Abu Dhabi: The Deccan Gladiators beat the Vista Riders by 19 runs on Friday night in the 2025 Abu Dhabi T10. However, the margin of victory wasn’t enough for them to qualify for the playoffs, as the UAE Bulls progressed into the playoffs with a significantly better net run rate. The defending champions finished in sixth place in the standings, having won three of their seven group stage games.
Reflecting on the results and their performances, Pooran said, “Honestly, the performance has been disappointing. However, that is something we must accept. We were not up to the challenge this year, and that is tough for us because we only have ourselves to blame. Nevertheless, over the last five years, we have been fantastic as a group. We have been highly successful as well. Winning and losing is just a part of cricket.”
Nicholas Pooran is the second-highest run scorer in the history of the ADT10. From 2017 to 2025, he scored 1572 runs at a staggering strike rate of 223. He spoke about the lessons he learned during this campaign and remarked, “We won’t take anything for granted. We were inconsistent in T10, which is already such a tough format. We tried our best today, but it was not good enough to get us to the playoffs. We hold a great deal of pride as individuals, and we feel that when we come to play in ADT10, we must represent ourselves to the best of our ability.”
The Captain of the Deccan Gladiators also highlighted U.A.E. pacer Muhammed Jawadullah as an emerging talent. Pooran added, “He’s been really good for us, he also has the skill of bowling very accurate wide Yorkers that are really helpful in this format. I believe he has a lot of talent, I hope he continues to grow, and we’re really happy to be a part of his journey as a cricketer.”
The action continues in the ADT10 as the Quetta Qavalry take on the Aspin Stallions in Qualifier 1, and Ajman Titans face off against the UAE Bulls in the Eliminator later today at the Sheikh Zayed Stadium in Abu Dhabi.
