Bangla Tigers 126 for 5 (Shanaka 34, Mendis 32, Nabi 3-15) beat Chennai Braves 99 for 6 (Asalanka 55, Haider 2-17, Howell 1-11) by 27 runs
Impactful cameos from Dasun Shanaka and Kusal Mendis boosted Bangla Tigers to a huge total of 126 paving the way for a 27-run win against Chennai Braves. The victory sealed a playoff spot for Tigers, who will face Deccan Gladiators in the eliminator on Friday.
Charith Asalanka slammed a half-century in response, but only two batters reached double figures for Braves, with Asalanka smashing 55 out of their total of 99 during the run chase.
At 61 for 5 in the eighth over, they had little chance of eclipsing Tigers, who were shown the way by Shanaka's 34 off 15 balls, and Mendis' 32 from 15. They combined to add 55 for the fourth wicket after Tigers were 44 for 3, but it was Benny Howell's defining contribution that made a difference. He faced three balls, two of which went for sixes and the other for four, ending unbeaten on 16.
Tigers' win made them No. 4 on the points table, behind third-placed Deccan Gladiators only on net run rate.
Team Abu Dhabi 100 for 3 (Mayers 61, Farooqi 1-10) beat Delhi Bulls 97 for 3 (Lyth 39*, Powell 31, Noor 1-8) by seven wickets
Team Abu Dhabi finally signed off the tournament with a win, as their last-ball victory also dashed Delhi Bulls' hopes of making the playoffs.
Chasing 98, Abu Dhabi got off to a flyer as Kyle Mayers and Tom Banton added 52 in just 4.2 overs, with Mayers doing the bulk of the scoring, including four sixes off an over from Richard Gleeson. Banton came off retired hurt, but such was Mayers' carnage, that Abu Dhabi had the chase fully in control. With just six needed off the last over, the win seemed to be a formality, but UAE pacer Wasim Akram conceded just three runs off the first four deliveries, and most importantly, dismissed the red-hot Mayers for a 30-ball 61. The game went down to the final ball, with Abu Dhabi needing two runs to end their losing streak, and Colin Ingram would do the needful, flicking a low full-toss off the legs for four.
Bulls, who needed a win to qualify for the playoffs, had earlier made 97 for 3, on the back of a 71-run stand for the third wicket between Adam Lyth and their captain Rovman Powell. While Powell was dismissed for a 20-ball 31, Lyth remained unbeaten on 39, smashing smashing two fours and three sixes, though it ultimately came in a losing cause.
Samp Army 73 for 4 (Brevis 31*, Moeen 13, Ali Khan 2-16) beat New York Strikers 70 (Dickwella 18, Bas de Leede 3-13) by six wickets
In a dress rehearsal for Friday's qualifier featuring the top two teams, Samp Army eased to a six-wicket win against New York strikers and sealed the No.1 spot on the table.
Strikers, batting first, failed to put together any meaningful partnerships, as Bas de Leede (3 for 13), Jake Lintott (2 for 16) and Qais Ahmad (2 for 12) struck at regular intervals to peg the team back. Niroshan Dickwella, with 18, was the team's top scorer, as Strikers managed just four fours and two sixes in their entire innings, being bowled out for 70.
Samp Army were rocked in the chase by the early dismissals of Ibrahim Zadran for a duck, and Monank Patel for 4, but Dewald Brevis wrested the advantage with an unbeaten 18-ball 31. Strikers kept chipping away, but Brevis and Moeen Ali eventually finished the chase at a canter by taking 24 runs off an over from Odean Smith, to win with 18 deliveries remaining.