Abu Dhabi T10: Delhi Bulls to meet Deccan Gladiators in final

Abu Dhabi - Team Abu Dhabi will face Bangla Tigers in the third place play-off

Delhi Bulls will square off against the Deccan Gladiators in the final of the Abu Dhabi T10 League on Saturday night.

In the knockout phase of the League held at the Zayed Cricket Stadium on Friday, West Indian left-arm pacer Dominic Drakes snared four wickets as the Delhi Bulls got the better of Team Abu Dhabi by 49 runs in Qualifier 2. Earlier, in Qualifier 1, the Delhi Bulls had gone down to the Deccan Gladiators by 17 runs. Meanwhile, Team Abu Dhabi had come through the Eliminator by defeating Bangla Tigers by seven wickets. Team Abu Dhabi will now take on Bangla Tigers in the play-off for the third place.

After the Delhi Bulls recorded a total of 109-7 in their 10 overs, Team Abu Dhabi were bowled out for 60 in 8.3 overs. Drakes was the pick of the bowlers with figures of 4-13.

Philip Salt and Paul Stirling began Team Abu Dhabi’s innings in typical fashion, gathering 23 runs off the first over. Salt struck two boundaries and a six off the first three deliveries and Stirling smacked consecutive boundaries off Chandrapaul Hemraj’s bowling.

However, Dominic Drakes brought the Delhi Bulls back into the match by taking the wickets of Philip Salt and captain Liam Livingstone in the second over.

Fazalhaq Farooqi made matters worse for Team Abu Dhabi when he dismissed Stirling in the fourth over, leaving Team Abu Dhabi at 39-3. Romario Shepherd completely tilted the match in favour of Delhi Bulls when he removed Chris Gayle for 14 runs from 11 balls and Danny Briggs for nought in consecutive deliveries in the fifth over. Team Abu Dhabi were reduced to 44-6. Thereafter, Team Abu Dhabi kept losing wickets at regular intervals and eventually folded for 60.

Earlier, Sheldon Cottrell got Team Abu Dhabi off to a great start by bowling out Rahmanullah Gurbaz on the first delivery of Delhi Bulls’ innings. Sherfane Rutherford tried to gain momentum for the Bulls as he struck a four and a six in the second over.

> Brief scores:

> Qualifier 1:

Deccan Gladiators: 139-4 (Andre Russell 39, David Wiese 31, Dominic Drakes 3-15) beat Delhi Bulls: 122-5 (Eoin Morgan 27, Chandrapaul Hemraj 24, Andre Russell 2-27) by 17 runs.

MOM: Odean Smith (Deccan Gladiators).

> Eliminator:

Team Abu Dhabi: 105-3 (Paul Stirling 57, Philip Salt 24, Benny Howell 2-22) beat Bangla Tigers: 101-4 (Hazratullah Zazai 66 not out, Benny Howell 14 not out, Fidel Edwards 2-20) by 7 wickets.

MOM: Paul Stirling (Team Abu Dhabi).

> Qualifier 2:

Delhi Bulls: 109-7 (Romario Shepherd 26, Sherfane Rutherford 19, Adil Rashid 13 not out, Dominic Drakes 12) beat Team Abu Dhabi: 60 (Phil Salt 15, Chris Gayle 14, Dominic Drakes 4-13, Fazalhaq Farooqi 3-5, Romario Shepherd 2-3) by 49 runs.

MOM: Dominic Drakes (Delhi Bulls).

Friday's fixtures

> Third place play-off: Bangla Tigers vs Team Abu Dhabi, 6 pm

> Final: Deccan gladiators vs Delhi Bulls, 8 pm