The defending champions Northern Warriors put up a commanding performance against Team Abu Dhabi on matchday 9 of the Abu Dhabi T10, chasing down a monumental total of 145 runs without losing any wickets.
The Warriors’ openers Kennar Lewis and Moeen Ali wreaked havoc on the home team’s bowling unit, cracking 15 sixes and seven fours, to reach 146 runs – the joint-highest team total of the season.
The two other matches of the triple-header Saturday also ended in the favour of chasing teams as Bangla Tigers and Deccan Gladiators cruised to easy wins and climbed to the top two positions on the points table.
Let’s glance through all the action from matchday 9.
Openers get job done for Warriors against Team Abu Dhabi | Full scorecard
Defending champions Northern Warriors cruised to a dominating victory over Team Abu Dhabi, winning the high-scoring contest by 10 wickets and five balls remaining.
The Warriors’ openers Kennar Lewis and Moeen Ali chased down the daunting target of 145 without breaking a sweat.
The two took turns to decimate the Abu Dhabi bowlers and registered brisk fifties as Moeen Ali slammed 77 in 23 balls, bludgeoning nine towering sixes and three fours in the process, while Kennar Lewis hit a 32-ball 65 to close the game with ease.
This was the Warriors’ second win this season.
Earlier, Paul Stirling came out swinging for the home team, slamming three sixes and a four in the first over to take 26 runs off it.
After Stirling’s departure in the third over, captain Liam Livingstone and Colin Ingram took over the hitting duties.
South Africa’s Colin Ingram scored 61 in just 25 deliveries, hitting five sixes and five fours, to take the team to 145/6, which proved to be insufficient.
Brief Scores: Team Abu Dhabi 145/6 (Colin Ingram 61, Rayad Emrit 2/21) lost to Northern Warriors 146/0 (Moeen Ali 77, Jamie Overton 1/0) by 10 wickets
Bangla Tigers mount more misery on Chennai Braves | Full scorecard
The Bangla Tigers registered their fifth win on the trot and continued their climb up the table. The Faf du Plessis-led side made short work of the winless Chennai Braves total, chasing 89 runs in less than six overs.
Bowling first, the Bangla Tigers did well to contain the Chennai attack, with Luke Wood, Karim Janat and Benny Howell conceding no more than seven per over.
Mohammad Shahzad was the only Chennai batter to cross the 30-run mark. His 17-ball 32 helped The Chennai Braves reach 89/4 in 10 overs.
Post the break, the Bangla Tigers had a sluggish start to their chase, getting only seven runs in the first over. However, openers Hazratullah Zazai and Johnson Charles quickly switched gears and pounded 64 runs in the next three overs.
The second over from former Indian pacer Munaf Patel gave away 22 runs while the third and fourth fetched 23 and 19, respectively.
The Bangla Tigers kept the scoring rate high and reached the target comfortably in 5.5 overs and nine wickets in hand.
Hazratullah Zazai was the top scorer with an unbeaten 46 off 16.
Brief scores: The Chennai Braves 89/4 (Mohammad Shahzad 32, Luke Fletcher 2/17) lost to Bangla Tigers 95/1 (Hazratullah Zazai 46, Roman Walker 1/11) by nine wickets
Bulls no match to Gladiators’ all-round prowess | Full scorecard
Deccan Gladiators moved to the top of the points table after winning their fifth match of the season, defeating a struggling Delhi Bulls.
The Gladiators, led by Wahab Riaz, picked a convincing eight-wicket win over the Bulls, chasing 95 runs in just over six overs.
Opener Tom Banton starred for the Gladiators with a 46 not out from 18 balls, laced with two sixes and seven fours and was supported by Najibullah Zadran, who struck four sixes and two boundaries in his lightning-fast knock of 35 from 11.
Apart from the first over, the Deccan Gladiators scored more than 12 runs in every over, even plundering 25 in the fifth and reached the target in 6.1 overs.
Earlier, the Delhi Bulls also looked poised to cross the 100-run mark at one stage but the fall of the well-set Dominic Drakes, followed by two more wickets by leg break bowler Wanindu Hasaranga in the fifth over, put the brakes on the Bulls’ scoring rate.
Englishman Tymal Mills picked up two more wickets in the eighth over to leave the Bulls reeling at 63/6.
Romario Shepherd, however, steadied the Bulls’ innings with an unbeaten 26 from 10, helping them reach 94/6 in 60 balls.
Brief scores: Delhi Bulls 94/6 (Romario Shepherd 26, Tymal Mills 2/10) lost to Deccan Gladiators 98/2 (Tom Banton 46, Akeal Hosein 1/18) by eight wickets
