Season 5 of Abu Dhabi T10, expressed during a virtual conference on Monday that bowlers need to have good temperament in the T10 format, "Temperament is very important in the T10 format. Bowlers need to be large-hearted in this competition in order to execute their plans. The batters go after the bowlers, especially the spinners, from the very first ball. As a coach, I have always told my bowlers to have large hearts and go for wickets."

When asked about his experience of working with T20 star Wanindu Hasaranga, Ahmed said, "It has been great to work with Wanindu Hasaranga. I have shared some of my knowledge about leg-spin with him. We have been discussing a lot about his bowling. We have spoken about variations, how to use the leg-break and the googly and how to use the crease. I have told him that he needs to turn the ball both ways. We have been talking about leg-spin angles as well."

The former Pakistan leg-spinner further expressed that a coach in the Abu Dhabi T10 needs to think out-of-the-box, "There's a big change in coaching style when a coach switches from one format to the other. While our team bats, we ask four-five batsmen to pad up and be ready to walk into the ground. We send our batsmen according to the situation of the game. A coach has to be very proactive and take out-of-the-box decisions in T10."

Ahmed also said that the Deccan Gladiators could go all the way in the Abu Dhabi T10 if the players play to their potential, "Every team is dangerous in T10. No team can be taken lightly. If a batsman plays well for two overs, then he takes the match away from you. A team has to believe in itself to win a tournament. Our team is very strong; however, we have to play our best cricket. We need to plan well for all of our matches and we should know the strengths and weaknesses of our opponents. I think we can go all the way if our players play to their potential."

 

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Bangla Tigers cruised to an easy nine-wicket win over The Chennai Braves in Tuesday’s second fixture of the evening in the Abu Dhabi T10. Openers Johnson Charles and Hazratullah Zazai gave the team a blistering start, making the chase a walk in the park for Faf Du Plessis’ men. In the end, Zazai’s third six of the evening, which was his team’s ninth, helped Bangla Tigers chase down the target of 90 in just 4.2 overs.

Charles set the tone of the chase by striking The Chennai Braves’ opening bowler Munaf Patel for three sixes in the first over of the innings. His opening partner from Afghanistan, Hazratullah Zazai, was even more severe on Curtis Campher in the next over and smashed him for 26 runs, which included two sixes and three fours. Roman Walker’s introduction to the attack did little to change the course of things for The Chennai Braves as Charles hit him for his fourth six to bring up the team half-century in just 2.1 overs. Walker gave away 21 runs in the over as the Bangla Tigers raced to 67 in their first three overs. By the time Mark Deyal provided the breakthrough by removing Charles in the fourth over, it was too late for his team to make a comeback into the contest. Zazai, in the company of Will Jacks, ensured no further damage was done and took his team to their second win with an unbeaten 34 from 9 deliveries. Jacks contributed 14 from the five deliveries he faced.

Put into bat by Du Plessis, The Chennai Braves failed to make the most of the powerplay overs as James Faulkner removed Ravi Bopara while Bhanuka Rajapaksa lobbed a simple return catch to Luke Wood within the first three overs. Coming in at number four, captain Dasun Shanaka also failed to stabilise the innings and left his team tottering at 36 for the loss of three wickets at the halfway mark. Angelo Perera and Samiullah Shinwari resurrected the innings with a 36 run partnership. However, just as it seemed that the duo would provide the final flourish to the innings, Perera fell to give Benny Howell his second wicket. Mark Deyal’s late cameo of 15 from 7 balls took The Chennai Braves to 90 in their 10 overs but it wasn’t to prove enough for the Bangla Tigers.

Brief scores : Bangla Tigers 91/1 (Johnson Charles 36 Hazratullah Zazai 34* Mark Deyal 1-14)The Chennai Braves 90/6 (Angelo Perera 26, Samiullah Shinwari 20, Benny Howell 2-22)

 

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Pictures from today's action

 

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November 24, Wednesday: Team Abu Dhabi continued their rampaging run in Abu Dhabi T10 by sealing a last-ball thriller against Delhi Bulls. With 10 to get from the final two deliveries, the match seemed firmly in the Bulls’ grasp. However, Jamie Overton smashed Bulls skipper Dwayne Bravo for two massive sixes to ensure his team chased down 121 to continue its undefeated run in the competition.

Unlike Monday, there was to be no Stirling-Salt show on Wednesday as the Irish all-rounder was out leg before on the first delivery of the second over by Fazalhaq Farooqi. Phil Salt, however, continued from where he had left in the match against The Chennai Braves and kept the chase alive despite Liam Livingstone struggling with his timing early in the innings. Salt reached his half-century off just 20 balls when he slog-swept Romario Shepherd for his fifth six in the sixth over.

Shiraz Ahmed, who had bowled a good first over, helped Delhi Bulls pull things back with a miserly seventh over by giving away just four runs. Dominic Drakes’ double strike of Salt and Livingstone in the next over tightened the screws on Team Abu Dhabi who were left needing 34 from the remaining two overs with two new batsmen at the crease.

Chris Gayle and Overton then took 16 from Farooqi’s ninth over, leaving the experienced Bravo to defend 18 runs from the final over. The left-handed Gayle swung the pendulum of the match with a first-ball six in the final over of the chase but got run out in search of a non-existent second on the fourth ball, leaving Overton with the job of finishing the game.

Earlier, the Delhi Bulls openers started strongly, making the most of some wayward bowling by Fidel Edwards and Merchant De Lange to notch up 20 runs in the first two overs. Rilee Rossouw looked threatening in his brief stay but was undone by Liam Livingstone’s off-spin in the fourth over. Playing his first match of the competition, Luke Wright showed zero rustiness and hit three of the first four deliveries he faced for boundaries.

Danny Briggs put the brakes on the Delhi Bulls innings by removing Rahmanullah Gurbaz and conceding only four runs in his first over. Briggs’ good work was continued by Naveen-ul-Haq in the next over who conceded only nine runs. The pressure applied by Briggs and Haq yielded a wicket when Wright miscued an attempted pull to give De Lange his ninth wicket of the competition. However, after three quiet overs, Shepherd changed the complexion of the innings and blitzed his way to an unbeaten 39 from 11 deliveries. His knock that was studded with 3 fours and 4 sixes took Delhi Bulls to 121 as they managed to score 43 from their last two overs.

Brief scores: Team Abu Dhabi 124/4 (Phil Salt 56, Liam Livingstone 25, Dominic Drakes 2-12) beat Delhi Bulls 121/4 ( Romario Shepherd 39* Luke Wright 25 Danny Briggs 2-20)

 

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I have not been following this years edition, how are the Pakistani players performing in this years edition.

 

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November 25 Thursday: Faf Du Plessis’ Bangla Tigers completed another comprehensive win on Thursday when they defeated Deccan Gladiators by 9 wickets in the Abu Dhabi T10. Just like in the match against The Chennai Braves, Will Jacks and Hazratullah Zazai made good of a strong foundation provided by Johnson Charles’ big hitting at the top of the order. Courtesy of Zazai’s unbeaten 26-ball-59, the Tigers took only 8.1 overs to overhaul the target of 112. Their third win took them to the third spot on the points table, where they find themselves sandwiched between Deccan Gladiators and Delhi Bulls, both teams with three wins in their bag.

Following their 19-ball 67-run partnership in the previous match, Charles and Zazai gave another blistering start to Bangla Tigers’ innings. By the time Charles fell to Odean Smith on the final ball of the second over, the team had put on 34 runs on the board. His dismissal didn’t do much to stem the flow of runs as his replacement at the crease, Will Jacks, displayed the full repertoire of his shots to ensure the required run rate never became threatening.

Captain Wahab Riaz threw the ball to Wanindu Hasaranga for his second over when the Tigers decided to go for their batting powerplay. However, Zazai nullified the Hasaranga threat
by hitting the leg-spinner for three big hits on the leg side, taking his team closer to the target. His second six of the over brought the 50 run partnership between him and Jacks. The left-hander reached his own half-century in style in the next over when he slogged Sultan Ahmed for another six in the eighth over. Fittingly, the winning runs also came off his bat when he deposited a Tom Banton full toss for four over long-on.

Earlier, the Deccan Gladiators openers started with a flurry of boundaries but Mohd. Aamir, playing his first match of the tournament, pegged the innings back by dismissing Tom-Kohler Cadmore. In the subsequent overs, James Faulkner and Karim Jamat also picked a wicket apiece on either side of a hat-trick of sixes. With Andre Russell and Tom Banton at the crease, the Gladiators opted for the powerplay at the end of the fourth over. However, they could only go one over without losing a wicket as Benny Howell sent back the danger man Russell with a slower ball.

David Wiese started dealing in sixes right from his arrival at the crease and remained unfazed by Banton’s dismissal in the seventh over. He found the perfect ally in Odean Smith whose eight-ball 26 took Deccan Gladiators past the 100-run mark. The last two overs of the Gladiators innings yielded 33 runs and helped them post a challenging 112 on the board.

Brief scores : Bangla Tigers 118/1 (Hazratullah Zazai 59*, Will Jacks 28* Odean Smith 1-21)beat Deccan Gladiators 112/5 (Odean Smith 26*, David Wiese 25* 2-16)

 

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November 25 Thursday: Delhi Bulls romped home to a comfortable 8-wicket win over Northern Warriors to leapfrog to the second spot on the points table in the Abu Dhabi T10 on Thursday. Although Rovman Powell hit another half-century to help Warriors pose a challenging 128, it was Bulls opener Rahmanullah Gurbaz who stole the show with a stunning attack from the word go. His 116-run opening partnership with Luke Wright ensured that the Bulls had their noses in front throughout the chase and had minimum difficulty in notching their fourth win in the competition.

After his good show with the bat in the last fixture, Wright earned himself a promotion in the batting order and came out to open. However, it was the 19-year-old Gurbaz who hogged the limelight by putting on display his entire range of shots against the Warriors bowling attack. Wright provided Gurbaz the perfect support, finding the boundary rope from time to time to take his team to 76 without any loss at the halfway mark.

Facing Oshane Thomas in the seventh over, Gurbaz brought up his half-century with a six on the off-side from just 24 balls. His flick of the wrist six on the next ball took his team to the triple-figure mark. The diminutive right-hander ended the over with another glorious six, leaving the Bulls with only 21 to get of the final three overs

Though Gurbaz and Shepherd got out in quick succession, Wright with the experienced Eoin Morgan steered the Bulls to safety with the English white-ball skipper finishing the match with a six on the penultimate delivery.


Earlier, Delhi Bulls won the toss and decided to bowl. Unlike the previous evening where Moeen Ali and Kennar Lewis lit up the Sheikh Zayed Stadium with a century partnership, the duo was separated on the second ball of the innings when Lewis fell to Sheraz Ahmed. Samit Patel in the company of Ali tried to repair the damage but fell prey to Adil Rashid’s guile in the fourth over. On the first ball of the next over, Ali was caught spectacularly by Eoin Morgan in the outfield when he miscued a pull.

For the umpteenth time in this tournament, Warriors’ skipper Powell arrived at the crease with his team staring down the barrel. He took no time to get going though and took 17 runs from Romario Shepherd’s over. His confidence seemed to rub on to Ross Whiteley who dispatched Rashid’s leg-spinners for consecutive boundaries in the next over. Powell continued meting out severe punishment to Shepherd’s half-trackers, hitting him for a hat-trick of sixes before Whiteley also joined the party with a six of his own. Farooqi dismissed Whiteley to bring an end to an entertaining 66-run partnership before Powell fell in the penultimate over for 56. Umair Ali hit a couple of big hits during his brief stay at the crease to take the Warriors to 128.

Brief scores: Delhi Bulls 133/2 (Rahmanullah Gurbaz 70, Luke Wright 40* Umair Ali 1-19) beat Northern Warriors 128/6 (Rovman Powell 56 Ross Whiteley 26 Shiraz Ahmed 2-22)

 

[Saj]

CHRIS GAYLE: “T10 CRICKET HAS RAISED THE BAR”

GAYLE, WHO IS CURRENTLY PLAYING FOR TEAM ABU DHABI IN THE ABU DHABI T10, PRAISED THE 10-OVER COMPETITION AS SETTING NEW STANDARDS FOR SHORT-FORM CRICKET

“T10 CRICKET HAS RAISED THE BAR. THEY’RE KILLING THE ENTERTAINMENT IN T20 CRICKET.” - GAYLE

Friday, 26 October:
Chris Gayle praised the Abu Dhabi T10 for its non-stop action, while criticising modern openers in the 20-over format for “killing the game” with a more cautious approach to powerplays.

With two ICC Men’s T20 World Cup winners’ medals to his name and more runs than any other player in the history of 20-over cricket, Gayle has been central to the rise of franchise cricket all over the world.
And now, while playing for Team Abu Dhabi in the Abu Dhabi T10, Gayle says cricket’s 10-over version is setting new standards when it comes to explosive batting and, ultimately, entertainment.

“I think, with T10 cricket, that’s how T20 cricket started. From the first over, batters used to go but T20 cricket has slowed down dramatically and T10 cricket has now raised the bar a bit,” said Gayle.

“They’re killing the entertainment in T20 cricket, straight up, because in those first six overs, we can get more as openers but guys are taking their own time. Sometimes they bat to get a score and they take away from the fire they should be bringing to the batting department in the first six overs, but T10 is spot on and hopefully we’ll see more T10 coming around.

“I don’t know why batters get so cagey during the first six overs. When T20 cricket started, guys were going from ball one, if you really check the history of T20 cricket looking back on it. I don’t like that fact, I think we should go hard, keep the entertainment that is within the game of T20 cricket and continue to keep that aggression in the first six overs.”
Team Abu Dhabi are currently top of the Abu Dhabi T10 table with five wins from five matches and Gayle is clearly having fun in his second year with the franchise.

Gayle is also confident that this could be the year that Team Abu Dhabi lift their first T10 title.

“Absolutely, I am enjoying my second year with Team Abu Dhabi and we’ve had a great start but anything can happen in T10 in such a short space of time,” he added.

“I’m happy with where the team is at at the minute and hopefully this is Team Abu Dhabi’s year.”
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November, 26 Friday: Bangla Tigers turned in yet another clinical performance to hand Team Abu Dhabi their first defeat of Abu Dhabi T10 on Friday. Chasing an imposing total of 130, Liam Livingstone’s team kept losing wickets at regular intervals and could only manage 120 despite a brilliant half-century by Chris Gayle. For the Tigers, after James Faulkner removed the two openers, it was Benny Howell yet again who turned the match with his economical two overs that also fetched his team two crucial wickets.

Earlier, an injury to Phil Salt during Bangla Tigers’ innings resulted in a change in the opening combination for Team Abu Dhabi as Paul Stirling was joined by the left-handed Colin Ingram at the top of the order. The change didn’t work though as both were snared cheaply by James Faulkner in the third over of the chase. Livingstone's arrival added spark to the contest as he hit Luke Wood for a hat-trick of sixes in the fifth over. However, just when it seemed it was the captain’s night, he got out trying to hit Wood for another six.

With the required run rate creeping up and wickets tumbling at the other end, Gayle decided to attack Isuru Udana’s medium pace, taking 16 of the Sri Lankan’s bowling. But Benny Howell’s next over once again swung the momentum of the game as he gave away only five runs while also picking up Chris Benjamin’s wicket with a clever knuckle ball. Phil Salt finally made an appearance, and tried to revive the chase with a 7 ball 17 but was cleaned up by the ever reliable Howell to become the fifth wicket to fall. His dismissal left Gayle with a mountain to climb. Although Jamaican tried his best, he didn’t get much support from the other end

Put in to bat by Livingstone, Bangla Tigers were dealt with an early blow when Johnson Charles got out on the second ball of the innings Will Jacks, who has developed a reputation for himself in this format brought out innovation in the first over itself, hitting two boundaries with perfectly executed scoop shots. Before causing much damage against Liam Livingstone, he was dropped twice in Marchant De Lange’s over by Muhammad Farooq. Livngstone had to bear the brunt of the drops as Jacks hit him for a boundary followed by two consecutive sixes in the third over. Jacks’ charmed stay at the crease was finally brought to an end by Naveen-ul-Haq’s slower ball but he had scored 43 by then.

Although Karim Janat followed Jacks back to the pavilion soon, Hazratullah Zazai took control of the innings. He smashed a couple of sixes off the bowling of Danny Briggs but played one shot too many to finally give his wicket away for 41 to the spinner. The finishing touches to the innings were provided by the captain himself who blasted de Lange for two sixes in the final over..Du Plessis’ cameo of 22 not out helped the Tigers post a challenging 130.

Brief scores: Bangla Tigers 130/5 (Will Jacks 43, Hazratullah Zazai 41, Ahmed Daniyal 1-20) beat Team Abu Dhabi 120/7 (Chris Gayle 52*, Liam Livingstone 20, Benny Howell 2-13)

 

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November 26, Friday: Deccan Gladiators rose to the second spot on the points table with a 5 wicket win over The Chennai Braves in the second fixture of Abu Dhabi T10 on Friday. The Chennai Braves batting lineup imploded in front of some smart bowling and the team could only manage 57 runs in the first innings of the match. Gladiators' Wanindu Hasaranga was the pick of the bowlers who broke the back of the Braves middle order with figures of 3 wickets for 9 runs from two overs. The loss was Chennai Braves’ sixth of this edition in which they are the only side without a win against their name.

In their chase, Deccan Gladiators looked in real hurry to notch up a win and went into attack mode from ball one. However, the approach proved to be counter-productive as they lost early wickets with all batsmen trying to clear the boundary. After Nuwan Pradeep removed Tom Kohler-Cadmore in the first over, Mark Deyal got the wickets of Tom Moores and Najibullah Zadran in the second over. Interestingly, the same over also saw two catches being dropped by The Chennai Braves fielders.

In the next over by Angelo Perera, another rash shot brought about Odean Smith’s downfall to raise hopes in the Chennai camp. However, poor catching came back to haunt the bowling team again when Ravi Bopara dropped opener Tom Banton off Deyal’s bowling. He could add only five more runs to his total though before depositing a full-toss straight down the throat of Bhanuka Rajapaksa at long-on to give Perera his second wicket of the night. Post that, David Wiese and Andre Russell ensured there were to be no more hiccups as they wrapped up the chase in the sixth over.

Earlier, with The Chennai Braves in desperate need of a win, things looked bright for once when opener Rajapaksa started the innings with a flurry of boundaries. But it was to prove to be a false dawn and his stint at the crease came to an end on the final delivery of the second over when he was snapped up by Hasaranga at the square-leg boundary. That was to prove Hasaranga’s first mark on the match. He made an impression again in the next over, this time as a fielder, when he saved five runs for his team with an acrobatic effort on the boundary rope. When he was introduced as a bowler in the fourth over, he didn’t waste any time to put The Chennai Braves on the backfoot by getting Perera stumped. In the next over, Sultan Ahmed brought an end to Mohammad Shahzad’s laborious stay at the crease. Hasaranga was back in the thick of things in the next over when he sent Dasun Shanaka and Deyal on consecutive deliveries to reduce The Chennai Braves to 38/5.

Having lost three wickets in three balls, the batting side could not recover and ended with the lowest total in this edition of the tournament. After Rajapaksa’s departure, no batsman could move into double figures and Rumman Raees and Andre Russell picked up two wickets apiece to skittle out Braves for a dismal 57.

Brief scores: Deccan Gladiators 60/5 (David Wiese 20*, Tom Banton 19, Mark Deyal 2-12) beat The Chennai Braves 57/10 (Bhanuka Rajapaksa 12, Dasun Shanaka 8, Wanindu Hasaranga 3-9)

 

[globalcitizen]

November 26, Friday: Deccan Gladiators rose to the second spot on the points table with a 5 wicket win over The Chennai Braves in the second fixture of Abu Dhabi T10 on Friday. The Chennai Braves batting lineup imploded in front of some smart bowling and the team could only manage 57 runs in the first innings of the match. Gladiators' Wanindu Hasaranga was the pick of the bowlers who broke the back of the Braves middle order with figures of 3 wickets for 9 runs from two overs. The loss was Chennai Braves’ sixth of this edition in which they are the only side without a win against their name.

In their chase, Deccan Gladiators looked in real hurry to notch up a win and went into attack mode from ball one. However, the approach proved to be counter-productive as they lost early wickets with all batsmen trying to clear the boundary. After Nuwan Pradeep removed Tom Kohler-Cadmore in the first over, Mark Deyal got the wickets of Tom Moores and Najibullah Zadran in the second over. Interestingly, the same over also saw two catches being dropped by The Chennai Braves fielders.

In the next over by Angelo Perera, another rash shot brought about Odean Smith’s downfall to raise hopes in the Chennai camp. However, poor catching came back to haunt the bowling team again when Ravi Bopara dropped opener Tom Banton off Deyal’s bowling. He could add only five more runs to his total though before depositing a full-toss straight down the throat of Bhanuka Rajapaksa at long-on to give Perera his second wicket of the night. Post that, David Wiese and Andre Russell ensured there were to be no more hiccups as they wrapped up the chase in the sixth over.

Earlier, with The Chennai Braves in desperate need of a win, things looked bright for once when opener Rajapaksa started the innings with a flurry of boundaries. But it was to prove to be a false dawn and his stint at the crease came to an end on the final delivery of the second over when he was snapped up by Hasaranga at the square-leg boundary. That was to prove Hasaranga’s first mark on the match. He made an impression again in the next over, this time as a fielder, when he saved five runs for his team with an acrobatic effort on the boundary rope. When he was introduced as a bowler in the fourth over, he didn’t waste any time to put The Chennai Braves on the backfoot by getting Perera stumped. In the next over, Sultan Ahmed brought an end to Mohammad Shahzad’s laborious stay at the crease. Hasaranga was back in the thick of things in the next over when he sent Dasun Shanaka and Deyal on consecutive deliveries to reduce The Chennai Braves to 38/5.

Having lost three wickets in three balls, the batting side could not recover and ended with the lowest total in this edition of the tournament. After Rajapaksa’s departure, no batsman could move into double figures and Rumman Raees and Andre Russell picked up two wickets apiece to skittle out Braves for a dismal 57.

Brief scores: Deccan Gladiators 60/5 (David Wiese 20*, Tom Banton 19, Mark Deyal 2-12) beat The Chennai Braves 57/10 (Bhanuka Rajapaksa 12, Dasun Shanaka 8, Wanindu Hasaranga 3-9)

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In the next over by Angelo Perera, another rash shot brought about Odean Smith’s downfall to raise hopes in the Chennai camp.

Ironic that every shot is a rash shot in t10. Wonder how rash this shot was !? LoL

 

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November 27, Saturday: Northern Warriors bounced back in style to register their second win as they made a mockery of a 146 run target to win the first contest of Saturday in the Abu Dhabi T10 by 10 wickets. Moeen Ali and Kennar Lewis, who had brought up a century stand in the tournament just a few days ago, lit up the stage once again, this time going one better and doing that in a humongous chase to win their team the match without the loss of a single wicket. Earlier, Colin Ingram’s 61 had helped put Team Abu Dhabi a massive 145 on the board.

The Warriors opening duo took an over to get their eye in before getting plundering 35 runs from the next two overs of Ahmed Daniyal and Fidel Edwards. They kept the momentum going in the next two overs too, reaching 74 at the halfway mark of the chase. Team Abu Dhabi skipper used all his major bowlers in search of a breakthrough but to no avail. Both the batsmen reached their half-centuries soon and pressed the foot on the accelerator in the seventh and eighth over. Ali made the record of the fastest half-century in this edition of Abu Dhabi T10 his own by getting to the milestone in just 16 deliveries. Starting from the fourth ball of the seventh over, the duo hit eight sixes and one four in a space of eleven deliveries to wrap up the chase with five balls remaining.

Earlier, the match had begun with an exciting over. Paul Stirling, who had missed out in the last two previous matches, went on the offensive in the first over itself by smashing Oshane Thomas for two sixes. He found his stumps shattered on the next ball but got a reprieve when the action replays revealed that the bowler had overstepped. Stirling hit the next ball for six followed by a four to take 26 runs from the first over. By dismissing the two openers in the next two overs, the Warriors managed to claw their way back into the contest. But the reintroduction of Thomas into the attack in the fifth over allowed the right hand-left hand combination of Liam Livingstone and Colin Ingram to break free again. They plundered 24 runs from the over and gave the innings the momentum it needed.

Despite the loss of Livingstone for 27 in the seventh over, Ingram continued the assault and took the team past the 100-run mark. He reached his half-century off 17 deliveries. By the time he got out in the final over of the innings for 62, he had ensured his team would end up setting a huge target for the opposition batting lineup. Some lusty hitting by Jamie Overton and Marchant De Lange towards the end of the innings took Team Abu Dhabi to 145.

Brief scores: Northern Warriors 146/0 (Moeen Ali 77*, Kennar Lewis 65*, Jamie Overton 0-1) beat Team Abu Dhabi 145/6 (Colin Ingram 61, Liam Livingstone 27, Rayad Emrit 2-21)

 

[MenInG]

 

[MenInG]

November 27 Saturday: Riding on the back of another solid partnership between openers Johnson Charles and Hazratullah Zazai, Bangla Tigers jumped to the numero uno position on the points table in Abu Dhabi T10 with a win over The Chennai Braves on Saturday. After restricting the Braves to 89, thanks to some fine bowling by Luke Fletcher, the Tigers came out all guns blazing in their chase and wrapped their fifth win of this edition easily. Despite having the same number of wins as Team Abu Dhabi, the Tigers now sit atop the points table courtesy of a better run rate. For The Chennai Braves who came into the match seeking their first win, it proved to be another forgettable outing as they suffered their seventh defeat of the tournament.

Charles and Zazai have emerged as one of the most threatening opening duo in the tournament and against the Braves bowling attack, they barely broke a sweat in overhauling a target that required them to score at less than 10 an over. As has become the norm, the right-handed Charles started the attack with a four off the final delivery of the first over bowled by Mark Deyal. The next over belonged to Zazai as he put to sword Munaf Patel’s medium pace by scoring 22 from the second over of the chase. There was no respite for the bowling team as Deyal, after bowling a neat first over, was taken to the cleaners in the next, conceding 23 runs. The openers also showed scant regard for Kevin Koththigoda’s mystery spin, finding two sixes and one four from the bowler’s over to take their team closer to a comprehensive win. Charles’ dismissal to Roman Walker allowed the in-form Will Jacks to do the finishing, which he duly did by depositing Dhananjaya Lakshan in the stands to finish the chase in the sixth over. Hazratullah Zazai remained stranded on an undefeated 46 with 5 sixes and 2 fours.

Earlier, The Chennai Braves struggled to get going after being put in to bat by Bangla Tigers skipper Faf Du Plessis. They could only score 29 runs from the first four overs, losing opener Toby Albert in the process. Mohammad Shahzad, who hasn’t enjoyed the best of the forms in the tournament, seemed to be getting back in touch when he hit his countrymate for a six and a four. However, Ahmed had the last laugh as he sent Shahzad back for 32. Post Shahzad’s departure, no batsman except Mark Deyal could make an impression. Deyal eventually fell for 28 in the penultimate over and as a result, The Chennai Braves could not go past the triple-figure mark in their allotted 10 overs, finishing their innings on 89/4.

Brief scores: Bangla Tigers 95/1 (Hazratullah Zazai 46*, Johnson Charles 30, Roman Walker 1-11) beat The Chennai Braves 89/4 (Mohammad Shahzad 32, Mark Deyal 28, Luke Fletcher 2-17)

 

[James]

NEW:

An extraordinary T10 innings from Phil Salt for Team Abu Dhabi

He's blasted 63 off 20 balls to help chase 108 to win in seven overs, smashing four fours and eight sixes in the process.

His 15-ball fifty is the fastest in the T10 League this season.

 

[Last Monetarist]

Sunday 28 November: Team Abu Dhabi registered their sixth victory in the Abu Dhabi T10 after defeating The Chennai Braves by 7 wickets on Sunday. After The Chennai Braves scored 107/6 in their 10 overs, Philip Salt's innings of 63 runs from 20 balls helped Team Abu Dhabi chase their total down in just 7 overs.

Salt started off in typical fashion, smashing Nuwan Pradeep for three boundaries and a six in the first over. However, Mark Deyal put pressure on Team Abu Dhabi by picking up the wickets of Paul Stirling and Liam Livingstone in the very next over.

Team Abu Dhabi quickly regained control of the match when Chris Gayle struck a six and a four off Curtis Campher's bowling in the third over. Thereafter, Salt and Gayle put on a explosive stand of 71 runs and put Team Abu Dhabi in the driver's seat. Salt smashed 4 boundaries and 7 sixes in his innings, while Gayle hammered 2 boundaries and 2 sixes in his innings of 30 runs from 16 balls. Curtis Campher dismissed Philip Salt in the seventh over, but Colin Ingram wrapped up the chase with a six and four in the same over.

Earlier, Mohammad Shahzad's blistering innings of 53 runs from 30 balls helped The Chennai Braves reach an imposing total in their 10 overs. The opening batter didn't find much support from the other end, but he found a way to strike the big shots and move the game forward. The wicketkeeper-batsman hit the very first ball of the innings for six, thereafter, he smacked Jamie Overton for two consecutive boundaries in the third over.

In the fifth over, Shahzad struck two boundaries and a six off Naveen-ul-Haq's bowling, gathering 17 runs in total from the over. However, Team Abu Dhabi Captain Liam Livingstone completely tilted the match in his side's favour when he dismissed Dasun Shanaka, Samiullah Shinwari and Mohammad Shahzad in the eight over, reducing The Chennai Braves to 82/4. Therafter, Ravi Bopara's flourishing innings of 15 runs from 7 balls helped his side post a total of 107/6.

Brief scores: Team Abu Dhabi 113/3 (Philip Salt 63, Chris Gayle 30*, Mark Deyal 2/16) beat The Chennai Braves 107/6 (Mohammad Shahzad 53, Ravi Bopara 15*, Liam Livingstone 3/17)

 

[Last Monetarist]

 

[MenInG]

Deccan Gladiators batsman Tom Banton is a key part of his team's success in the ongoing Season 5 of Abu Dhabi T10. Gladiators have won six out of eight games so far in the tournament, and are currently at the top of the points table. Speaking to media at a virtual press conference, the Englishman spoke on his experience playing for the franchise.

"Abu Dhabi T10 is obviously good fun. It's my third year. Deccan Gladiators are my second team. The coaches have been awesome to work with. I have not been able to score big in a few innings, but, still, it's been a lot of fun. I am happy to contribute to my team," he said.

Banton described T10 as a form of a movie, and the perfect way to introduce fans to the format. "I think it could fit into Olympics. It is not too long. If you want to get into cricket as a movie, T10 is a perfect way. The Tests and even T20I is too long for some people," he said.

When asked to name a player, who he believes has been the best in the format, Banton picked Deccan Gladiators spinner Wanindu Hasaranga. "I think he has been a pretty great player. The wickets are pretty suited for him to bowl. But he also is an unbelievable bowler who understands his variations and causes trouble for the opposition all the time," Banton said.

Banton further said that because of the depth of the squad among Gladiators' ranks, he can start hitting shots from the first ball itself. He, though, added that an opener must not lose concentration if he gets a few dot balls in attempting to hit big shots.

"As an opener, I need to give a good start to the team. Sometimes, you waste a few balls trying to do that. You have to accept you can get out first ball, or you can get a few dot balls. But you don't want to worry about it too much, and you just have to enjoy your game," the Englishman said.

Banton also said that batsmen who can hit big shots from any portion of the bat have a better chance of being successful in T10. "To be successful as a batter, you need to have power to not just hit shots from the middle, but from anywhere on the bat. I am working towards improving this aspect of my game," he said.

The England international had taken a break from domestic cricket and Big Bash League in the summer to avoid staying in bio-bubble. Banton, now, said that he is mentally feeling better about his game and hopes he can play for Brisbane next year.

"I just did not want to do the two-week quarantine. Now there is no quarantine. So it did not work out how I wanted to because I love playing for Brisbane. I hope I could go on and play next year. I am really feeling happy at the moment about what I am doing. That's all that matters," he said.

"I got quite a big break. I did not play any cricket in October. I spent time with family and friends and enjoyed it a lot. That has put me in a better headspace," he said.

On being quizzed about desires to make an international return, Banton said: "I would love to get back into squad but I don't want too much pressure on myself. I just want to enjoy my cricket and score as many runs as possible. If you are in that headspace, the rest will take care of itself."

 

[MenInG]

 

[MenInG]

Monday 29 November: Captain Liam Livingstone led the way with the bat as Team Abu Dhabi defeated Deccan Gladiators by 8 runs in the Abu Dhabi T10 on Monday. After Team Abu Dhabi posted a total of 125/4 in their 10 overs, the Deccan Gladiators couldn't find a way to bat at the required rate and eventually fell short of their target.

Sheldon Cottrell dismissed Tom Kohler-Cadmore on the very first ball of Deccan Gladiators' innings, but Tom Moores made his intentions clear when he hit Marchant de Lange for two boundaries and a six in the second over, taking Deccan Gladiators' score to 21/1. However, Moores fell shortly and Anwar Ali took the responsibility of getting to the team's target. He smashed Liam Livingstone for two sixes in the fourth over and scored 18 runs along with David Wiese off Danny Briggs' bowling in the sixth over, taking the Gladiators to 76/3.

However, Marchant de Lange completely tilted the match in Team Abu Dhabi's favour when he dismissed Anwar Ali and Andre Russell in the eighth over. Team Abu Dhabi put more pressure on their opponents by carrying out two run outs in the next over, but Wanindu Hasaranga kept the Gladiators in the game by striking a six and a four off Naveen-ul-Haq's bowling, leaving his team with 15 runs to get from the last over. Jamie Overton bowled a fantastic final over and restricted the Gladiators to 117/8.

Earlier, Captain Liam Livingstone single-handedly took Team Abu Dhabi to an imposing total in their 10 overs. Coming into bat at 13/1, Livingstone played a fantastic innings of 59 runs from 24 balls, laced with 3 boundaries and 6 sixes.

Philip Salt started Team Abu Dhabi's innings in magnificent fashion, smashing Captain Wahab Riaz for three consecutive boundaries on the first three deliveries of the innings. He smacked two more boundaries in the next over before being bowled out by Odean Smith in third over. However, Livingstone rode on the momentum set by Salt and struck consecutive sixes off Odean Smith's bowling in the fifth over. The skipper plundered 20 runs off Tymal Mills' bowling before being dismissed on the last delivery of the ninth over. Team Abu Dhabi scored 12 more runs in the last over and recorded a total of 125/4 in their 10 overs.

Brief scores: Team Abu Dhabi 125/4 (Liam Livingstone 59, Colin Ingram 25, Tymal Mills 2-34) beat Deccan Gladiators 117/8 (Anwar Ali 42, David Wiese 27, Sheldon Cottrell 2-18) by 8 runs.

 

[MenInG]

Monday 29 November: The Chennai Braves registered their first victory in the Abu Dhabi T10 after defeating Northern Warriors by 10 wickets on Monday. After bowling out Northern Warriors for 108, The Chennai Braves openers Mohammad Shahzad and Bhanuka Rajapaksa raced to their target in 8.3 overs.

Rajapaksa played an innings of 55* runs from 23 balls, laced with 6 fours and 4 sixes, while Shahzad scored 54* runs from 29 balls. The Afghanistan player struck 9 fours and 2 sixes in his innings. Shahzad set the tone for The Chennai Braves when he smacked Abhimanyu Mithun for five boundaries in the second over. Rajapaksa also hit the big shots from the other end, smashing Oshane Thomas for two sixes and two fours in the eighth over.

The Northern Warriors couldn't find a way to stop the run flow or pick up wickets as the The Chennai Braves openers took their team over the line in impeccable manner.

Earlier, The Chennai Braves put up a fantastic performance with the ball as they bowled out Northern Warriors for 108 in 9.5 overs. Curtis Campher, Dasun Shanaka and Ravi Bopara picked up two wickets each for The Chennai Braves. Campher set the tone for Chennai by trapping Kennar Lewis LBW on the very first delivery of the innings. Thereafter, Upul Tharanga and Moeen Ali strung a brilliant partnership of 55 runs. Tharanga played a quick-fire innings of 32 runs from 14 balls, while Ali scored 25 runs off 15 balls.

Following the departure of Tharanga and Ali, Captain Rovman Powell took on Roman Walker, smashing him for three sixes in the seventh over. However, Powell's stay at the crease was ended when he was dismissed for 31 runs from 12 balls by Shanaka in the eighth over. Thereafter, the Northern Warriors kept losing wickets in regular intervals and eventually folded for 108.

Brief scores: The Chennai Braves 114/0 (Bhanuka Rajapaksa 55*, Mohammad Shahzad 54*, Umair Ali 0-11) beat Northern Warriors 108 all out (Upul Tharanga 32, Rovman Powell 31, Ravi Bopara 2-6) by 10 wickets.

 

[Hassaan HS]

December 01, Wednesday: Tom Kohler-Cadmore notched up the highest score of Abu Dhabi T10 by scoring 96 in just 39 balls that helped his team defeat Bangla Tigers by 62 runs on Wednesday in the Abu Dhabi T10. The Bangla Tigers’ chase never took off courtesy Wanindu Hasaranga, who continued his dream run with the ball and picked up a five-wicket haul to skittle Du Plessis’ men for 79. Gladiators’ seventh win meant that they leaped to the top of the points table with 14 points.

Bangla Tigers, who have relied heavily on their top order in the tournament, made a disastrous start to their chase of 140. Hazratullah Zazai, who had dropped Kohler-Cadmore’s catch earlier in the evening, got out on the second delivery he faced. Will Jacks followed him back to the pavilion after finding his stumps rattled by Sultan Ahmed. Hasaranga got hit for a six by Karim Janat on the second ball of his spell but came back strongly by removing Janat and Johnson Charles in successive deliveries to reduce the Tigers to 26/4. Faf Du Plessis and Isuru Udana tried to put the innings back on track with a few big hits but the task in front of them was too massive. Hasaranga shot out the lower middle order in the next over to complete his fifer.

Earlier, the Deccan Gladiators stuck to their template of attacking from ball one. By promoting Andre Russell up the order, they sent in their most explosive batsman to open the game with Tom Kohler-Cadmore. However, the West Indian was overshadowed by Kohler-Cadmore’s assault on the troika of left-arm seamers of Bangla Tigers that allowed the Gladiators to race to 45 in the first three overs. The assault continued when captain Du Plessis pressed another left-hander into action as Isuru Udana leaked 15 runs in his first over. Kohler-Cadmore brought up his half-century in the same over in just 18 balls.

The ever-reliable Benny Howell brought some sanity to the proceedings by bowling a 5 run over but the runs leaked from the other end. By lofting Udana over long-off for a boundary, Kohler-Cadmore took his team’s total past 100 while entering the 80s himself. With Kohler-Cadmore on 96 at the beginning of the final over, Russell gave him the strike on the second ball of the over to complete his ton. But the Englishman couldn’t send Luke Wood’s low full-toss beyond the flying Jack Wills at mid-off who hung on to a stunner. With three balls left in the innings, Odean Smith threw his bat at everything and managed to connect two deliveries for two sixes to take the Gladiators to 140.

Brief scores: Deccan Gladiators 140/1 (Tom Kohler-Cadmore 96, Andre Russell 26* Whiteley 26, Luke Wood 1-36 ) beat Bangla Tigers 78/9 (Isuru Udana 33, Faf du Plessis 15 Wanindu Hasaranga 5-8)

 

[MenInG]

December 01, Wednesday: Delhi Bulls secured a comfortable 10 wicket win over The Chennai Braves in the second fixture of Wednesday in the Abu Dhabi T10. Rahmanullah Gurbaz starred with the bat, scoring the fastest half-century of the competition as the Bulls made light work of the target of 81. Earlier, the Chennai Braves recovered from a poor start to post a respectable total on the board. However, it wasn’t to prove enough as the Bulls romped home with almost six overs to spare, thanks to a stunning opening partnership between Gurbaz and Chandrapaul Hemraj.

The Delhi Bulls wasted no time in kickstarting their chase with Gurbaz taking the initiative against the off-spin of Mark Deyal when he hit him for two sixes and a four on the final three balls of the first over. There was no let-up in the intensity from the openers in the next over by Munaf Patel who ended up conceding 19 runs. The Afghanistan batsman was severe on Campher in the third over, smashing him for a hat-trick of boundaries before lofting the penultimate ball of the over for a maximum.

Captain Angelo Perera threw the ball to Dasun Shanaka to try to stem the flow of runs. However, Hemraj tore into him, hitting the first two deliveries of his over for a six and a four. He then turned over the strike to his opening partner who pulled Shanaka for a six to bring up his fifty in just 14 balls. The left-handed Hemraj then slog-swept the first ball of Deyal’s fifth over to complete the formalities and give the Bulls a comprehensive 10 wicket win.

The Chennai Braves struggled right from the beginning as Mohammad Shahzad was run out by his countrymate Gurbaz in the second over. Bhanuka Rajapaksa, who has looked the team’s best batsman in the tournament, had to contend with a duck against his name as Romario Shepherd removed him on the final delivery of the second over. Ravi Bopara tried to take on the guile of Adil Rashid but without success as The Chennai Braves found themselves in deep trouble at 15/3. Things could have been worse had Dwayne Bravo’s men held on to the chances that came their way. The Bulls dropped as many as three catches in the innings with Shepherd dropping two of them. Mark Deyal and Angelo Perera got together to do the repair job in the fourth over, cutting down on the risks in the process. They finally opened their arms after taking the powerplay ahead of the eighth over. The attack proved to be too little too late and despite Perera’s 40 and Deyal’s 21, the team could only manage 80 runs in their allotted ten overs.

Brief scores: Delhi Bulls 81/0 (Rahmanullah Gurbaz 57*, Chandrapaul Hemraj 24* Munaf Patel 0-19) beat The Chennai Braves 80/4 (Angelo Perera 40, Mark Deyal 21*, Romario Shepherd 1-16)

 

[Saj]

Updated points table

 

[MenInG]

December 02, Thursday: Bangla Tigers’ bowling attack proved too hot to handle for the Northern Warriors who succumbed to a 30 run defeat on Thursday in the Abu Dhabi T10. After the Bangla Tigers put on 119 on the board on a tricky pitch, the Warriors struggled to get going and never threatened the target, losing wickets at regular intervals. Left arm spinner Tom Hartley proved to be the standout performer with the ball, picking up two wickets for just 12 runs. Earlier, a 96-run 2nd wicket partnership between Hazratullah Zazai and Faf Du Plessis had ensured that the Tigers posted a challenging total on the board.

When the Warriors began their pursuit of 120, Hartley drew first blood for Tigers by sending back Kennar Lewis in the first over. The Warriors start went from bad to worse when Moeen Ali stepped out to James Faulkner in the next over, only to hear the stumps behind him getting rattled. Samit Patel and Rovman Powell got together but found the going tough against some quality bowling. Powell soon flicked a loosener on the leg side straight into the hands of the fine-leg fielder. At the halfway mark, the innings was tottering at 31/3. With the run-out of Samit Patel in the seventh over, the last hope of a fightback from the Warriors also ended. Umair Ali showed dexterity in picking up the slower balls and launching them into the stands but his cameo of 39 from 16 balls proved to be a case of too little too late for the Warriors

Earlier, The Tigers’ innings didn’t take off smoothly as swashbuckling opener Johnson Charles’ stint at the crease was cut short by Imran Tahir in the third over. After Charles’ departure, Zazai was joined at the crease by captain Faf Du Plessis who promoted himself up the order. However, the ploy didn’t seem to work in the first few overs of the partnership as some smart bowling and a difficult pitch to bat on kept the duo largely quiet. As a result, the Bangla Tigers could only manage 42 in the first five overs.

The acceleration began from the seventh over. With just four runs from his first nine deliveries, Du Plessis was forced to innovate and scooped Oshane Thomas over long leg for a maximum. This was to prove the beginning of a late assault that the duo perpetrated on the Warriors bowling attack. Abhimanyu Mithun’s next over saw both the batsmen hit a six apiece. But the severest punishment was reserved for Tahir who bowled the penultimate over. The leg-spinner, who had conceded only three in his first over, was struck for 26 in his last over by Zazai and Du Plessis. In the final over, Zazai reached his half century thanks to a dropped chance at the boundary. A hat-trick of streaky boundaries off the captain’s bat in the final over took the Tigers to a challenging 119.

Brief scores: Bangla Tigers 119/1 (Hazratullah Zazai 55*, Faf Du Plessis 38* Imran Tahir 1-29) beat Northern Warriors 89/6 (Umair Ali 39*, Samit Patel 15, Tom Hartley 2-12)

 

[MenInG]

Adil Rashid’s hat-trick propels Delhi Bulls to a top two finish on the points table

~ Delhi Bulls defeat Team Abu Dhabi by 49 runs ~

December 02, Thursday: Adil Rashid ripped through Team Abu Dhabi’s batting lineup with a hat-trick to give Delhi Bulls their seventh win and deny Abu Dhabi a chance to make it to the top two on the points table in Abu Dhabi T10. Team Abu Dhabi’s strong batting lineup needed 108 to finish in the top two but imploded in the middle overs. After a strong start, they slipped from 41/1 to 67/7 in a matter of ten deliveries. The result of this match meant Delhi Bulls finished in the top two while Team Abu Dhabi along with Bangla Tigers occupy the third and the fourth place on the points table.

Chasing 136, Team Abu Dhabi lost Paul Stirling in the first over, before Phil Salt and Liam Livingstone steadied the ship with a few big hits. The duo added 34 runs in 12 balls but once Salt fell to Shiraz Ahmed, Team Abu Dhabi innings went off the rail. Adil Rashid, bowling his second over, first got Livingstone to top edge to the keeper and then removed Colin Ingram with a ripper. Jamie Overton, facing the hat-trick ball, had no answer to Rashid’s googly and was bowled for a duck. Dominic Drakes took out Bell-Drummond and Danny Briggs in the next over to reduce Team Abu Dhabi to 67/7. Fazalhaq Farooqi sent down a maiden over to reduce Livingstone’s team’s chances of reaching the top two. Eventually, Team Abu Dhabi finished on 86/8.

After winning the toss and putting the opposition into bat, Team Abu Dhabi didn’t allow Delhi Bulls to get off to a flyer. Sheldon Cottrell removed Chandrapaul Hemraj in the first over while Marchant De Lange tested Rahmanullah Gurbaz with some short-pitched bowling.

The innings gathered momentum when Gurbaz unleashed an attack on Cottrell in the third over, hitting the left-arm pacer for a six and a four. Jamie Overton proved expensive in his first over as he gave away 22 runs. Liam Livingstone brought himself on but Gurbaz showed scant regard for his leg spin and hit him into the stands twice in two deliveries. Naveen-ul-Haq struggled with his line and length and was smashed all around the park by the duo who plundered him for 28 runs. Even the generally economical Danny Briggs was put to sword as the duo took their partnership beyond the 100 run mark. With three overs left and Bulls cruising on 112, a massive score seemed to be on the cards. However. Rutherford’s run out on the first ball of the eighth over put the brakes on the scoring rate. The final three overs of the innings yielded only 23 runs but that was to prove more than enough for the Bulls.

Brief scores: Delhi Bulls 135/5 (Rahmanullah Gurbaz 69, Sherfane Rutherford 52, Sheldon Cottrell 1-20) beat Team Abu Dhabi 86/8 (Liam Livingstone 29, Phil Salt 25, Adil Rashid 3-15)

 

[MenInG]

 

[James]

Friday, 03 December: The Deccan Gladiators finished the league stage at the top of the table in the Abu Dhabi T10 with 7 wins from 10 matches. Ahead of their Qualifier 1 match against Delhi Bulls on Friday, Deccan Gladiators team owner Gaurav Grover expressed that he is certain the Gladiators will reach the Final.

"This time, everything has gone the way we wanted. We got the players we wanted during the Players Draft. I am pretty sure that we will play in the Final with the kind of all-rounders we have. The credit goes to Coach Mushtaq Ahmed and the team analyst Prasanna Agoram. They are playing a vital role," said the Deccan Gladiators team owner.

When asked about the thought process behind selecting the Deccan Gladiators team for the current season in the Abu Dhabi T10 Players Draft, he said, "We have Mushtaq Ahmed as a coach for the last three years. I grew up watching him play. So, we have a lot of respect for him. We also have a very good analyst, Prasanna Agoram. These people have a lot of knowledge. In consultation with them, we selected our players. I am happy with the players we selected. The combination is perfect."

The Gladiators team owner also went on to open up about the franchise's plans to expand and go global in the coming years, "We are just waiting for pandemic to be over. We have a lot of plans to go globally. We want more people joining us and more people watching T10."

Speaking further on the strategies being planned, Grover added, "This year, we could not work a lot on fan activation due to the Covid-19 pandemic. However, the social media team has done a good job within the limitations. We have plans and strategies from next year onwards. Our vision is very clear. We want to create a full-packaged brand. We want to play some friendly matches in India as well."

 

[James]

Deccan Gladiators win the first qualifier to secure a place in the Final
~ Deccan Gladiators defeat Delhi Bulls by 17 runs ~

December 03 Friday: Riding on Andre Russell’s brilliant all-round show, the Deccan Gladiators progressed to the final of Abu Dhabi T10 after clinching the first qualifier against Delhi Bulls on Friday. The Gladiators’ batting clicked once again and overcame a minor stutter in the middle overs to pose an imposing 139. The Delhi Bulls’ batting unit started strongly but the chase lost steam after the departure of Eoin Morgan in the seventh over. The loss meant that the Delhi Bulls would need to play against the winning side of the Eliminator in Qualifier 2 later in the day.

Gurbaz began the Bulls’ chase with the same confidence that he has exhibited throughout the season, lofting Wahab Riaz over his head for a six in the first over. Hemraj continued the good work in the next over, finding the boundary on multiple occasions to fetch 22 runs off Sultan Ahmed’s bowling. However, the left-hander departed soon, failing to pick Smith’s slower ball. In the company of Sherfane Rutherford, Gurbaz took the team to 65 at the halfway mark of the innings but fell to Hasaranga on the first delivery of the sixth over. Eoin Morgan raised hopes of the Delhi fans with a flurry of sixes but Andre Russell delivered the knockout punch when he had Morgan caught at deep point. With 47 to get off the final three overs and their main batsmen back in the hut, the result became a foregone conclusion. The Bulls eventually finished with 122 for the loss of five wickets to lose the contest by 17 runs.

Earlier, the Gladiators lost the toss and were put in to bat by Dwayne Bravo. Russell and Tom Kohler-Cadmore resumed from where they had left in the last match, stitching together a 58-run-partnership from just 23 balls to give the team a solid start. Russell, who dominated the partnership, fell for 39 in the fourth over.

The sixth over of the innings bowled by Dominic Drakes proved to be quite an eventful one. Gladiators began the over in a strong position with the scoreboard reading 74/1. Kohler-Cadmore lofted Drakes’ first delivery which Dwayne Bravo dropped. However, the captain showed the presence of mind and threw down the stumps from long-off to run out the non-striker Najibullah Zadran. Kohler-Cadmore went for it once again on the next ball but the mistimed shot was safely pouched by Chandrapaul Hemraj. Anwar Ali too lasted only two balls before edging one to Gurbaz. Gladiators slipped to 77/4 by the time Drakes’ over ended.

Odean Smith and David Wiese brought the innings back on track and took the total beyond 100 on the first ball of the penultimate over. Odean Smith then went on to unleash a hat-trick of sixes against Fazalhaq Farooqi’s bowling who gave away 27 runs in the over. Wiese hit Nyeem Young for a four and a six in the final over to ensure that the Gladiators ended up

a big score despite the setback faced in the middle overs. The duo added 62 runs from 24 deliveries.

Brief scores: Deccan Gladiators 139/4 (Andre Russell 39, David Wiese 31, Dominic Drakes 3-15) beat Delhi Bulls 122/5 (Eoin Morgan 27, Chandrapaul Hemraj 24, Andre Russell 2-27)

 

[MenInG]

Friday 03 December: Team Abu Dhabi kept their title hopes alive after defeating Bangla Tigers by 7 wickets in the Eliminator in the Abu Dhabi T10 on Friday. After the Bangla Tigers posted a total of 101/4 in their 10 overs, Paul Stirling played a brilliant innings of 57 runs from 20 balls to help his team chase down the total in 6.5 overs. Team Abu Dhabi will take on Delhi Bulls in Qualifier 2 on Friday.

Paul Stirling smashed Mohammad Amir for two boundaries and a six in the second over and set the ball rolling for Team Abu Dhabi. He smashed two more sixes off James Faulkner's bowling in the next over. The opening batters Paul Stirling and Philip Salt put Team Abu Dhabi in the driver's seat with a partnership of 81 runs in 4.5 overs. Salt and Stirling were dismissed in quick succession, however, Chris Gayle and Colin Ingram closed out the game in clinical fashion in the end.

Earlier, Hazratullah Zazai single-handedly took the Bangla Tigers to 101/4 in their 10 overs. The Afghanistan cricketer smashed 5 fours and 4 sixes in his magnificent innings of 66* off 37 balls. Sheldon Cottrell set the tone with the ball for Team Abu Dhabi by taking the wicket of Johnson Charles in the first over itself and then Faf du Plessis fell to Fidel Edwards in the next over. Edwards put more pressure on the Tigers by dismissing Will Jacks for a first-ball duck and then Marchant de Lange joined the party by taking the wicket of Will Smeed in the fourth over.

Thereafter, Zazai took matters into his own hands and smashed Edwards for three boundaries in the sixth over. The Afghanistan cricketer took on de Lange as well, smacking him for a four and a six in the eighth over, taking the Tigers' score to 76/4. The Bangla Tigers propelled their score over hundred by gathering 18 runs off the last over. Benny Howell played a fantastic hand of 14* runs from 11 balls as well.

Brief scores: Team Abu Dhabi 105/3 (Paul Stirling 57, Philip Salt 24, Benny Howell 2/22) beat Bangla Tigers 101/4 (Hazratullah Zazai 66*, Benny Howell 14*, Fidel Edwards 2-20) by 7 wickets

 

[Saj]

Friday 03 December: The Delhi Bulls booked their place in the Abu Dhabi T10 final after defeating Team Abu Dhabi by 49 runs in Qualifier 2 on Friday. The Bulls will be up against the Deccan Gladiators in the Final and Team Abu Dhabi will face off against Bangla Tigers in the 3rd Place Play-off on Saturday. After the Delhi Bulls recorded a total of 109/7 in their 10 overs, Team Abu Dhabi were bowled out for 60 in 8.3 overs. Dominic Drakes was the pick of the bowlers with figures of 4/13.

Philip Salt and Paul Stirling began Team Abu Dhabi's innings in typical fashion, gathering 23 runs off the first over. Salt struck two boundaries and a six off the first three deliveries and Stirling smacked consecutive boundaries off Chandrapaul Hemraj's bowling. However, Dominic Drakes brought the Delhi Bulls back into the match by taking the wickets of Philip Salt and Captain Liam Livingstone in the second over. Fazalhaq Farooqi made matters worse for Team Abu Dhabi when he dismissed Stirling in the fourth over, leaving Team Abu Dhabi at 39/3.

Romario Shepherd completely tilted the match in favour of Delhi Bulls when he removed Chris Gayle for 14 runs from 11 balls and Danny Briggs for nought in consecutive deliveries in the fifth over. Team Abu Dhabi were reduced to 44/6. Thereafter, Team Abu Dhabi kept losing wickets at regular intervals and eventually folded for 60.

Earlier, Sheldon Cottrell got Team Abu Dhabi off to a great start by bowling out Rahmanullah Gurbaz on the first delivery of Delhi Bulls' innings. Sherfane Rutherford tried to gain momentum for the Bulls as he struck a four and a six in the second over, however, he was dismissed by Captain Liam Livingstone for 19 runs from 8 balls in the next over. Team Abu Dhabi continued to put pressure on their opponents by picking up wickets at regular intervals. Livingstone led from the front with magnificent figures of 2/7 in his 2 overs.

Romario Shepherd tried to take responsibility of getting the runs for the Bulls as he smacked Marchant de Lange for consecutive boundaries in the seventh over, but he was removed by Cottrell for 26 runs from 16 balls in the ninth over. Adil Rashid's breezy cameo innings of 13 runs from 5 balls helped the Bulls post a competitive total of 109/7 in their 10 overs.

Brief scores: Delhi Bulls 109/7 (Romario Shepherd 26, Sherfane Rutherford 19, Liam Livingstone 2-7) beat Team Abu Dhabi 60 (Philip Salt 15, Chris Gayle 14, Dominic Drakes 4/13) by 49 runs.

 

[gazza619]

How is the circus going? Has it been a success?

I only watched a few minutes of this on two occasions but struggled to continue watching this as it felt a cringe.

 

[SpiritOf1903]

Why's there no Pakistani team?. Odd

 

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Congratulations Team Abu Dhabi for securing 3rd place

 

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Saturday 04, December: Team Abu Dhabi and Bangla Tigers played out a humdinger in the 3rd Place Play-off in the Abu Dhabi T10 on Saturday. After Team Abu Dhabi posted a total of 98/5 in their 10 overs, Bangla Tigers were restricted to 98/6 in their 10 overs. Since Team Abu Dhabi finished at the third spot and the Bangla Tigers finished at a lower position (fourth spot) in the league stage, Team Abu Dhabi clinched the third place in Abu Dhabi T10.

The Bangla Tigers openers Johnson Charles and Hazratullah Zazai set a good platform by gathering 23 runs off the first two overs, but, Zazai was dismissed by Naveen-ul-Haq and Ahmed Daniyal effected a brilliant run out to remove Charles in the third over. Daniyal made matters worse for the Tigers when he dismissed Captain Andre Fletcher for 6 runs off 6 balls in the fifth over.

Team Abu Dhabi were in the driver's seat when they reduced the Tigers to 59/4 in 7 overs, however, Will Smeed and Karim Janat had other plans. Janat smacked Marchant de Lange for a four and a six in the eighth over and Smeed smashed two boundaries and a six off Captain Liam Livingstone's bowling in the ninth over, taking the Tigers to 92/4. However, Naveen-ul-Haq bowled a brilliant last over and ensured that Team Abu Dhabi tied the match.

Earlier, Tom Hartley got the Bangla Tigers off to a great start by trapping Daniel Bell-Drummond LBW in the first over, however, Philip Salt smacked Hartley for two sixes and a boundary on the last three deliveries of the opening over. Mohammad Amir got the Tigers back into the match by bowling out the dangerous Philip Salt for 21 runs off 7 balls in the next over. Thereafter, the Bangla Tigers kept a check on the run flow by picking up wickets in regular intervals.

Colin Ingram was the only highlight in Team Abu Dhabi's batting card. The South African played a brilliant innings of 41 runs from 24 balls, laced with four sixes. Ingram took on Sabir Rao, smashing him for a six in the sixth over and he struck two more sixes in the last over off Karim Janat's bowling, propelling Team Abu Dhabi's score to 98/5 in their 10 overs.

Brief scores: Team Abu Dhabi 98/5 (Colin Ingram 41*, Philip Salt 21, Mohammad Amir 1-9) tie with Bangla Tigers 98/6 (Will Smeed 25*, Will Jacks 20, Naveen-ul-Haq 2-11).

 

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Deccan Gladiators are the champions of the 2021 edition of the Abu Dhabi T10 League

 

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Deccan Gladiators crowned champions of Abu Dhabi T10 Season 5

~ Deccan Gladiators defeat Delhi Bulls by 56 runs ~

Saturday 04 December: Deccan Gladiators clinched their first-ever Abu Dhabi T10 title after defeating Delhi Bulls by 56 runs on Saturday. After the opening batters Andre Russell and Tom Kohler-Cadmore put up a huge total of 159/0 on the board for Deccan Gladiators, the Delhi Bulls couldn't find the momentum during their chase and eventually fell short by 56 runs.

Chandrapaul Hemraj tried to get things going for the Bulls, as he smacked Russell for two boundaries and a six in the fifth over, however, he kept losing partners at the other end. Hemraj played a breezy innings of 42 runs off 20 balls, but his stay at the crease ended when he was dismissed by Wanindu Hasaranga in the sixth over. Post Hemraj's departure, the Deccan Gladiators kept putting pressure on their opponents and eventually walked off the field as champions. Odean Smith, Wanindu Hasaranga and Tymal Mills picked up 2 wickets each in the match.

Earlier, Andre Russell and Tom Kohler-Cadmore recorded the highest partnership in the history of Abu Dhabi T10. The opening batters strung an explosive partnership of 159/0 in 10 overs. Andre Russell played a scintillating innings of 90 runs from 32 balls, laced with 9 fours and 7 sixes and he was ably supported by Tom Kohler-Cadmore, who smashed 59 runs from 28 balls. Kohler-Cadmore hit 3 fours and 5 sixes during his innings.

Russell took on Dominic Drakes, smacking him for two sixes in the third over and then he struck two boundaries and a six off Dwayne Bravo's bowling in the fifth over. The West Indian also smashed Romario Shepherd for two boundaries and a six in the eighth over. Kohler-Cadmore also upped the ante in the last over, hitting a six and a four off Bravo's bowling, helping the Gladiators post an imposing total.

Delhi Bulls' Shiraz Ahmed, who took 6 wickets in the tournament, won the UAE Player of the Tournament award. Dominic Drakes won the Bowler of the Tournament award. The Delhi Bulls speedster picked up 19 wickets in the Abu Dhabi T10. Rahmanullah Gurbaz bagged the Batter of the Tournament award. The Delhi Bulls batter scored 343 runs in the tournament. Wanindu Hasaranga was adjudged the Player of the Tournament. The Deccan Gladiators leg-spinner was also the highest wicket-taker with 21 wickets.

Brief scores: Deccan Gladiators 159/0 (Andre Russell 90*, Tom Kohler-Cadmore 59*, Fazalhaq Farooqi 0-25) beat Delhi Bulls 103/7 (Chandrapaul Hemraj 42, Adil Rashid 15*, Wanindu Hasaranga 2-20) by 56 runs.

 

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Deccan Gladiators Head Coach Mushtaq Ahmed said that they always believed that this team can win the Abu Dhabi T10 title. Deccan Gladiators defeated Delhi Bulls by 56 runs on Saturday to win their maiden title in the Abu Dhabi T10 League.

“We always believed that we can win! The self-belief helped us to go out there and express ourselves and play a fearless brand of cricket which was visible in all our performances all through the tournament. I couldn't have asked for a more professional approach from this bunch which executed everything the way we planned,” said the coach after his boys put up a thoroughly professional show and stamp their authority in the shortest version of the game.

Put into bat, Gladiators rode on Andre Russell (90 runs, 32 balls, 9x4, 7x6) and Tom Kohler-Cadmore’s (59 runs, 28 balls, 3x4, 5x6) record breaking opening stand to post 159 for no wicket at the end of their stipulated overs. Chandrapaul Hemraj kept the Bulls in the game with a quickfire 42 off 20 deliveries but Odean Smith, Wanindu Hasaranga and Tymal Mills picked up two wickets each to restrict the Delhi team to 103 for the loss of seven wickets.

Skipper Wahab Riaz congratulated the team on the remarkable title triumph and said: In this tournament, we showed tremendous fighting spirit, and took the game away from our opposition by some incredibly dominating performance in every aspect of the game. Not just in one game, but we maintained that in almost every game all through the tournament. We also backed each other to succeed and it helped us bond as a team, and in fast-paced high pressure games like this, it is important that you have each other’s back all the time.”

Deccan Gladiators team owner Mr Gaurav Grover added: “We came close once before, but this time we couldn’t miss it. I owe this win to complete team work of each and everyone associated with the team. The hard work that the boys have put in and the dedication and determination that each one has displayed during this campaign is highly commendable. I also thank the fans for supporting us and believing in us and I owe this win to the millions of Deccan Gladiators fans out there. Keep showing your support to us like this, and we will be able to create many such memorable moments in the future.