Deccan Gladiators, a team full of match-winners

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The Deccan Gladiators, after faltering in the last step in the previous edition, have made all the right choices in The Abu Dhabi T10 draft to ensure they can go all the way this season.

After losing the finals to the Maratha Arabians last time, team owner Gaurav Grover has ensured a stronger Deccan Gladiators team takes the field in the new season. With a perfect blend of overseas talent and local heroes, it has made them one of the favourites to lift the title this time around.

Here, we take a look at what makes the team a top title contender in the upcoming 2020 ADT10.

Global superstars

The Deccan Gladiators squad is filled to the brim with stars that rule cricket leagues around the world.

Sunil Narine, their Icon Player for this season, is amongst the greatest all-rounders of shorter formats. His mastery over both bat and ball has won him laurels across the world.

Fellow West Indian Kieron Pollard, who has carved a reputation of being a destructive hitter and a stellar fielder, has been retained by the squad and is entrusted with the responsibility of guiding the youngsters of the team.

Globetrotting T20 specialist Cameron Delport, who has played in England, South Africa, Australia, West Indies, India, and Pakistan, will bolster their top order, while Imran Tahir strengthens their bowling unit.

The team owner has shown full confidence in the squad and their ability to get the title this time.

“Having these kind of names in the squad, we are confident of playing well and winning the tournament this season,” team owner Gaurav Kapoor said confidently.

Strong top order

The importance of top-order batsmen in the T10 format cannot be emphasised enough. They are the ones who go all out from the first ball and lay the foundation for others to build on. It’s crucial for a team to have a strong batting lineup at the start that can take full advantage of the powerplay overs.

And the Deccan Gladiators have done a perfect job in assembling one of the most destructive top orders of 2020 ADT10.

Colin Ingram, Sunil Narine, Cameron Delport are specialists when it comes to swinging hard from the word go. Sunil Narine’s exploits at the top for the Kolkata Knight Riders are well documented, while Colin Ingram has also made his mark as a strong top-order batter for the English side Glamorgan. South African Cameron Delport is also a seasoned batsman, who opens for Essex and has over 5,500 runs and five centuries in T20s.

Pacers galore

The Deccan Gladiators boast a number of intimidating fast bowlers in their ranks that can leave the opposition unsettled.

Aaron Summers, who recently became the first overseas cricketer to play domestic cricket in Pakistan, packs a strong punch with his explosive pace. Summers will likely open the bowling with West Indian pacer Ravi Rampaul, who featured in the Caribbean squad that won the T20 World Cup in 2012. Rampaul has the ability to swing the ball early on, which often results in wickets.

The Deccan Gladiators retained UAE bowler Zahoor Khan, who picked a three-fer in his last international match against Ireland earlier this month and played an integral part in the team’s campaign last time.

Overall, the Deccan Gladiators have everything going their way, and with the squad they possess, they can avenge the finals defeat from last season and take home the title this time.

Deccan Gladiators squad for The Abu Dhabi T10

Sunil Narine, Kieron Pollard, Colin Ingram, Aaron Summers, Azam Khan, Ravi Rampaul, Cameron Delport, Mohammad Shazad, Prasanth Gupta, Zahoor Khan, Hafeez ur Rehman, Yasir Kaleem, Zeeshan Zameer, Hamdan Tahir, Imtiyaz Ahamad, Imran Tahir

Deccan Gladiators fixtures and schedule for The Abu Dhabi T10

28 January, Thursday: Pune Devils vs Deccan Gladiators

29 January, Saturday: Deccan Gladiators vs Team Abu Dhabi

31 January, Sunday: Qalandars vs Deccan Gladiators

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