Gleeson sets up huge win for Bulls; Raza stars in Braves' win

Sikandar Raza's 27 off 10 balls helped Chennai Braves chase 106 down as Northern Warriors went down by five wickets.

Having been put in, Warriors were off to a steady start, with opener Hazratullah Zazai scoring 54 off 32 balls. His partner Kennar Lewis, meanwhile, could not get going, as he made a 15-ball 13. Mohammad Nabi got the breakthrough for Braves, with a double strike in the eighth over, where he first dismissed Zazai and then sent James Neesham back. It was then Junaid Siddique's turn to strike as he removed Lewis. Adam Hose then scored a 10-ball 24 which gave Braves a target of 107.

In reply, Braves lost their openers Kobe Herft and Jason Roy for single-digit scores. Bhanuka Rajapaksa, too, was sent back for 7. Stephen Eskinazi scored a couple of boundaries and a six to lift Braves before he was pinned in front by Tabraiz Shamsi. With the required run rate going up, Raza and Charith Asalanka then combined for a 45-run stand to take Braves closer to the line. Raza took Angelo Mathews for 6, 4, 6, 6 to turn the game Braves' way. He was dismissed in the ninth over, but Asalanka made sure there were no further blemishes as Braves put up their second win of the season.

Richard Gleeson picked up three big wickets in one over, and later the Player-of-the-Match award, to set up a huge win for Delhi Bulls over Bangla Tigers on Saturday evening. The win was Bulls' third in a row, and placed them comfortably at the top of the table, at least for the time being.

Tigers were going fine at 28 for 2 after three overs, and with Jordan Cox, David Miller and Dasun Shanaka, among others, to follow, looked set to put up another big total after scoring 143 for 4 in their win over Dubai Gladiators on Thursday. But Gleeson changed the script in the space of five balls in the fourth over, getting rid of Miller, Shanaka and Cox, in that order, to leave Tigers completely off-kilter at 29 for 5.

Between Daniel Sams (20 not out in 15 balls) and Carlos Brathwaite (21 in 17), Tigers did fight back to get to 81 for 7, but it was never going to be enough against Bulls' powerful batting line-up.

Quinton de Kock and Johnson Charles fell inside two overs, but James Vince (17 in nine), Rilee Rossouw (21* in 11) and captain Rovman Powell (37* in 11) made sure Bulls got to the target quickly - in just six overs.

For Tigers, it was a second loss in three games, and at the end of it, they were placed seventh on the eight-team table.

Explosive 30s from captain Nicholas Pooran and Tom Kohler-Cadmore, followed by Andre Fletcher's 12-ball 41, set up a crushing win for Deccan Gladiators over Team Abu Dhabi.

Pooran dashed out of the blocks taking left-arm fingerspinner Roelof van der Merwe for two fours and two sixes in the first over. Rumman Raees then dealt a double-blow, removing both Pooran and Andre Russell off successive balls in the fourth over, but Kohler-Cadmore and Fletcher proceeded to re-establish Gladiators' dominance.

Six of the 12 balls that Fletcher faced were sent to the boundary, including five sixes. Fletcher, Fabian Allen and Kohler-Cadmore all fell in quick succession, but David Wiese provided the final flourish with 15 off six balls.

Abu Dhabi started their chase shakily, losing their top three inside five overs. Leus du Plooy (25), Colin Ingram (19) and captain Dwaine Pretorius (9), fought back to lend some respectability to the scorecard. Sri Lankan slinger Nuwan Thushara, who plays for Jaffna Kings in the LPL, was the pick of the bowlers for Gladiators, coming away with 2 for 5 in his two overs.