Multan Sultans, in great form, secured their sixth victory in the HBL Pakistan Super League (PSL) this year, defeating Karachi Kings. The match took place at the National Stadium on Sunday night.
Multan Sultans batted first and scored 189 for three. Karachi Kings, in response, managed 169 for seven.
The Sultans’ bowlers, including David Willey, Mohammad Ali, Chris Jordan, and Khushdil Shah, each took one wicket. The leggie Usama Mir, in good form, took two wickets for 29 runs.
Despite efforts from Hasan Ali and Mohammad in the later overs, the damage caused by the Sultan bowlers in the initial 10 overs prevented the Kings from making a strong comeback.
During the first 10 overs, Karachi Kings faced challenges in pursuing the tricky target of 190, managing only 79 runs for the loss of three wickets. Opener Tim Seifert was dismissed in the second over by Mohammad Ali. Although the Kings scored 53 in the first six overs, they couldn’t consistently maintain the required scoring rate.
Sultan’s well-executed field and bowling strategies prevented Karachi Kings from building significant partnerships that could have posed a threat.
Batting first, Multan Sultans had an aggressive start, scoring 12 runs in the first over. However, the Kings’ bowlers tightened the game in the next two overs, with Muzarabani removing Reza Hendricks (13).
After Reza’s dismissal, Rizwan and Usman Khan formed a crucial partnership, adding 148 runs for the third wicket. Rizwan anchored one end with a steady rotation of strikes, while Usman, who played an entertaining knock with 10 fours and five sixes, adopted an aggressive approach.
Usman, who had previously scored an impressive 96 against Lahore Qalandars, played a brilliant innings, scoring heavily in the 10th, 15th, 16th, and 20th overs. He hit two sixes and a four against leg-spinner Zahid Mahmood in the 15th over, and in the last over, he added 13 runs with a six and a four.
For Karachi Kings, Zimbabwe’s Blessing Muzarabani was the standout bowler, taking two wickets for 32 runs. Hasan Ali picked up one wicket for 34 runs, while Mohammad Nawaz proved expensive, conceding 37 runs in three overs.