Team Abu Dhabi lost their first match of the season, going down to Bangla Tigers, even as Chris Gayle scored a quickfire half-century.
The Universe Boss slammed an unbeaten 52, comprising five sixes and three fours, but an impressive bowling effort from Benny Howell and James Faulkner ensured the season’s fourth win for the Bangla Tigers.
Later, the Deccan Gladiators trounced The Chennai Braves by 5 wickets to move second on the points table.
Here’s how matchday 8 unfolded.
Bangla Tigers snap Team Abu Dhabi’s winning run | Full scorecard
Team Abu Dhabi suffered their first loss of the season as Bangla Tigers registered a 10-run win in a high scoring encounter.
Batting first, Bangla Tigers lost opener Johnson Charles on the second ball of the match. However, Hazratullah Zazai (41 off 20 balls) and Will Jacks (43 off 17 balls) strung together a 63-run partnership off 27 balls to resurrect the Tigers innings. Will Jacks played the aggressor as he took on Liam Livingstone for 19 runs in the third over.
Team Abu Dhabi managed to stem the flow of runs after Naveen-ul-Haq dismissed Jacks in the fifth over. However, a late onslaught by captain Faf du Plessis (22 off 8 balls) helped Bangla Tigers post 130 runs on the board.
In reply, Team Abu Dhabi lost two quick wickets for 23 runs in the third over as James Faulker dismissed openers Paul Stirling and Colin Ingram in consecutive deliveries. Although Liam Livingstone (20 off 6 balls) took apart Luke Wood for 19 runs in the fourth over, his stay at the crease was short-lived.
With the home team needing 69 off 30 balls, the Bangla Tigers introduced Benny Howell, which changed the course of the match completely. The Englishman returned with bowling figures of 2/13 in his two overs to make the chase tougher for Team Abu Dhabi.
Chris Gayle’s 52* off 23 provided the innings with some much-needed impetus but regular wickets at the other end meant the required run-rate kept mounting and Team Abu Dhabi eventually succumbed to a 10 run loss.
Brief scores: Bangla Tigers 130/5 (Will Jacks 43, Ahmed Daniyal 1/20) beat Team Abu Dhabi 120/7 (Chris Gayle 52, Benny Howell 2/13)
Deccan Gladiators pile misery on Chennai Braves | Full scorecard
In the second match of the evening, Deccan Gladiators registered a 5 wicket win over The Chennai Braves to move to the second spot in the standings.
Opting to bowl first, Gladiators were off to a perfect start as Ruman Raees dismissed the in-form Bhanuka Rajapaksa for 18 in the second over of the match.
Wanindu Hasaranga then spun a web around The Chennai Braves batting lineup as the leg-spinner ended with bowling figures of 3/9 in his two overs to leave them reeling at 40/5 in the sixth over. Thereafter, the Braves’ batting unit failed to provide any resistance as they were eventually bundled out for 57 runs on the final ball of the innings.
In reply, Deccan Gladiators were reduced to 19/3 after Mark Deyal’s twin strikes in the second over of the chase. Angelo Perera then dismissed hard-hitter Odean Smith in the very next over to leave the Gladiators struggling at 20/4.
However, Tom Banton (19 off 15 balls) and David Wiese’s (20* off 9 balls) crucial 24-run partnership took the Gladiators closer to the finish line.
Angelo Perera came back and dismissed Banton in the fifth over but with 14 needed off 30 balls, the game had already drifted away from The Chennai Braves who eventually lost their sixth straight game of the season.
Brief scores: The Chennai Braves 57/10 (Bhanuka Rajapaksa 18, Wanindu Hasaranga 3/9) lost to Deccan Gladiators 60/5 (David Wiese 20, Mark Deyal 2/12)
Source: T10 Sports