LAHORE: 2021 champions Multan Sultans defeated Hyderabad Kingsmen by 6 wickets in the eighth match of Pakistan Super League (PSL) 11 at the Gaddafi Stadium here on Wednesday.
Opting to bat first, the newcomers amassed a mammoth total of 225/5 in 20 overs, aided by half-centuries from opener Mas Sadaq and veteran Sharjeel Khan.
Maas top-scored for the Kingsmen with a 26-ball 62, while Sharjeel scored an unbeaten 51 off as many balls.
Mohammad Wasim Jr bowled well for Sultan and took 2 wickets for 37 runs. Mohammad Nawaz, Peter Siddle and captain Ashton Turner took one wicket each.
Chasing a tough target of 226, Sahibzada Farhan’s unbeaten century saw Sultans cruise to victory with 4 wickets and 8 balls to spare.
Farhan scored an unbeaten 106 off 57 balls with 8 sixes and 7 fours to lead Sultans’ winning streak.
He got enough support from his opening partner Steve Smith (46) and vice-captain Shaun Masood (29) to eventually lead the former champions over the line with Arafat Minhas’ unbeaten 26 off 11 balls.
Saim Ayub grabbed two wickets for the Kingsmen but came at a price as he conceded 43 runs in his three overs, while Mahish Deekshana and Hasan Khan managed to pick up a wicket each.
The six-wicket win marked Multan Sultans’ second in a row and helped Karachi Kings top the PSL with 11 points thanks to better net run rate as both teams have four points each after their first two matches.
| Teams | Competitions | succeeds | Losses | No result | points | Net flow rate |
| Sultans of Multan | 2 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 4 | 0.868 |
| Kings of Karachi | 2 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 4 | 0.524 |
| Peshawar Salmi | 2 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 3 | 0.674 |
| Lahore Colleagues | 2 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 2 | 1.567 |
| Quetta Gladiators | 2 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 2 | 0.650 |
| Islamabad United | 2 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 1 | -0.825 |
| Rawalpindi’s | 1 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | -0.674 |
| Hyderabad Kingsmen | 3 | 0 | 3 | 0 | 0 | -2.077 |
On the other hand, the Kingsmen remained at the bottom after suffering their third straight defeat.
Their next game is scheduled against 2017 champions Peshawar Zalmi, who are third with three points after two games, while Sultans will face defending champions Lahore Qalandars who are fourth with two points from as many games.
The previous edition’s runner-up, Quetta Gladiators, are fifth in the PSL 11 standings with two points from two games, followed by three-time champions Islamabad United, who have a point after as many matches.
Rawalpindis, another debutant, finished seventh after losing his campaign opener against Zalmi.