Abu Dhabi T10 League 2021-22: Day 1- Round-up

The opening day of the Abu Dhabi T10 League 2021 saw a couple of comprehensive wins with Delhi Bulls and Team Abu Dhabi getting off to winning starts. While the Bulls defeated Northern Warriors by six wickets, the second game of the evening saw the Abu Dhabi-based side thrashing Bangla Tigers by 40 runs to add two crucial points to their tally.

Speaking of the proceedings of the opening clash, Delhi Bulls won the toss and elected to field first at the Sheikh Zayed Stadium in Abu Dhabi. Moeen Ali and Rovman Powell played quickfire knocks as the Northern Warriors posted a challenging 107/4 in their allotted 10 overs. Bulls’ chase didn’t start off nicely with opener Rilee Rossouw getting out for six.

However, Rahmanullah Gurbaz’s blitzes at the top made up for Rossouw’s early departure. He did get out in the very second over but not before scoring 30 off 10 balls. The baton was passed onto Mohammad Hafeez and Sherfane Rutherford, who embraced the challenge with immense magnificence. Romario Shepherd smashed a couple of crucial boundaries in the penultimate over as the Bulls crossed the line with six balls to spare.

Speaking of the second game of the night, Bangla Tigers opted to bowl after the coin landed in their favour. However, the Abu Dhabi-led side batted brilliantly as Tigers’ decision seemed costly. While Paul Stirling smashed a quick-fire half-century at the top, the evergreen Chris Gayle unleashed his vintage mode and racked up a 23-ball 49.

From James Faulkner to Qais Ahmed, most of the Bangla bowlers were tacked to cleaners as Team Abu Dhabi posted a mammoth 145/4 in their allotted 10 overs. Tigers’ chase didn’t start off steadily with big guns like Faf du Plessis and Johnson Charles fell cheaply.

While Andre Fletcher and Hazratullah Zazai tried putting up a fight, there efforts never really put the Tigers in the hunt. As a result, the Abu Dhabi side walked away with a 40-run win.

Brief Scores

Northern Warriors vs Delhi Bulls

Northern Warriors: 107/4 (Rovman Powell 38, Shiraz Ahmed 1/16)

Delhi Bulls: 110/4 (Mohammad Hafeez 31, Abhimanyu Mithun 1/16)

Team Abu Dhabi vs Bangla Tigers

Team Abu Dhabi: 145/3 (Paul Stirling 59, Isuru Udana 1/14)

Bangla Tigers: 105/8 (Andre Fletcher 24, Marchant de Lange 5/23)