And that brings us to the end of match number 27 here in Abu Dhabi T10 League. Until then, I am Dev Rajawat, signing off, along with my co-commentator Arijit Kundu and scorer Yogesh Kumar. That’s it from our side. Thanks for joining. But there is one more match scheduled in Abu Dhabi T10 today. Switch tabs, follow the fun. Goodbye from this tab! TAKE CARE! BREATHE AND SMILE! CIAO!
Player of the Match: Vishen Halambage
Power-hitter of the Match: Daniel Sams
Catch of the Match: George Scrimshaw
Game-changer of the Match: Liam Dawson
Time for the Post-Match Presentations...
9:12 PM IST, 7:42 PM LOCAL TIME: Royal Champs won this clash by 14 runs, defending 111 with grit and timing their moments perfectly. Quetta Qavalry fought hard, stayed in the chase till the very last over, and even had momentum at stages, but lacked one big explosive passage to turn hope into reality. One side finally executed. One side almost did. That’s the story of tonight.
So, how did Royal Champs reach 111/8? Not with a smooth start - definitely not. Jason Roy fell early, Sampson couldn't stretch his start, and at 15/3, they looked in serious trouble. But then came the rebuild. Vishen Halambage played the innings of the night with a rocket-fuelled 41 off just 19 balls, hammering five fours and two sixes. McMullen and Sams added short but impactful cameos, pushing boundaries when needed. Although they kept losing wickets and couldn’t finish strongly, 111 felt defendable, especially with the ball nipping around.
What about the bowling response from Quetta? They tried everything, and early on, it worked beautifully. Abdul Ghaffar was on song with a dreamy spell - two overs, two wickets, just six runs. Precision. Discipline. Control. Umer Lohya and Jason Holder chipped in with breakthroughs, while Scrimshaw recovered well after a poor start, finishing with three wickets and a brilliant final over. But that one costly over from Livingstone, where he leaked 22, shifted momentum and possibly the match. T10 gives small mistakes big consequences.
Chasing 112, did Quetta start well? Steady? Yes. Scary? No. Just five from the first over. Then came the second, and it exploded with 17 runs courtesy of Gous’ clean striking. The powerplay ended at 22/0 - decent but not quite threatening. Then came the wobble. Dawson struck twice in one over, removing Lewis and Irfan. Liam Livingstone arrived and instantly counterpunched with a boundary on his first ball, adding a mini spark to the chase.
Who really changed the momentum with the ball? Liam Dawson - absolutely. He bowled like a man with a plan and perfect control. Two wickets, just 15 runs, and all the pressure in the world. Halambage cleaned up Liam Livingston, while Chris Jordan sent Nafay back right after, tightening the screws. The Champs bowled smart - change of pace, wide yorkers, and no freebies. Every dot felt like a silent victory.
Did Quetta ever look like they could steal it late? Briefly, but never enough. At one stage, they required 50 off 18. Then 39 off 12. Gous kept fighting, kept timing, reached a fifty, and looked like the one man capable of turning nothing into something. But the surface slowed up, the ball refused to fly, and the boundaries dried. Azam Khan tried supporting him, but the momentum was gone. In T10, there’s no time to rebuild, just hit or get left behind.