Karachi Kings ended their campaign in the Pakistan Super League (PSL) season eight with a resounding 86-run victory over table-toppers Lahore Qalandars in their final group fixture at the Gaddafi Stadium in Lahore. The win lifted the Kings to finish in fifth place with six points in 10 matches, ahead of Quetta Gladiators on net run rate.
Muhammad Akhlaq, who was playing his first match of the season, was named the player of the match for his match-winning half-century knock. He top-scored with 51 runs off just 36 balls, including five boundaries and two sixes, and shared a 70-run partnership for the second wicket with Tayyab Tahir, who scored 40 runs off 23 balls.
Karachi Kings lost an early wicket of Haider Ali in the first over of the match but managed to post a challenging total of 196-7, thanks to two fifty-plus partnerships for the second and fifth wicket. Captain Imad Wasim and Ben Cutting also contributed to the total with a 52-run partnership for the fifth wicket.
In their chase, Lahore Qalandars never looked to threaten the target and lost wickets at regular intervals. All-rounder Hussain Talat was the only batter to cross the 20-run mark, scoring 25 runs off as many balls. The Kings’ bowlers dominated the Qalandars’ batting unit, with Akif Javed being the most economical bowler, conceding just eight runs in three overs and picking up two important wickets.
After the match, Akhlaq expressed his satisfaction with his debut performance and thanked Allah for granting him respect in his first match. He also praised his team’s efforts throughout the tournament and attributed their defeats to bad luck and poor death bowling.
Karachi Kings had a disappointing campaign this season, finishing outside the playoff spots, despite some impressive individual performances. The team lost most of their matches by close margins, with their below-par death bowling being a prime reason for their defeats.
The PSL season eight saw some thrilling cricketing action and witnessed some outstanding individual performances, including Mohammad Rizwan’s record-breaking run-scoring spree for Multan Sultans, and Shahnawaz Dhani’s impressive debut season for Multan Sultans.
The tournament was marred by the withdrawal of several foreign players due to security concerns, including some high-profile names such as Chris Gayle, Dale Steyn, and Alex Hales. However, the PSL managed to provide a platform for young and upcoming local talent to showcase their skills and gain valuable experience.
PSL 8 (Match no. 30): Lahore Qalandars vs Karachi Kings Score card
Karachi Kings Batting
| Batsmen | R | B | 4S | 6S | SR | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Muhammad Akhlaq (WK) | c D Wiese b Haris Rauf | 51 | 36 | 5 | 2 | 141.67 |
| Haider Ali | c Kamran Ghulam b Dilbar Hussain | 8 | 5 | 2 | 0 | 160.00 |
| Tayyab Tahir | c Dilbar Hussain b Hussain Talat | 40 | 23 | 4 | 1 | 173.91 |
| Qasim Akram | c S Dadswell b Hussain Talat | 2 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 66.67 |
| Imad Wasim(C) | b Zaman Khan | 45 | 31 | 6 | 0 | 145.16 |
| Ben Cutting | b Haris Rauf | 33 | 14 | 2 | 3 | 235.71 |
| Irfan Khan | c Hussain Talat b Zaman Khan | 0 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0.00 |
| James Fuller | Not out | 10 | 5 | 1 | 0 | 200.00 |
| Mohammad Umar | Not out | 1 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 50.00 |
| Extra | 6 (b 0, w 5, nb 1, lb 0) | |||||
| Total | 196/7 (20) | |||||
| Yet To Bat | Imran Tahir, Akif Javed |
Lahore Qalandars Bowling
| BOWLING | O | M | R | W | ECON |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Dilbar Hussain | 3 | 0 | 37 | 1 | 12.33 |
| Zaman Khan | 4 | 0 | 39 | 2 | 9.75 |
| Haris Rauf | 4 | 0 | 52 | 2 | 13.00 |
| David Wiese | 1 | 0 | 6 | 0 | 6.00 |
| Rashid Khan | 4 | 0 | 30 | 0 | 7.50 |
| Hussain Talat | 3 | 0 | 24 | 2 | 8.00 |
| Shane Dadswell | 1 | 0 | 8 | 0 | 8.00 |
Lahore Qalandars Batting
| Batsmen | R | B | 4S | 6S | SR | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Fakhar Zaman | c Ben Cutting b Mohammad Umar | 13 | 11 | 1 | 1 | 118.18 |
| Abdullah Shafique | c Tayyab Tahir b Akif Javed | 2 | 6 | 0 | 0 | 33.33 |
| Kamran Ghulam | b Akif Javed | 11 | 10 | 0 | 1 | 110.00 |
| Sam Billings(WK) | c Muhammad Akhlaq b JK Fuller | 11 | 13 | 0 | 0 | 84.62 |
| Hussain Talat | c Ben Cutting b Imran Tahir | 25 | 25 | 4 | 0 | 100.00 |
| David Wiese(C) | c Irfan Khan b IM Wasim | 2 | 7 | 0 | 0 | 28.57 |
| Shane Dadswell | c Irfan Khan b Imran Tahir | 3 | 4 | 0 | 0 | 75.00 |
| Rashid Khan | Retired hurt | 6 | 13 | 1 | 0 | 46.15 |
| Haris Rauf | c JK Fuller b Mohammad Umar | 18 | 14 | 0 | 2 | 128.57 |
| Dilbar Hussain | b IM Wasim | 8 | 3 | 2 | 0 | 266.67 |
| Zaman Khan | Not out | 6 | 7 | 0 | 1 | 85.71 |
| Extra | 5 (b 0, w 2, nb 0, lb 3) | |||||
| Total | 110/9 (18.5) |
Karachi Kings Bowling
| BOWLING | O | M | R | W | ECON |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Imad Wasim | 4 | 0 | 26 | 2 | 6.50 |
| Akif Javed | 3 | 0 | 8 | 2 | 2.67 |
| Mohammad Umar | 3.5 | 0 | 20 | 2 | 5.22 |
| James Fuller | 4 | 0 | 29 | 1 | 7.25 |
| Imran Tahir | 4 | 0 | 24 | 2 | 6.00 |
Lahore Qalandars Playing XI:
- Fakhar Zaman
- Abdullah Shafique
- Sam Billings (wk)
- Kamran Ghulam
- Hussain Talat
- Shane Dadswell
- Rashid Khan
- David Wiese (c)
- Dilbar Hussain
- Haris Rauf
- Zaman Khan
Karachi Kings Playing XI:
- Haider Ali
- Muhammad Akhlaq (wk)
- Tayyab Tahir
- Shoaib Malik
- Imad Wasim (c)
- Ben Cutting
- Irfan Khan Niazi
- James Fuller
- Imran Tahir
- Muhammad Umer
- Akif Javed
