Table toppers Multan Sultans virtually knocked defending champions Lahore Qalandars out of the title hunt with a 60-run win in the 14th match of the ongoing Pakistan Super League (PSL) season 9 on Tuesday.
Multan Sultans posted a 215-run target, thanks to Usman Khan’s 55-ball 96, and bundled Lahore Qalandars out to 154.
Usama Mir starred with the ball, picking 6/40 in his four-over spell, becoming the only spinner to claim a six-wicket haul in PSL history.
Batting first, Multan Sultans lost Mohammad Rizwan in the first over as Shaheen Afridi clean-bowled him for a five-ball duck. His wicket, however, did not hinder Multan’s run flow, as Usman Khan (96) and Reeza Hendricks (27-ball 40), kept attacking Lahore bowlers.
Tayyab Tahir (21) and Iftikhar Ahmed’s unbeaten 40 off 18 balls helped them post a massive total of 214-4 against Lahore.
For Lahore Qalandars, Afridi led the bowling attack with figures of 2-39, while Raza and Brathwaite claimed one wicket each.
While chasing, Fakhar Zaman and Sahibzada Farhan formed a solid opening partnership, notching up 54 runs before Fakhar fell victim to a blistering yorker from Aftab Ibrahim. He scored 23 runs off 16 deliveries.
Farhan displayed commendable batting prowess, contributing 31 runs before being dismissed by Khushdil Shah.
However, after the departure of the opening duo, there were no significant contributions from the rest of the lineup. Rassie van der Dussen attempted to steady the innings but lacked support from the other batsmen.
Both Kamran Ghulam and Sikandar Raza followed suit, succumbing to Faisal Akram after scoring 12 (off 9 balls) and 17 (off 7 balls) respectively.
Even skipper Shaheen Afridi couldn’t make much impact, adding just 9 runs before getting stumped by Usman Khan off a delivery by Usama Mir. With the middle order crumbling, despite a late surge from Carlos Brathwaite, who remained unbeaten with 14 runs off 7 balls, the team was eventually bowled out for a total of 154 runs in 17 overs.
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Points Table Update
Multan Sultans are back on the winning streak with two back-to-wins against Quetta Gladiators and Lahore Qalandars. They now have five wins from six games and 10 points, further consolidating their top spot in the points table.
Quetta Gladiators hold their second spot with six points. Peshawar Zalmi are third with three wins and six points, while Karachi Kings are fourth with four points. Islamabad United have slipped to the 5th spot with a solitary win from four games, while Lahore Qalandars remain in the 6th place with six defeats on the bounce.
Next Fixtures
Karachi Kings will play their first home game against Islamabad United at the National Bank Cricket Arena, on Wednesday. The match will start at 7 pm.
Past PSL Winners
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PSL 2016 – Islamabad United
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PSL 2017 – Peshawar Zalmi
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PSL 2018 – Islamabad United
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PSL 2019 – Quetta Gladiators
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PSL 2020 – Karachi Kings
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PSL 2021 – Multan Sultans
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PSL 2022 - Lahore Qalandars
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PSL 2023 - Lahore Qalandars
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