Abu Dhabi T10: Northern Warriors clinch title with easy win over Delhi Bulls

Dubai - The Warriors won their second T10 title

On an unforgettable night, the Northern Warriors put clear daylight between themselves and the rest, clinching an eight-wicket win over the Delhi Bulls to lift the Abu Dhabi T10 title on Saturday.

With the emphatic win, the Warriors had the perfect revenge against the Bulls, who had beaten them in Friday’s qualifier for their maiden final appearance in the tournament.

The Bulls’ hopes to lay their hands on the trophy went up in smoke as the Warriors, the most impressive team in the tournament, came up with a superlative performance to clinch their second T10 title – more than two years after winning their first under Daren Sammy.

The former West Indies captain is no longer part of the Warriors. And it was Nicholas Pooran, the explosive West Indian who announced his arrival on the big stage with some sparkling performances in 2018 T10 League at the iconic Sharjah Cricket Stadium, who led the Warriors to glory in Abu Dhabi on Saturday.

Having won the toss and elected to field, the Warriors restricted the Bulls to a modest score of 81 for nine.

In a team replete with exciting Caribbean talents, it was Maheesh Theekshana (3/14) and Dhananjaya Lakshan (2/14), the two rising Sri Lankans, that set the tone for the Warriors with their brilliant bowling displays.

While Theekshana got the big wickets of Evin Lewis, Ravi Bopara and Dwayne Bravo, Lakshan got the dangerous Mohammad Nabi (21, 10 balls) before getting the wicket of a tailender (Shiraz Ahmed).

After the bowlers had killed the match as a contest, the Warriors batters were in cruise control with West Indians Rovman Powell (16 not out) and Lendl Simmons (14 not out) guiding them home as local talent Waseem Muhammad (27 off 22 balls) impressed once again.

And captain Pooran couldn’t stop smiling after the team reached the finish line.

“After the first qualifier loss, I asked the boys to switch on and when the opportunity arises, someone needs to put his hands up. In bowling and batting, we saw that tonight exactly,” Pooran said.

Pooran then praised the head coach Robin Singh, who won his third title in the tournament, and team mentor Mohammad Azharuddin.

“The role of the support staff has been fantastic. We had Robin Singh, we had Mohammad Azharuddin, these two guys, they did a wonderful job in teaching us the game. A lot of guys were very interested in knowing what they have to say. They were exceptional,” Pooran added.

Northern Warriors 85 for two in 8.2 overs (Waseem Muhammad 27, Rovman Powell 16 not out, Lendl Simmons 14 not out, Nicholas Pooran 12; Fidel Edwards 1/18, Shiraz Ahmed 1/18)