CRICKET

Spartan Poker’s Delhi Bulls turn runner-up at 2021 Abu Dhabi T10 League

WORDS BY DWAYNE FERNANDES

We Indians enjoy sports in general but the love for cricket just surpasses every other like and interest. After the success of the Indian Premier League (IPL) which made its debut 13 years ago, we’ve seen multiple new leagues pop up; some survived and some didn’t. In fact, there were modifications made in the game formats as well, with T10 being the latest innovation in this sport we love the most.

Keeping in mind the love for this game, Spartan Poker News decided to jump in on the fun, recently coming on board as principal sponsor for one of the Abu Dhabi T10 League franchises. Established in 2017, this was the fourth season of this league which took place between 28 January - 6 February 2021. Spartan Group sponsored the Delhi Bulls, playing their second season in the T10 League, captained by none other than West Indian all-rounder Dwayne ‘DJ’ Bravo.

The team was filled with known limited overs specialists from across the globe including Bravo, Ravi Bopara (England), Mohammad Nabi (Afghanistan), Rahmanullah Gurbaz (Afghanistan), Adam Lyth (England), Nyeem Young (West Indies), Evin Lewis (West Indies), Fidel Edwards (West Indies) and others. Coached by the legendary Zimbabwean batsman, Andy Flower, the team went on to have a splendid season indeed.

They won 5 out of 6 of their Super League matches and won Qualifier 1 in the playoffs as well, booking a direct spot in the 2021 T10 League final. Backed by some incredible consistency with the bat by Ravi Bopara and some massive power hitting at the top by Lewis and Gurbaz, the team was super confident going into the league final. They had some crushing victories in the group stage, including one chase of nearly 100 runs in just under 5 overs (Wow!).

It was unfortunate that their worst performance with the bat came in the final itself, where they batted first and only managed 81/9 in their quota of 10 overs.

From there, it was going to be an easy chase but the Bulls bowlers did really well to take it all the way until the 9th over, where Northern Warriors led by Nicholas Pooran ended up winning by 8 wickets and taking home their second T10 League title! Spartan Poker News however, has entered the sports industry and we can expect to see many more collaborations like this in the future!

Delhi Bulls top performers

● Most runs

Evin Lewis - 216 runs (8 games)

● Most wickets

Ali Khan - 8 wickets (6 games)

● Highest team total 129/3 (8.5 overs)