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.

Akeal Hosein's sensational 5 for 6 in two overs dismantled Samp Army as New York Strikers posted a 41-run win in Qualifier 1 to storm into the Abu Dhabi T10 final at the Zayed Cricket Stadium on Friday.

Defending 121, the Strikers' left-arm spinner picked up a hat-trick in the first over of the innings, dismissing Andries Gous, Dewald Brevis and Ibrahim Zadran, to leave Samp Army reeling at 1 for 3.

In his second over, he removed the opposition captain Faf du Plessis and Najibullah Zadran in space of three balls to further rattle Samp Army.

Jason Holder's 22 of 11 and Qais Ahmad's unbeaten 31 off 13 at No.10 meant Samp Army huffed and puffed to 80 for 9.

Earlier, opener Rahmanullah Gurbaz's blazing 56 off 28 set the tone for Strikers to post a competitive 121 for 5. His knock included four fours and five sixes.

In the end, Asif Ali smashed three fours in his unbeaten seven-ball knock of 17 to further lift Strikers.

Samp Army will have a second chance to make the final when they play the winner of the Eliminator between Bangla Tigers and Deccan Gladiators in Qualifier 2 later today.

At the time of publishing, the Tigers were 78-4 off seven overs batting first.

The Barbados Royals defeated the St Kitts & Nevis Patriots in their 2023 Republic Bank Caribbean Premier League (CPL) match at Warner Park, St Kitts.

The Royals won the toss and opted to field first and despite seemingly having the Patriots innings under their control, the home side rallied with late order batting to set a mammoth total of 197-7. In reply, the Royals saw Rahkeem Cornwall and Kyle Mayers lay the foundation in the PowerPlay before Captain Rovman Powell saw his side home with the fastest 50 in the Republic Bank CPL this season.

His destructive innings saw the Royals complete the second highest run chase in Republic Bank CPL history.

The Patriots got their innings off to a lightning start led by Andre Fletcher’s sparkling stroke play, the Spiceman’s (Andre Fletcher) 360 cricket allowing the Patriots to reach 56 at the end of the PowerPlay but they lost two wickets in the process.

Rahkeem Cornwall induced a mis-timed stroke from Evin Lewis, the opener sweeping only as far as Kyle Mayers for 8 before Joshua Da Silva was run out for five chasing a quick second run.

Outside of the PowerPlay, the Patriots run scoring slowed significantly, Andre Fletcher and Sherfane Rutherford only putting on 39 runs from 34 balls before Nyeem Young dismissed Rutherford caught and bowled for 28.

Fletcher followed shortly afterwards having just got to his 50, Qais Ahmad trapping him lbw. That was only the beginning of Ahmad’s work as he cleaned up Jyd Goolie to leave the Patriots teetering at 111-5.

Powerful late order hitting from Corbin Bosch (38) and Dominic Drakes (20) ensured the Patriots ended with momentum on their side, with a stiff target of 198 for the Royals to chase.

If the Royals were going to chase the total they would need a fast start and they got that and then some with Rahkeem Cornwall smashing 38 from 15 balls to give the reply the impetus it needed.

Having reached 74 at the end of the PowerPlay the Royals were well ahead of the game but Kyle Mayers fell shortly after that to open the door for the Patriots.

The Patriots couldn’t apply further wicket taking pressure but even so with the Royals poised at 150-3 with five overs to go, the match seemed set for a tight finish.

However, captain Rovman Powell saw his side home with a destructive 67 from 29 balls to guide the Royals home with nine balls to spare.

Scores: Barbados Royals 200-4 (Powell 67*, Cornwall 38; Drakes 2-37, Bosch 1-28) beat St Kitts & Nevis Patriots 197-6 (Fletcher 51, Bosch 38*; Ahmad 2-16, Young 2-54) by 6 wickets

Man of the Match Andre Russell came to the rescue of the Melbourne Stars when he scored 42 from just 21 balls to spur his side to a six-wicket victory over the Sydney Thunder in the Big Bash League on Sunday.