Deccan Gladiators' hopes of a hat-trick of Abu Dhabi T10 titles were dashed by New York Strikers, who put in a fantastic bowling display led by Sunil Narine in the final to romp home by seven wickets with four balls in hand on Saturday.

Big scores had gone down as the tournament wore on, but Gladiators' 91 for 5 after being sent in appeared insufficient for the big occasion. It proved to be exactly that, despite Strikers being 7 for 2 in 1.1 overs, with openers Muhammad Waseem and Rahmanullah Gurbaz dismissed cheaply.

Niroshan Dickwella and Asif Ali, the Player of the Match, put the innings back on track, before Dickwella was sent back by Andre Russell for a 12-ball 14. From there on, it was all about Asif and captain Kieron Pollard, who put up 56 runs together without much scoreboard pressure to weigh them down.

Asif scored 48 not out in 25 balls with two fours and four sixes, and Pollard chipped in with 22 not out in 13, with a four and six, as Strikers won the title.

The win was set up by the bowlers, though. Gladiators had a decent opening stand of 28 with Tom Kohler-Cadmore and Nicholas Pooran, the No. 1 and No. 3 on the tournament run-scorers' list, but Narine broke through in the third over with Kohler-Cadmore's wicket for a seven-ball 13. Pooran fell to George Scrimshaw two balls later, and Gladiators were suddenly 28 for 2, which became 36 for 3, 41 for 4, and 57 for 5 after 7.1 overs, with Narine returning 2 for 6 from his two overs without conceding a single boundary.

Russell, who finished with an unbeaten 30 from 18 balls with two fours and two sixes, and David Wiese, 20 not out from 11, with a four and two sixes, completed the innings with some momentum, but it was too few for Gladiators to defend on the night.

In a performance worthy of a defending champion, Nicholas Pooran's Deccan Gladiators secured their spot in the final of the 2023 Abu Dhabi T10 after defeating Samp Army by 28 runs in Eliminator 2 on Friday. The victory sets the stage for a highly anticipated rematch with the New York Strikers, echoing the showdown that captivated fans in the 2022 final.

Just an hour after Pooran's remarkable innings of 70 from 25 balls in the Gladiators' previous 10-wicket triumph over the Bangla Tigers, the explosive batsman showcased his prowess once again. Pooran contributed a rapid 26 from nine balls before being dismissed, setting the foundation for Tom Kohler-Cadmore's unbeaten 36 and Imad Wasim's explosive 35 from 17 balls, propelling the Gladiators to a total of 117-5.

The Samp Army bowlers, led by Qais Ahmad and Salman Irshad, put up a commendable effort, with Ahmad dismissing Pooran and the dangerous Andre Fletcher in successive deliveries. Ahmad’s efforts resulted in figures of 2-11 while Irshad took and 2-24.

Jason Holder supported with 1-16.

However, the Gladiators' bowling unit proved even more formidable.

Pooran's strategic decision to deploy spinners upfront paid off immediately, as Imad Wasim and Fabien Allen secured the first two wickets for just 11 runs in the second over. Waqar Salamkheil then wreaked havoc in the Samp Army middle order, claiming remarkable figures of 3-6. Despite a quick-fire 31 from 14 balls by Karim Janat, who was eventually dismissed by Andre Russell, Samp Army found themselves at 64-5.

Needing 53 runs from the final 16 balls, Samp Army faced an insurmountable challenge, finishing on 89-6. The Gladiators' clinical performance paved the way for their advancement to the final, where they will once again lock horns with the New York Strikers in a battle for T10 supremacy on Saturday.

In a sensational display of power-hitting prowess, Nicholas Pooran led the Deccan Gladiators to a resounding 10-wicket triumph over the Bangla Tigers in a thrilling eliminator match of the Abu Dhabi T10 league on Friday.

Facing the formidable target of 112-6 set by the Tigers, courtesy of Gulbadin Naib's gritty 52, the Gladiators wasted no time in their pursuit. Pooran's explosive innings, a blitzkrieg of 70 runs from a mere 25 balls, propelled the Gladiators to an astonishing 114-0 in just 6.4 overs.

The Trinidadian dynamo, reaching his half-century in a mere 16 balls, fittingly sealed the victory by dispatching Dominic Drakes' delivery over short third man for his eighth four. Pooran's innings included an impressive five sixes, showcasing his dominance in the Gladiators' unbroken opening stand with Tom Kohler-Cadmore. Kohler-Cadmore contributed a notable 43 from 16 balls, embellished with four fours and three sixes.

Earlier in the match, Andre Russell emerged as a key figure for the Gladiators, taking two crucial wickets to stifle the Tigers' innings and limit them to a challenging total. Russell dismissed Tom Abell early on for a mere five runs, as the Tigers found themselves struggling at 20-3 in the third over. Despite a brief recovery led by Pathum Nissanka's 25, Russell struck again, removing Nissanka from the equation.

Gulbadin Naib, however, staged a commendable comeback for the Tigers with an unbeaten half-century (52 from 26 balls), guiding his team past the 100-run mark. Benny Howell chipped in with 11 from six balls to set a competitive target.

Russell concluded with impressive figures of 2-21, setting the stage for the Gladiators' dominant performance. The Gladiators' opening pair, once again, proved unstoppable, dismantling the Tigers' bowling attack and securing a convincing victory with a remarkable 20 balls to spare.

Deccan Gladiators, the defending champions, are set to face Samp Army in Eliminator 2 later on Friday.

Andre Fletcher showcased his explosive form, scoring an impressive 52 runs for the Deccan Gladiators on Wednesday. However, despite his heroic efforts, the Gladiators couldn't secure a victory, succumbing to Samp Army by six wickets in the Abu Dhabi T10 on Wednesday.

Samp Army, led by captain Moeen Ali, clinched their fifth consecutive win with a stellar performance in the chase of 116 runs set by the Gladiators. The Army faced an early setback, losing three wickets for just 21 runs in the fourth over. Nevertheless, the middle order displayed resilience, securing the win with six wickets in hand and four deliveries to spare.

Moeen Ali played a captain's knock, smashing an unbeaten 39 runs off just 15 balls. He formed crucial partnerships, first contributing 49 runs with Ibrahim Zadran in 19 deliveries for the fourth wicket and then adding 46 runs with Karim Janat in 17 balls.

Zadran and Janat also contributed significantly to the chase, scoring at a rapid pace.

Zadran hit 26 runs with a strike rate of 173, while Janat clubbed 27 runs at an impressive strike rate of 300. The win was set up by Samp Army's pace bowler Salman Irshad and legspinner Qais Ahmad. Irshad's quick strikes, removing Andre Russell and Imad Wasim in three deliveries, triggered a middle-order collapse for the Gladiators.

Despite the Gladiators losing wickets in quick succession, Andre Fletcher stood firm, smashing an unbeaten 52 runs in a 27-ball innings that included five sixes. Fabian Allen's quick cameo of 14 runs off six balls further boosted the Gladiators' total to 115, with some assistance from 15 extras.

In the end, Moeen Ali and his batting colleagues ensured a comfortable victory for Samp Army, highlighting their dominance in the tournament with a fifth consecutive win.

Deccan Gladiators raced to an impressive 10-wicket victory over Chennai Braves in the Abu Dhabi T10 on Sunday.

Propelled by some lusty hitting by Nicholas Pooran and Tom Kohler-Cadmore, who shared in an unbroken opening partnership of 85 in just 6.1 overs that took Deccan Gladiators past the 83-8 posted by the Chennai Braves.

Pooran began slowly but eventually got going smashing three sixes and three fours in his unbeaten knock of 35 off 19 balls. Kohler-Cadmore was even more ruthless clubbing five fours and three sixes in his score of 44 also from 19 balls to propel the Deccan Gladiators to their third win in five games and first after back-to-back losses.

Despite the powerful hitting from their batters, it was the bowling of Andre Russell, that earned him the Player of the Match award. Russell took 2-12 from his two overs dismissing openers Jason Roy for 15 and Kobe Herft for four.

Both batters were caught by Nuwan Thusara, who was also among the wickets with 2-26.

Stephen Eskinazi, who was the best of the was run out by Andre Fletcher for with 25 from 14 balls with three fours.

Richard Gleeson picked up three big wickets in one over, and later the Player-of-the-Match award, to set up a huge win for Delhi Bulls over Bangla Tigers in Abu Dhabi T10 League action at the Zayed Cricket Stadium on Saturday.

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.

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In a thrilling encounter at the Abu Dhabi T20 League on Thursday, the Bangla Tigers emerged victorious with a 20-run win over the Deccan Gladiators, despite notable performances from Fabian Allen and Nicholas Pooran.

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 Deccan Gladiators opened the seventh season of the Abu Dhabi T10 League with a 22-run win over the New York Strikers at the Zayed Cricket Stadium on Tuesday.

The Gladiators, champions of the last two editions of the tournament, posted 118-8 from their ten overs after being put in to bat by the Strikers.

Englishman Tom Kohler-Cadmore led the way for the Gladiators with 68 off 33 balls including four fours and six sixes while Andre Russell hit 17 off nine balls in support. Captain Nicholas Pooran (1), Andre Fletcher (2) and Fabian Allen (0) all failed to make significant contributions with the bat.

Sri Lankan Chamika Karunaratne took 3-25 from his two overs.

The Strikers were then reduced to 96-6 from their ten overs in reply.

Muhammad Waseem (26) and Asif Ali (24) were the main scorers for New York as Zahoor Khan bowled beautifully to finish with 2-12 from his two overs.

Nicholas Pooran has bounced back nicely from the disappointment of the 2022 ICC World Cup, leading Deccan Gladiators to the title following a 37-run victory over New York Strikers in the final of the Abu Dhabi T10 on Sunday.

In the day/night fixture, Captain Pooran scored a 23-ball 40 as Gladiators scored 128-4 from their 10 overs. Pooran’s incredible form with the bat continued in the final, hitting five fours and a six as he and David Weise put on 74 runs in 30 balls after the side reached 54-3 after five overs.

Akeal Hosein had the champions in early trouble after dismissing Suresh Raina and Tom Kohler-Cadmore for seven and 11, respectively, and Wahab Riaz dismissed Andre Russell for nine in the first five overs.

Weise was even more brutal on the New York Strikers smashing two fours and four sixes in his 43 runs that came from just 18 balls. Pollard dismissed Pooran off the last ball of the innings to finish with figures of 1-16 in the only over he bowled.

However, Hosein was the best of the bowlers with 2-16 from his two overs.

Chasing 129 for victory, New York Strikers slumped to 29-4 midway the fourth over and were never able to recover. They suffered another blow when Pollard was forced to retire hurt after scoring 23 from 15 balls.

Jordan Thompson remained unbeaten on 22 while Azam Kkan contributed 16 and was the only other batter in double figures as Strikers could only muster 91-5 from their allotment of overs.

Josh Little, who claimed the wickets of Mohammad Waseem for a duck and Rashid Khan for eight, had the remarkable figures of 2-4 from his two overs. Meanwhile, Mohammad Hasnain took 2-12.

Weise was named Player of the Match for his exciting cameo and taking two catches.

Pooran, who has had scores of 77*, 80, 34, 50 and 38 prior to Sunday's final, amassed 345 runs during the tournament and was named Player of the Series.

West Indies all-rounder Andre Russell smashed a 32-ball 63 to help the Deccan Gladiators beat the Morrisville Samp Army by eight wickets in Qualifier 2 and advance to the final of the Abu Dhabi T10 League in the UAE on Saturday.

The Samp Army posted 119-2 from their 10 overs after losing the toss. Captain Moeen Ali hit six fours and six sixes on his way to a top score of 78 not out off just 29 balls while South African David Miller ended not out on 16.

Russell, who opened the batting alongside Tom Kohler-Cadmore, then set the stage for a successful chase with seven fours and four sixes on his way to 63. Captain Nicholas Pooran then added the finishing touches with an unbeaten 38 off just 12 balls as the Gladiators reached 121-2 in 9.4 overs.

Earlier on Saturday, they defeated Team Abu Dhabi by five runs in the eliminator.

Their opponents in Sunday’s final will be Kieron Pollard’s New York Strikers who beat the Samp Army by four wickets in Qualifier 1.

Captain Nicholas Pooran and Tom Kohler-Cadmore combined to lead the Deccan Gladiators to a 10-wicket win over the Bangla Tigers in the Abu Dhabi T10 League at the Sheikh Zayed Stadium in Abu Dhabi on Wednesday.

The Tigers posted a respectable 108-7 from their 10 overs after winning the toss and batting first. Pakistani all-rounder Iftikhar Ahmed starred with a 21-ball 54 including three fours and five sixes against his countryman Mohammad Hasnain’s 2-12 from two overs and David Wiese’s 2-15, also from two overs.

Pooran ‘s Gladiators then absolutely sprinted to their target thanks to an unbeaten 109-run opening stand between himself and Englishman Tom Kohler-Cadmore.

The pair needed just 6.1 overs to reach their target as Pooran hammered an even 50, his third half-century so far, off just 16 balls including seven sixes. Kohler-Cadmore had the same score off 21 balls and hit five fours and four sixes.

The Gladiators now lead the eight-team table with eight points from six games.

Carlos Brathwaite produced another fine all-round effort to help the Chennai Braves get a six-wicket win over the Deccan Gladiators in the Abu Dhabi T10 League in the UAE on Tuesday.

The former West Indies T20 captain took 1-25 from his two overs with the ball to help restrict the Gladiators to 108-3 from their 10 overs after the Braves won the toss and bowled first. Englishmen Jason Roy (57) and Tom Kohler-Cadmore (40) top-scored for the Gladiators.

With the bat, Brathwaite hammered 27 from just seven balls, including four sixes from an Andre Russell over, to help propel the Braves to 109-4 from 9.3 overs.

Dan Lawrence (40) top-scored as the Braves got their second win of the season.

Andre Russell crowned himself 2021 Abu Dhabi T10 champion after he produced an electrifying Man-of-the-Match performance to lead the Deccan Gladiators to a 56-run win over the Delhi Bulls on Saturday.

Andre Russell and Odean Smith starred with both bat and ball as the Deccan Gladiators defeated Dwayne Bravos’s Delhi Bulls by 17 runs in the first qualifier of the Abu Dhabi T10 on Friday.