Ajman Titans continued their remarkable resurgence, sealing a convincing 21-run win over the struggling Deccan Gladiators to climb to second place in the 2025 Abu Dhabi T10 standings.

The Titans have now stitched together three successive victories, driven by Moeen Ali's explosive 31 off 12 balls and Akif Javed's outstanding 3/5. In contrast, the reigning champions slumped to their fourth straight loss, deepening their slide after a strong start to the tournament.

Aneurin Donald (24 off 15) and Alex Hales (25 off 18) gave the Titans a steady start, reaching 17 without loss in the powerplay before Noor Ahmad (3/21) removed Donald at the boundary.

Andre Russell applied further pressure with a tight two-over spell worth just nine runs, leaving Ajman at 39/2 after five overs.

Hales broke free in the seventh over with two powerful sixes, setting the stage for Moeen Ali's counter-attack. Dropped by Russell in the next over, Moeen punished the Gladiators immediately, smashing two fours and three sixes in a blistering innings that shifted momentum.

His stand with Dan Lawrence helped push the Titans to 101/4 before Noor Ahmad struck again in the final over, dismissing both set batters to contain Ajman at 109/6.

Chasing 110, Deccan Gladiators hoped for an early surge from Andre Russell, but Akif Javed denied them by removing him in the second over. A ball later, Akif cleaned up Marcus Stoinis for a golden duck, plunging the champions into early trouble.

Tom Kohler-Cadmore (32 off 23) and Nicholas Pooran (24 off 14) regained balance, finding regular boundaries to lift the score to 57/2 at the halfway mark.

Just as the partnership threatened to tilt the chase, Akif returned to remove Pooran, opening the gates for Piyush Chawla to strike twice, dismissing Laurie Evans and David Wiese cheaply.

With 43 needed off the final three overs, the Gladiators fell behind the rate despite Kohler-Cadmore's efforts. Requiring 25 in the last over, their hopes faded as Dan Green removed Kohler-Cadmore at the boundary and closed out a disciplined defensive performance.

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