T10 league wrap up, Qalandars on Second Position

The Third edition of T10 league, the shortest format in cricket, is underway in United Arab Emirates’ (UAE) capital Abu Dhabi. Qalandars are representing Pakistan in the tournament.

According to the table, Qalandars, allocated in group B, have played three matches, of which they have won one, lost one and another tied.

With three points, Qalandars are in the second position in group B.

On the other hand, Australia’s Chris Lynn smashed the highest score in T10 League history as Maratha Arabians went top of Group B on Monday in Abu Dhabi.

The final match of the night also saw a thrilling tie in a Group A encounter.

Deccan Gladiators vs Karnataka Tuskers

Kieron Pollard and Bhanuka Rajapaksa’s late blitz helped the Deccan Gladiators defeat Karnataka Tuskers by five wickets at the Sheikh Zayed Stadium in Abu Dhabi on Monday.

The Gladiators won the toss and opted to field, and the Tuskers’ opening pair of Johnson Charles and Evin Lewis started positively. They put together 42 runs in 22 balls before Lewis was bowled by Afghanistan’s left-arm chinaman bowler Zahir Khan. Hashim Amla walked in and kept the scoreboard ticking, scoring an unbeaten 32 off 19 balls.

Bowling the final over, Zahoor Khan gave away just nine runs to restrict the Tuskers to 110.

The Gladiators had a poor start to the run chase, losing four wickets for just 37 runs. Kieron Pollard (45 not out) and Bhanuka Rajapaksa (27) made the sixth and seventh overs productive to turn the match on its head. Pollard scored 30 runs off Sandeep Lamichhane while Ahmed Raza gave away 25 runs in the following over.

Pollard stayed till the end to guide the team to its second win of the tournament, with nine balls to spare.

Team Abu Dhabi vs Maratha Arabians

Aided by Lynn’s unbeaten 30-ball 91, Maratha Arabians registered its second win in three games at the T10 League in Abu Dhabi.

Team Abu Dhabi won the toss and opted to field. Riding on Lynn’s innings, the Arabians lost just two wickets and piled on 138. Lynn now holds the record for the highest T10 score breaking Alex Hales’s record of 87 not out from last season. Coincidentally, his innings come just days after being released by the Kolkata Knight Riders.

Abu Dhabi faltered in its chase, losing wickets at regular intervals. The 43-run second-wicket stand between Luke Wright (40) and Moeen Ali (31 not out) kept it in the hunt but the latter’s dismissal shifted the momentum.

Lasith Malinga and Dwayne Bravo kept things tight in the final overs with Mitchell McClenaghan excelling with the new ball again. Wright and Lewis Gregory could only add 45 runs in 28 balls as Abu Dhabi fell 25 runs short of its target.

Bangla Tigers vs Delhi Bulls

Bangla Tigers and Delhi Bulls were involved in a thrilling last-ball finish with the two teams tied on 108 at the end of their respective 10 overs.

Having won the toss and elected to bat first, Bangla Tigers posted 108 for seven, with South African Rilee Rossouw top-scoring with 16-ball 27. For Delhi Bulls, Mohammad Nabi, Ravi Rampaul and Ali Khan took two wickets each.

Then, chasing 109, Sri Lanka’s Kusal Perera gave the Bulls a solid start – scoring 43 off 18 balls with eight fours and a six. Despite losing wickets at regular intervals, Sherfane Rutherford, Angelo Mathews, and Eoin Morgan kept their team in the hunt.

The equation came down to four runs required off two balls when Mathews was run out while trying to complete the second run. With three runs required off the last ball, Morgan, who had gotten back on strike, only managed to score two runs of South African David Wiese.