Gladiators dominate Bulls to seal Abu Dhabi T10 crown

Deccan Gladiators stamped their dominance over Delhi Bulls to clinch the Abu Dhabi T10 title at the Zayed Cricket Stadium yesterday.

Deccan outclassed Delhi for the fourth time in the competition, twice when they met in the league round and again in Friday’s play-off, before rounding off with the biggest win by 56 runs.

Fazalhaq Farooqi and Romario Shepherd gave away and 10 and nine runs in their first overs in what proved to be a sedate start for the Gladiators. Even with two big shots in each over on an average, the opening pair of Andre Russell and Tom Kohler-Cadmore took them to 68 for no loss at the halfway mark.

Russell reached his half century off 18 balls when he cut Drakes’ first delivery of his second spell to the backward point fence.

The hundred came in 40 balls, as Kohler-Cadmore lofted Farooqi straight over the fence for a six.

Russell thumped seven sixes and nine fours in a 32-ball 90 and Kohler-Cadmore struck five sixes and three fours in a 28-ball 59 to guide the Gladiators to a tournament-leading 159 for no loss. At that point it appeared the Gladiators had batted the Bulls out of the final. And so it proved.

Rahmanullah Gurbaz and Chandrapaul Hemraj gave a brief scare though when they got the Bulls out of the blocks, scoring 23 from seven balls.

Gurbaz pulled Odean Smith straight to Najibullah Zadran at backward square leg and Sherfane Rutherford top edged the next for the bowler to run across to take the catch, leaving Delhi on 24-2.

Wanindu Hasaranga grabbed the wickets of Eoin Morgan (13) and Hemraj (42) and the tail folded soon with Russell picking up a wicket, too, that of Shepherd.

Adil Rashid, who claimed a hat-trick on Thursday, struck a nine-ball 15, but Delhi ran out of overs.

The play-off match between Bangla Tigers and Team Abu Dhabi ended in a tie but the latter took third spot having finished above their opponents in the league table.

The Tigers required seven to win from the last over from Naveen ul Haq but Will Smeed and Qais Ahmed could muster only six as the two teams finished on 98-5.