Chasing the Tigers' formidable score of 143-4 in 10 overs, the Deccan Gladiators, led by Pooran, fell short, managing 123-3 in their allotted overs. The Tigers owed their match-winning total to an exceptional innings from Jordan Cox, who scored an unbeaten 90 runs from just 36 balls, featuring eight fours and six sixes.
Cox's explosive knock was particularly impressive as it steered the Tigers from a precarious position of 34-4 within the first four overs. Openers Chris Lynn, David Miller, and Daniel Sams failed to contribute to the scoreboard, but Cox, along with Dasun Shanaka (25 runs from 11 balls), shared an unbroken partnership of 110 runs, propelling their team to a challenging total.
Kusal Mendis chipped in with 19 runs, being the only other batter to score for the Tigers. Andre Russell, supported by Nuwan Thushara (2-22), took 1-5 in his one over, contributing to the Gladiators' bowling effort.
In pursuit of a challenging target, the Deccan Gladiators found themselves at 71-3 after 5.1 overs, with Pooran leading the charge, scoring 41 runs from just 17 balls, including three fours and four sixes. However, the usually explosive Andre Russell struggled, managing only 11 not out from 17 balls, hindering the Gladiators' chase.
Despite the efforts of Allen, who remained unbeaten with a score of 40, featuring five sixes and a four, the Gladiators fell short of the required run rate.
Haider Ali and Dominic Drakes played crucial roles in restricting the scoring, returning figures of 1-11 and 1-21, respectively. However, Daniel Sams proved expensive, conceding 35 runs in his two overs, although he managed to take two wickets.
The win was Bulls' third in a row, and placed them comfortably at the top of the table, at least for the time being.
Tigers were going fine at 28 for 2 after three overs, and with Jordan Cox, David Miller and Dasun Shanaka, among others, to follow, looked set to put up another big total after scoring 143 for 4 in their win over Dubai Gladiators on Thursday.
But Gleeson changed the script in the space of five balls in the fourth over, getting rid of Miller, Shanaka and Cox, in that order, to leave Tigers completely off-kilter at 29 for 5.
Between Daniel Sams (20 not out in 15 balls) and Carlos Brathwaite (21 in 17), Tigers did fight back to get to 81 for 7, but it was never going to be enough against Bulls' powerful batting line-up.
Quinton de Kock and Johnson Charles fell inside two overs, but James Vince (17 in nine), Rilee Rossouw (21* in 11) and captain Rovman Powell (37* in 11) made sure Bulls got to the target quickly - in just six overs.
For Tigers, it was a second loss in three games, and at the end of it, they were placed seventh on the eight-team table.
Earlier on Saturday, explosive 30s from captain Nicholas Pooran and Tom Kohler-Cadmore, followed by Andre Fletcher's 12-ball 41, set up a crushing win for Deccan Gladiators over Team Abu Dhabi.
Pooran dashed out of the blocks taking left-arm finger-spinner Roelof van der Merwe for two fours and two sixes in the first over. Rumman Raees then dealt a double-blow, removing both Pooran and Andre Russell off successive balls in the fourth over, but Kohler-Cadmore and Fletcher proceeded to re-establish Gladiators' dominance.
Six of the 12 balls that Fletcher faced were sent to the boundary, including five sixes. Fletcher, Fabian Allen and Kohler-Cadmore all fell in quick succession, but David Wiese provided the final flourish with 15 off six balls.
Abu Dhabi started their chase shakily, losing their top three inside five overs. Leus du Plooy (25), Colin Ingram (19) and captain Dwaine Pretorius (9), fought back to lend some respectability to the scorecard. Sri Lankan slinger Nuwan Thushara, who plays for Jaffna Kings in the LPL, was the pick of the bowlers for Gladiators, coming away with 2 for 5 in his two overs.
i
