LAHORE – Karachi Kings defeated Lahore Qalandars by four wickets in an important clash of the Pakistan Super League (PSL) season 10.
The match was played at Gaddafi Stadium, Lahore, where Karachi Kings won the toss and invited Lahore Qalandars to bat first.
Lahore Qalandars’ openers played aggressive cricket, building a strong partnership of 90 runs in 8 overs, with young opener Mohammad Naeem contributing the most.
Mohammad Naeem completely outclassed Karachi Kings’ bowlers, smashing boundaries and sixes all over the ground. He scored 65 runs off just 29 balls, including 6 fours and 5 sixes, before getting out.
Abdullah Shafique, who had shown responsible batting in previous matches, couldn’t play a big innings this time and returned to the pavilion after scoring 18 runs off 11 balls with 2 fours and a six.
Lahore Qalandars suffered their third blow in the 11th over when experienced New Zealander Daryl Mitchell was dismissed by Abbas Afridi without scoring.
From the other end, Fakhar Zaman completed his half-century in 33 balls, hitting 4 fours and 3 sixes.
At one point, it seemed Lahore Qalandars would post a huge total, but apart from Fakhar and Naeem, other batters failed to perform — eight of them couldn’t even reach double figures. Rain also interrupted their momentum, though they still managed to set a decent target.
Karachi Kings’ bowlers made a strong comeback and bowled out the entire Lahore Qalandars side for 160 on the fourth ball of the 15th over. However, due to rain adjustments, the Kings were given a target of 168 runs in 15 overs.
Abbas Afridi was the standout bowler for Karachi, taking 4 wickets for 27 runs in his 3 overs.
Karachi Kings’ captain David Warner and opener Tim Seifert gave a blazing start, scoring 40 runs in the first 3 overs.
Warner scored 24 runs off 13 balls (2 fours, 2 sixes), while Seifert also scored 24 off 10 balls (4 fours, 1 six), both getting out soon after.
Saad Baig scored 25 runs off 15 balls with 3 fours and a six before getting out. Khushdil Shah’s innings was limited to just 9 runs.
In the closing moments of the match, Mohammad Nabi added 15 runs from 8 balls before getting out, but Irfan Khan Niazi played a brilliant unbeaten knock of 48 runs off 21 balls, hitting 2 fours and 5 sixes.
Karachi Kings chased down the 168-run target on the third ball of the 15th over, losing 6 wickets.
Squads
Karachi Kings: David Warner (c), Abbas Afridi, James Vince, Hasan Ali (VC), Khushdil Shah, Shan Masood, Muhammad Irfan Khan, Aamir Jamal, Arafat Minhas, Tim Seifert, Zahid Mahmood, Mir Hamza, Shahnawaz Dahani, Riazullah, Omair Bin Yousuf, Kane Williamson, Saad Baig, Mohammad Nabi, Mirza Mamoon and Ben McDermott.
Lahore Qalandars: Shaheen Shah Afridi, Fakhar Zaman and Daryl Mitchell (all platinum), Haris Rauf, Sikandar Raza and Kusal Perera (all diamond), Abdullah Shafique, Jahandad Khan and Zaman Khan (all gold), David Wiese, Asif Ali, Asif Afridi, Muhammad Akhlaq and Rishad Hossain (all silver), Momin Qamar and Momin Azab (both emerging), Muhammad Naeem, Salman Ali Mirza and Tom Curran (all supplementary).
