The Yas Lions won the toss, chose to bowl, and for most of the first innings it looked like a mistake. Shimron Hetmyer was hitting the ball cleanly, the Emirates Eagles had 115 on the board, and the Lions — beaten by seven wickets in the tournament opener — were staring at a second straight defeat. Then Dasun Shanaka walked out and changed the evening in 25 balls. His 60 off 25, with six sixes, carried the Lions to 117 for 4 in 8.4 overs and a six-wicket win at the Zayed Cricket Stadium.
What I liked most about this chase was how calm it looked once Shanaka got going. The Lions had lost three wickets for 43, the asking rate was climbing, and the Eagles still had Trent Boult with an over left. Shanaka simply took the game away from them — 60 runs, 25 balls, a strike rate of 240 — and by the time Haider Razzaq finally got him, the Lions needed only 10 off 11 balls. Karim Janat and Jason Holder finished it with eight balls to spare.
Match summary: Emirates Eagles 115/4 in 10 overs; Yas Lions 117/4 in 8.4 overs — Yas Lions won by 6 wickets.
Yas Lions vs Emirates Eagles Scorecard — The Short Version
Emirates Eagles 115/4 (10 overs): Shimron Hetmyer 65 not out off 30, Kyle Mayers 20 off 9, Rovman Powell 14 off 13, Alex Hales 3 off 3, Kusal Perera 1 off 2; Khuzaima Bin Tanvir 2/28, Akeal Hosein 1/16, Jason Holder 1/18.
Yas Lions 117/4 (8.4 overs): Dasun Shanaka 60 off 25, Andries Gous 14 off 11, Ansh Tandon 12 off 4, Karim Janat 11 not out off 6, Jason Holder 10 not out off 3; Haider Razzaq 2/23, Trent Boult 1/30, Hardus Viljoen 1/12.
Result: Yas Lions won by 6 wickets. Player of the Match: Dasun Shanaka.
Hetmyer's 65* Deserved a Better Total
The Eagles' innings belonged to Hetmyer, and the numbers flatter the rest of the batting far less than they flatter him. He walked in after Alex Hales fell for 3, watched Kyle Mayers smash 20 off 9 at the other end, and then carried the innings almost on his own: 65 not out off 30 balls, four fours and four sixes, a strike rate of 217. Nobody else in the Eagles' top five passed 20. Rovman Powell made 14 off 13, Kusal Perera made 1, and Chris Green finished 3 not out.
That is the problem with a one-man innings in T10: 65 off 30 is a match-winning knock only if someone else gives it a partner. The Lions' bowlers understood that. Fazalhaq Farooqi went for 16 in his two overs, David Willey for 18, and Jason Holder for 18 — nobody leaked runs, and Khuzaima Bin Tanvir took the two wickets that mattered, Powell and Perera, for 28. The Eagles finished on 115 for 4, a total that looked competitive when the innings ended and looked about 15 short once Shanaka started hitting.
Shimron Hetmyer carried the Eagles almost alone with 65 not out off 30 balls — but nobody at the other end gave him a partner (file photo).
Shanaka's 25 Balls: Six Sixes and No Hesitation
The chase started badly. James Vince was bowled by Trent Boult for 5 in the first over, Ansh Tandon hit two sixes in a 12 off 4 and then fell to Hardus Viljoen, and Andries Gous went for 14 to leave the Lions 43 for 3 in the fourth over. At that point the Eagles were in front, and Boult still had an over left.
Shanaka did not wait for the game to come to him. He took on the bowling straight away — four fours, six sixes, 60 off 25 — and the 64-run stand with Karim Janat turned the chase around before the Eagles could reset. His dismissal, caught off Haider Razzaq with 10 still needed, came too late to matter: Janat hit 11 not out off 6 and Holder 10 not out off 3, and the Lions crossed the line with eight balls in hand. It was the kind of innings that reminds you why Shanaka has spent a decade being Sri Lanka's finisher — he reads a chase by the asking rate, not by the scoreboard, and he does not let a wobble become a collapse.
Dasun Shanaka, the Player of the Match, smashed 60 off 25 balls with six sixes to win the chase for the Yas Lions (file photo).
My Analysis: The Eagles' Bowling Had No Answer After the Powerplay
Four matches into this league, every winner has won a different way. In Match 1, the UAE Bulls beat these same Lions on batting depth, chasing 121 with wickets in hand. In Match 2, the Eagles won by defending a total with a proper new-ball attack. Tonight the Eagles tried to win the same way twice — and the difference between their two games is the difference between defending 125 with Boult taking early wickets and defending 115 after the powerplay went quiet.
Look at the Eagles' bowling tonight. Boult took Vince in the first over, Viljoen went for just 12 in his two overs, and yet the Lions still won with eight balls to spare. The reason is in the middle overs: Chris Green went for 17 in his only over, Tymal Mills for 33 in two, and Razzaq's two wickets cost 23. Once Shanaka was set, the Eagles had nobody who could bowl a quiet over to him — and in T10, one batter in that mood plus one quiet over is the whole game. The Lions, by contrast, had six bowlers and not one of them went for more than 28. That discipline is what kept the target at 116 instead of 135, and 116 was gettable the moment Shanaka connected.
For the Lions, this win matters more than the two points. They were the only side without a win after the opening night, and a second defeat would have left them chasing the table from the first weekend. For the Eagles, the warning sign is the batting: two games, and both times the top order has leaned on one man — Powell's 41 in Match 2, Hetmyer's 65 tonight. When that man falls early, or when he is left stranded like Hetmyer was, 115 is all you get. In a league where the Tigers posted 140 on the same ground a day earlier, that is not enough.
What Happens Next
Both teams now have two points — the Eagles from one win and one loss, the Lions from the same. The league continues tonight (November 8) with Match 5, UAE Bulls vs United Tigers at 6:45 PM PKT, followed by Match 6, Arabian Aces vs Royal Desert Champions at 9:00 PM PKT. The tournament runs until November 20, all matches at the Zayed Cricket Stadium, and with 16 Pakistan players cleared to take part, there is plenty more to watch for Pakistan fans in the days ahead.
Frequently Asked Questions
Who won the Yas Lions vs Emirates Eagles match?
The Yas Lions won by 6 wickets, chasing down 116 in 8.4 overs after the Emirates Eagles posted 115 for 4 in the fourth match of the Abu Dhabi T10 League 2026.
Who was the Player of the Match?
Dasun Shanaka, who smashed 60 off 25 balls with four fours and six sixes to win the chase for the Lions after they had slipped to 43 for 3.
What did Shimron Hetmyer score?
Hetmyer made 65 not out off 30 balls for the Eagles, with four fours and four sixes — but he was left stranded, as no other Eagles batter passed 20.
When is the next Abu Dhabi T10 match?
Match 5, UAE Bulls vs United Tigers, starts at 6:45 PM PKT tonight (November 8), followed by Match 6, Arabian Aces vs Royal Desert Champions, at 9:00 PM PKT. The tournament runs until November 20, 2026, all at the Zayed Cricket Stadium in Abu Dhabi.
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Sources
- Cricbuzz match scorecard, Yas Lions vs Emirates Eagles, 4th Match, Abu Dhabi T10 League 2026
- CricTracker full scorecard, YAL vs EME, 4th Match, Abu Dhabi T10 League 2026