LAHORE – Lahore Qalandars beat Islamabad United by 66 runs in the 27th match of the Pakistan Super League (PSL) 2022 at the Gaddafi Stadium in Lahore on Saturday.
Chasing the 198-run target set by Qalandars, United started well but lost two wickets in quick succession. Both openers, Rahmanullah Gurbaz and Mubasir Khan, got out one after the other with just 27 runs on the scoreboard. By the end of of the 20-over inning, United could score only 131 runs at the loss of nine wickets.
Earlier, Lahore Qalandars won the toss and decided to bat first.
They finally get it right. @lahoreqalandars seal the deal in their favour, and @IsbUnited put up a good fight. Happy weekend! #HBLPSL7 l #LevelHai l #LQvIU pic.twitter.com/zAKyLE52bt
— PakistanSuperLeague (@thePSLt20) February 19, 2022
United are in a bit of discord, as they stand fourth in the points table. Their batting strength has suffered after Paul Stirling and Alex Hales left the T20 tournament midway. They are coming off a ten-run loss against Yellow Storm.
United will be without the services of their captain Shadab Khan for another day as Shadab suffered a groin injury in the game against Karachi Kings. Aggressive batter Asif Ali was named United’s captain in absence of Shadab Khan.
Meanwhile, rookie pacer Zeeshan Zameer, side strain, and New Zealand batter Colin Munro, shoulder injury, won’t be available for the match as well.
“Shadab is feeling better than before and he has also started light training. He will be fully fit soon,” said Islamabad United’s spokesperson.
Afridi-led Qalandars will play their eighth fixture. They have played seven matches so far, winning five of them and losing two. With 10 points on the table, Lahore Qalandars ranked second while Kings will play their ninth encounter.
Babar-led Kings finally got their first win in the ongoing Pakistan Super League’s (PSL) seventh edition after they defeated Qalandars by 22 runs on Friday.
Fakhar Zaman remained the highest scorer in the tournament, hitting at a strike rate of 162.62 and averaging 58.75 from eight innings. He was, however, dismissed early against Karachi Kings in a rare off day.
The match will take place under the lights of the Gaddafi Stadium in Lahore today at 7:30 pm.
PSL7: Karachi Kings secure first victory, beating Lahore Qalandars by 22 runs
Squads
Lahore Qalandars: Abdullah Shafique, Fakhar Zaman, Kamran Ghulam Mohammad Hafeez, Harry Brook, Phil Salt (wk), Rashid Khan, David Wiese, Shaheen Shah Afridi (c), Haris Rauf, Zaman Khan
Islamabad United: Rahmanullah Gurbaz, Mubasir Khan, Danish Aziz, Liam Dawson, Asif Ali (c), Azam Khan (wk), Faheem Ashraf, Waqas Maqsood, Muhammad Musa, Marchant de Lange, Zahir Khan.
