Abu Dhabi T10 2019 Final, Deccan Gladiators vs Maratha Arabians: Preview, likely XIs, predictions

Following the results on hectic Saturday, the Maratha Arabians will take on Deccan Gladiators in the final of the Abu Dhabi T10 League 2019 final.

The Arabians had the easy route to the honours, having beaten the Qalandars by seven wickets in the first Qualifier on Saturday. That was largely down to their batsmen, with Chris Lynn scoring a 30-ball 67, to help post a daunting 120-run target. The Qalandars made a good fist of the chase, but it was always going to prove difficult with the scoreboard pressure to deal with.

The Gladiators, meanwhile, needed to go through the Eliminator as well as the second Qualifier to seal their place in the final. Impressively, they showed their capabilities in both aspects of the chase in those two matches. They first chased down the 108-run target posted by Bangla Tigers to seal a five-wicket win in the Eliminator.

And then, in the Qualifier, they posted a 117-run target, and then did well to restrict the Qalandars to 104/4, ensuring a 12-run win to seal a clash with the Arabians.

It should be an interesting encounter. The teams haven’t met previously in the tournament, and it’ll be interesting to see the Gladiators can cope with the Arabians’ batting might, and in particular, the threat posed by Chris Lynn.

Key players

Chris Lynn (Maratha Arabians): The Australian big-hitter has been in stellar form this tournament. In just seven matches, he has totalled 355 runs, and is the league’s highest scorer by some way. How the Gladiators deal with him will dictate their fate in the final.

Shane Watson (Deccan Gladiators): Watson has been another Australian shining in the tournament. He hasn’t hit the heights of Lynn – Watson is the second highest scorer in the charts, with 236 runs – but on his day, he can out bat anyone. The Arabians will be wary.

Likely XIs

Maratha Arabians: Hazratullah Zazai, Chris Lynn, Adam Lyth, Najibullah Zadran, Yuvraj Singh, Dasun Shanaka, Chadwick Walton (wk), Dwayne Bravo (c), Mitch McClenaghan, Lasith Malinga, Shiraz Ahmed

Deccan Gladiators: Mohammad Shahzad (wk), Shane Watson (c), Bhanuka Rajapatksa, Dan Lawrence, Kieron Pollard, Anton Devcich, Ben Cutting, Fawad Ahmad, Migael Pretorious, Sheldon Cottrell, Zahoor Khan

Prediction

The Arabians possess a superb outfit, and should overpower the Gladiators.