LAHORE: 2020 champions Karachi Kings registered a resounding five-wicket win over defending champions Lahore Qalandars in Match 35 of Pakistan Super League (PSL) 11 at the Gaddafi Stadium on Thursday.
Batting first, the team scored 199 for 5 in 20 overs thanks to half-centuries from Faqar Zaman and Abdullah Shafiq.
Shafiq scored a massive 62 off 36 balls with 5 fours and 3 sixes and 61 off 41 balls. Both added 110 runs for the 2nd wicket.
Apart from them, Daniel Sams smashed 20 off nine balls.
Seasoned all-rounder Moeen Ali was the standout bowler for the Kings as he took 2 for just 26 from his four overs, while Hasan Ali and Rizwanullah chipped in with a scalp each.
Chasing a tough target of 200 runs, the Kings managed an unbeaten half-century from captain David Warner and a late blitz from Khushtil Shah to seal a 5-wicket, 8-ball victory.
Warner oversaw the Kings series with 63 off 44 balls, while Kushtil hit 44 off 14 balls with 5 fours and 2 sixes.
Among the bowlers for Kings was Ubaid Shah who took 3 wickets for 41 runs in his four overs, while Sams and Haris Rauf claimed a wicket each.
A hard-fought win over Kings Calendar kept them in contention for the PSL 11 playoffs race and lifted them to sixth on the points table with eight points from nine games.
On the other hand, the Callanders were fifth with a similar record but a relatively higher net run rate. Apart from the two fierce rivals, Hyderabad Kingsmen also have eight points but have a game in hand.
| Teams | Competitions | succeeds | Losses | No results | points | Net flow rate |
| Peshawar Zalmi (K) | 9 | 8 | 0 | 1 | 17 | 2.645 |
| Sultans of Multan (K) | 9 | 6 | 3 | 0 | 12 | 0.450 |
| Islamabad United | 8 | 4 | 3 | 1 | 9 | 1.082 |
| Hyderabad Kingsmen | 8 | 4 | 4 | 0 | 8 | -0.367 |
| Lahore Colleagues | 9 | 4 | 5 | 0 | 8 | -0.558 |
| Kings of Karachi | 9 | 4 | 5 | 0 | 8 | -1.063 |
| Quetta Gladiators | 9 | 3 | 6 | 0 | 6 | -0.355 |
| Rawalpindis (E) | 9 | 1 | 8 | 0 | 2 | -1.330 |
Also, Kings’ win kept Quetta Gladiators in contention, the previous edition’s runners-up dropped to seventh place with six points after nine matches.
2017 champions Peshawar Zalmi are at the top of the points table with 17 points from nine matches, followed by Multan Sultans with 12 points and three-time champions Islamabad United are third with nine points.
Another debutant, Rawalpindis, remains bottom of the table despite registering a first win against United earlier today.