ABU DHABI: Chennai Braves cruised to an easy ten-wicket victory against Northern Warriors, thanks to their openers, Mohammad Shahzad and Bhanuka Rajapaksa’s unbeaten partnership to help their team register its first win in Abu Dhabi T10 League.

Braves’ openers, Shahzad and Rajapaksa got their team off to a flying start, making chasing 109 look easy in the end. Shahzad’s second six, his team’s sixth, helped Braves easily chase down the target of 109 in 8.3 overs.

Shahzad set the tone by smashing five boundaries in the second over of the innings, as Abhimanyu Mithun’s penultimate over went for 21. His Sri Lankan opening partner, Rajapaksa, did not hold back either, hitting two sixes in the next two overs. Both openers maintained the same pattern and led their team to victory. Rajapaksa top-scored for his team, scoring 55 off 23 balls, and was named player of the match for his outstanding performance. Shahzad also performed admirably, scoring 54 points on 29 deliveries.

Warriors’ bowlers were taken to the cleaners and none of them could get a wicket.

Earlier, the Braves’ captain, Angelo Perera, won the toss in the league’s 26th game and invited the opposing batters to bat first. In response, the Warriors’ openers were unable to provide a solid start, as Kennar Lewis was dismissed for a duck by Curtis Campher on the first ball of the match.

Moeen Ali and Upul Tharanga, on the other hand, began to rebuild the innings and appeared to be in great shape until Tharanga was sent back to the pavilion by Mark Deyal on 32 (14) with 55 runs on the board. Soon after, Moeen was dismissed by Campher with a score of 25 off 15 deliveries.

At one end, the skipper – Rovman Powell – looked good, but the Warriors’ wickets were tumbling at the other. Powell scored 31 runs in 12 deliveries, including four sixes. Following Powell’s wickets, the Warriors’ batting line-up crumbled, and the team was all-out for 108. Warriors’ last seven wickets fell for just 41 runs.

The Braves’ bowlers were outstanding, with Campher, Dasun Shanaka, and Ravi Bopara all taking two wickets. Dhananjaya Lakshan and Deyal, on the other hand, each dismissed one batter.

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