Ajman T20 Cup 2022: Semi-Finals - Round-up

Maratha Arabians and Delhi Bulls will battle it out in the final clash of the Ajman T20 Cup 2022, having won their respective semi-final matches on March 21 (Monday). Both sides performed magnificently in the high-voltage games and walked away with comfortable victories. While the Arabians thrashed Deccan Gladiators by eight wickets, Delhi Bulls beat Bangla Tigers by nine wickets to get a place in the summit clash, which will take place on Tuesday (March 22).

Speaking of the first semi-final, Deccan Gladiators won the toss and elected to bat. They got off to a promising start, with opener Hameed Khan hitting Saqib Manshad for four consecutive boundaries and taking 18 runs off the first over. However, Arabians skipper Jiju Janardhanan bowled a stellar spell and put the Gladiators on the back foot.

Jiju Janardhanan puts up an all-round show

Although the likes of Laxman Manjrekar, Aayan Afzal Khan and Waqas Ali got starts, none of them were able to play a substantial knock. As a result, the Gladiators were bundled out for 120 in just 19.1 overs. In reply, the Arabians didn’t break a sweat as they crossed the line in just 16.3 overs, clinching the contest by eight wickets. In addition to the two wickets with the ball, skipper and opener Janardhanan also made 52 not out off just 47 deliveries.

Brief scores

Deccan Gladiators –  120 in 19.1 overs (Laxman Manjrekar 27, Aayan Khan 24, Waqas Ali 22, Jiju Janardhanan 2 for 11, Hazrat Bilal 2 for 19, Omer Farooq 3 for 32)

Maratha Arabians – 122 for 2 in 16.3 overs (Jiju Janardhanan 52*, Mohammad Afzal 42*)

Coming to the second semi-final, Bangla Tigers scored 127/7 after being put in to bat first. Top-order batters like Sagar Kalyan, Fayyaz Ahmed and Ameer Hamza, did get starts but none of them could stay at the crease for long. While most of the Delhi Bulls bowlers were impressive, Zawar Farid was the pick of them with two wickets. Furqan Khalil’s 33-run cameo took the Tigers to 127/7 in their allotted 20 overs.

In reply, the Bulls lost opener Syed Haider in the very second over. However, Abdul Shakoor joined forces with Zawar Farid, and the duo made sure there was no twist in the tale. Shakoor remained unbeaten on 83 as the Bulls crossed the line in just 14 overs, clinching the contest by nine wickets.

Brief scores

Bangla Tigers – 127 for 7 in 20 Overs (Furqan Khalil 33, Zawar Farid 2/29)

Delhi Bulls – 133 for 1 in 14 Overs (Abdul Shakoor 83, Zawar Farid 39, Arslan Javed 1/16)