The New York Strikers denied the Deccan Gladiators a hat-trick of Abu Dhabi T10 titles as they won the competition for the first time at the Zayed Cricket Stadium on Saturday.
They restricted the Gladiators to 91 for five and knocked off the winning runs with four balls to spare with Asif Ali and captain Kieron Pollard sharing an undefeated 54-run stand for the fourth wicket to take their side over the line with four balls to spare.
The Strikers didn’t have it easy after Trent Boult struck with the fifth delivery of the opening over. The New Zealand quick bowler had Muhammad Waseem (six) trapped in front when the score was seven.
Nuwan Thushara knocked back Rahmanullah Gurbaz’s (one) middle stump with his first delivery in the next over.
Andre Russell bowled a fine over, removing Niroshan Dickwella and conceding just four runs that left the Strikers on 38 for three at the halfway mark of their innings.
Needing 50 from the last 30 balls, Ali and the Strikers captain Pollard set about their job to take their side to their first Abu Dhabi T10 title.
Ali hit an unbeaten 48 in 25 deliveries and finished in style with a six over off Zahoor Khan and the deep-midwicket fence. Pollard chipped in with a useful 22 off 13 with a six and four.
After the toss, the Gladiators were sent into bat and got off to a decent start. Tom Kohler-Cadmore sent the first two deliveries he faced from Mohammad Amir to the point and deep cover boundaries for 12 in the first over.
Nicholas Pooran smashed three fours off Muhammad Jawadullah to take the score to 24 in the next before Sunil Narine provided the breakthrough when he spun one that pitched outside the off stump to hit the top of Kohler-Cadmore’s leg stump and leave the score at 28 for one.
Pooran departed two balls later. The Gladiators captain, going for a big shot, ended up skying one for Narine to hold a high catch at extra cover off George Scrimshaw’s first delivery.
Narine was among the wickets again when he had Andre Fletcher caught by Odean Smith at midwicket. Ali grabbed a stunning one-handed catch dive to his right to send Imad Wasim back to the dugout off Jawadullah, 41 for four in six overs.
Akeal Hosein, the hero of the previous night when he took five wickets for six runs including a hat-trick, struck from his very first ball in the next over. Fabian Allen hit the left-arm spinner straight down to Ali at deep midwicket, five for 57.
Andre Russell and David Wiese then got them to 91 for five with a 34-run partnership in 17 balls.
Russell hit a couple of sixes and two fours in an unbeaten 30 in 18 balls and Wiese struck a four and two to the maximum in a 11-ball 20.
After the match, winning captain Pollard said: “I would say congratulations to the entire New York Strikers team, support staff, owners and players for supporting us.
“We were runners-up last year so we understand the feelings. We are very happy with the franchise.
“A lot of planning goes into the opening partnership between Pooran and TKC in the entire tournament. They had been doing well as openers in the entire tournament.
“We had to be precise to get them. At the end of the day, we made sure our guys are in strategic positions to get them early.
“The kudos must go our bowlers. I thought they played fantastically well, each one of them played a part in any given situation hence we are the champions. For batting, these pitches aren’t conducive, but we need to hang in there.”
Gladiators captain Pooran said: “It’s unfortunate to be on the losing side tonight. We were 10-15 runs short there. The Strikers bowled really well throughout the tournament. It’s a game of cricket, somebody has to win, somebody has to lose.
“We are really happy for them as well, this is what cricket is all about. We’ll just have to come back next year and try to be better.
“It doesn’t matter what the situation was, we fought really hard. Took the game to the last over. I’m really proud of the guys, can’t really complain too much. We took the hard way to the finals. It was unfortunate that it didn’t work out.”
Sheikh Nahyan bin Mubarak, Minister for Tolerance and Coexistence and the Chairman of the Emirates Cricket Board, spoke before the match began.
“We have seen great talents this year in Abu Dhabi T10 who have reminded us of the joy and demands of competition and brought us all closer together in the spirit of enjoyment and celebration.” he said.
“Cricket is an international sport that is quite at home in the global community of the United Arab Emirates. With the support of leaders and people of our country, we at Emirates Cricket Board, are proud to bring this tournament to cricket fans everywhere.
“The sport of cricket encourages important values that are essential for us in the United Arab Emirates. Cricket demands dedication, patience, collaboration, balance, alertness, concentration, technique, judgment, discipline, daring, civility and teamwork. In the light of the leadership of the President, His Highness Sheikh Mohamed bin Zayed Al Nahyan, we at Emirates Cricket Board, embrace all the values and principles.
“I stand in gratitude to all who have enabled the smooth running of the competition. We thank the sponsors, team members, umpires, referees, and commentators for their hard work, dedication, and commitment to making Abu Dhabi T10 a great success. I wish you all continued enjoyment. Please, enjoy the match. Good luck to everybody.”
MATCH INFO
Euro 2020 qualifier
Fixture: Liechtenstein v Italy, Tuesday, 10.45pm (UAE)
TV: Match is shown on BeIN Sports
TOURNAMENT INFO
Fixtures
Sunday January 5 - Oman v UAE
Monday January 6 - UAE v Namibia
Wednesday January 8 - Oman v Namibia
Thursday January 9 - Oman v UAE
Saturday January 11 - UAE v Namibia
Sunday January 12 – Oman v Namibia
UAE squad
Ahmed Raza (captain), Rohan Mustafa, Mohammed Usman, CP Rizwan, Waheed Ahmed, Zawar Farid, Darius D’Silva, Karthik Meiyappan, Jonathan Figy, Vriitya Aravind, Zahoor Khan, Junaid Siddique, Basil Hameed, Chirag Suri
Ten tax points to be aware of in 2026
1. Domestic VAT refund amendments: request your refund within five years
If a business does not apply for the refund on time, they lose their credit.
2. E-invoicing in the UAE
Businesses should continue preparing for the implementation of e-invoicing in the UAE, with 2026 a preparation and transition period ahead of phased mandatory adoption.
3. More tax audits
Tax authorities are increasingly using data already available across multiple filings to identify audit risks.
4. More beneficial VAT and excise tax penalty regime
Tax disputes are expected to become more frequent and more structured, with clearer administrative objection and appeal processes. The UAE has adopted a new penalty regime for VAT and excise disputes, which now mirrors the penalty regime for corporate tax.
5. Greater emphasis on statutory audit
There is a greater need for the accuracy of financial statements. The International Financial Reporting Standards standards need to be strictly adhered to and, as a result, the quality of the audits will need to increase.
6. Further transfer pricing enforcement
Transfer pricing enforcement, which refers to the practice of establishing prices for internal transactions between related entities, is expected to broaden in scope. The UAE will shortly open the possibility to negotiate advance pricing agreements, or essentially rulings for transfer pricing purposes.
7. Limited time periods for audits
Recent amendments also introduce a default five-year limitation period for tax audits and assessments, subject to specific statutory exceptions. While the standard audit and assessment period is five years, this may be extended to up to 15 years in cases involving fraud or tax evasion.
8. Pillar 2 implementation
Many multinational groups will begin to feel the practical effect of the Domestic Minimum Top-Up Tax (DMTT), the UAE's implementation of the OECD’s global minimum tax under Pillar 2. While the rules apply for financial years starting on or after January 1, 2025, it is 2026 that marks the transition to an operational phase.
9. Reduced compliance obligations for imported goods and services
Businesses that apply the reverse-charge mechanism for VAT purposes in the UAE may benefit from reduced compliance obligations.
10. Substance and CbC reporting focus
Tax authorities are expected to continue strengthening the enforcement of economic substance and Country-by-Country (CbC) reporting frameworks. In the UAE, these regimes are increasingly being used as risk-assessment tools, providing tax authorities with a comprehensive view of multinational groups’ global footprints and enabling them to assess whether profits are aligned with real economic activity.
Contributed by Thomas Vanhee and Hend Rashwan, Aurifer
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Zayed Sustainability Prize
Look north
BBC business reporters, like a new raft of government officials, are being removed from the national and international hub of London and surely the quality of their work must suffer.
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UPI facts
More than 2.2 million Indian tourists arrived in UAE in 2023
More than 3.5 million Indians reside in UAE
Indian tourists can make purchases in UAE using rupee accounts in India through QR-code-based UPI real-time payment systems
Indian residents in UAE can use their non-resident NRO and NRE accounts held in Indian banks linked to a UAE mobile number for UPI transactions
Most sought after workplace benefits in the UAE
- Flexible work arrangements
- Pension support
- Mental well-being assistance
- Insurance coverage for optical, dental, alternative medicine, cancer screening
- Financial well-being incentives
