• Brandon King’s 66 and Naseem’s three wickets help Royal Desert Champions beat Yas Lions
• Tigers sit top of the points table with four wins from five matches
Photo by Deepak Malik / CREIMAS
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Abu Dhabi, 13 November 2026: The United Tigers and Royal Desert Champions registered victories on a blockbuster triple header day at the 2026 Abu Dhabi T10, with the Tigers beating the Emirates Eagles and the Champions getting past the Yas Lions.
Photo by Deepak Malik / CREIMAS
All images are restricted to editorial use only.
Abbas Afridi struck three sixes in the final over as the United Tigers beat the Emirates Eagles by 24 runs in the 13th match of the 2026 Abu Dhabi T10.
Batting first, the Tigers lost Sahibzada Farhan (8 off 5) in the first over, caught by Srikar Bharat off Trent Boult. Skipper Fakhar Zaman (26 off 13) and Joe Clarke (33 off 20) added 40 runs in 22 balls before Hardus Viljoen (1/29) had Zaman caught by Alex Hales in the fifth over. Haider Razzaq (1/21) then bowled Avishka Fernando (2 off 3) to leave the Tigers at 70/3.
Azmatullah Omarzai took over with 33 off 9 balls, hitting three fours and three sixes, and added 36 runs with Clarke in 10 balls. David Wiese (1/36) had Omarzai caught by Viljoen in the eighth over. Clarke retired out at the end of the ninth over, and the Tigers then took 22 runs off the final over, with Afridi (18* off 6) hitting three sixes and Iftikhar Ahmed (16* off 5) finishing unbeaten, to reach 143/5.
While bowling, Player of the match Azmatullah Omarzai struck in the second over, having Kyle Mayers (13 off 9) caught by Afridi. Hales and Shimron Hetmyer (22 off 12) added 74 runs in 34 balls before Afridi (1/16) had Hetmyer caught by Clarke in the eighth over. Hales stayed unbeaten on 67 off 31 balls, with three fours and six sixes, and skipper Rovman Powell (12* off 9) added 24 runs in the last 14 balls, but the Eagles finished on 119/2, ultimately falling short of the target by 24 runs.
King’s 66 and Naseem’s three wickets power Royal Desert Champions past Yas Lions
Brandon King, who was also awarded the Player of the Match, smashed 66 off 28 balls as the Royal Desert Champions beat the Yas Lions by 39 runs in the 14th match of the 2026 Abu Dhabi T10.
Batting first, Phil Salt (24 off 12) and King put on 46 runs in 21 balls before Akeal Hosein (1/29) had Salt caught by Khuzaima Tanveer in the fourth over. Skipper Nicholas Pooran (26 off 11) then hit four sixes and shared a 51-run stand with King in 20 balls, before David Willey (1/33) had him caught by Andries Gous in the seventh over.
King, who hit six fours and five sixes, was caught by Tom Moores off Jason Holder (1/18) in the ninth over. Muhammad Waseem (0 off 2) was run out in the tenth over, and Gulbadin Naib (9* off 2) hit a six in the closing stages as the Champions finished on 136/4.
In the second innings, Naseem Shah (3/17) removed James Vince (8 off 8), caught by Chris Jordan, and Ansh Tandon (1 off 2), caught by Sherfane Rutherford. Maheesh Theekshana (1/13) took a catch to dismiss Gous (0 off 1), and the Lions were 12/3. Dasun Shanaka (9 off 10) was caught by Keemo Paul off Ali Naseer to make it 24/4.
Tom Moores (40* off 21) and Karim Janat (32 off 13) added a respectable 48 runs for the fifth wicket before Naseem had Janat caught by Salt. Jordan (1/17) then emphatically bowled Jason Holder (0 off 1) to leave the Lions struggling at 73/6, and they went on to finish on a total of just 97/6 in 10 overs.
The third match of the day will be played between Arabian Aces and UAE Bulls tonight at the Zayed Cricket Stadium in Abu Dhabi.
Brief scores
United Tigers beat Emirates Eagles by 24 runs
United Tigers 143/5 in 10 overs (Azmatullah Omarzai 33, Joe Clarke 33, Fakhar Zaman 26; Haider Razzaq 1/21, Trent Boult 1/25, Hardus Viljoen 1/29)
Emirates Eagles 119/2 in 10 overs (Alex Hales 67*, Shimron Hetmyer 22, Kyle Mayers 13; Abbas Afridi 1/16, Azmatullah Omarzai 1/23)
Royal Desert Champions beat Yas Lions by 39 runs
Royal Desert Champions 136/4 in 10 overs (Brandon King 66, Nicholas Pooran 26, Phil Salt 24; Jason Holder 1/18, Akeal Hosein 1/29, David Willey 1/33)
Yas Lions 97/6 in 10 overs (Tom Moores 40*, Karim Janat 32, Dasun Shanaka 9; Naseem Shah 3/17, Maheesh Theekshana 1/13, Chris Jordan 1/17)
ENDS