Akif Javed's four-fer and James Vince's firepower helped Karachi Kings thump arch-rivals Lahore Qalandars by 67 runs to register their first Pakistan Super League (PSL) season eight win on Sunday.
In response to Karachi's 186-run target, Lahore were skittled out to just 118 runs in the 18th over.
Chasing a sizeable total, Lahore started aggressively with young Mirza Baig scoring most of the runs and Fakhar Zaman being his silent partner.
The pair had added 40 runs when Aamer Yamin clean-bowled Fakhar Zaman for 15. Mohammad Aamir struck shortly after and removed Shae Hope for just one run.
Baig and Karman Ghulam (23) rebuilt the innings, but could not keep up with the asking rate. As the scoreboard pressure mounted, Lahore once again lost the wickets in a cluster, as Kamran Ghulam, Mirza Baig (45), and Hussain Talat (2) returned to the dugout within a span of five runs.
Sikandar Reza (18) tried a few big shots down the order, but in vain, as the visiting side was bundled out to 118 runs in 17.3 overs, handing Karachi their first win in four games this season.
Akif Javed, who was playing his first game for Karachi Kings, was the star of the night with match-winning figures of 4/24 in 3.3 overs.
Earlier, James Vince (45), Matthew Wade (36), and Imad Wasim (35*) helped Karachi Kings 186-run target for Lahore Qalandars.
PSL 2023 day 5 round-up: Multan Sultans thump Peshawar Zalmi by 56 runs
Vince and Wade set the tone with a 70-run stand for the opening wicket. They lost Vince, Wade, Haider (18), and Shoaib Malik (10) in quick succession, but skipper Imad Wasim and Ben Cutting’s small cameo at the end, helped Karachi post their biggest total this season.
Shaheen Afridi, Zaman Khan, Liam Dawson, and Haris Rauf bagged one wicket each.
First match
Earlier in the day, Multan Sultans stamped their authority with a crushing 52-run win over high-flying Islamabad United in the seventh game of the PSL 8.
Defending 190 runs against a formidable batting side, Multan bowlers bowled brilliantly to skittle out Islamabad to just 138 runs in the 18th over to register their third consecutive win in the tournament.
It was all about Multan's mesmerising bowling today. Mohammad Ilyas removed both openers – Paul Stirling and Hassan Nawaz – before Usama Mir, and Ihsanullah destroyed the middle order. It was Abbas Afridi who dealt a killer blow and took three wickets in the 18th over to bundle out Islamabad.
Abbas Afridi ended up with his career-best figures of 4/22, while Ihsanullah, Mohammad Ilyas, and Usama Mir picked two wickets apiece.
No batter other than Rassie van der Dussen (49) and Hassan Nawaz (21) could surpass the 20-run mark for Islamabad.
Earlier, Multan Sultans lost Shan Masood (3) cheaply, but skipper Mohammad Rizwan and Rilee Rossouw kept their innings steady. The duo provided a 91-run stand for the second wicket before departing for 50 and 36, respectively, in quick succession.
When Multan were losing momentum, David Miller (52) and Keiron Pollard's (32*) power-hitting provided them with the much-needed boost, propelling their side to 190/4 in 20 overs.
With his figures of 0/21 in four overs, Abrar Ahmed was the only economical bowler for Islamabad United.
Points Table Update
With this win, Multan Sultans registered their third consecutive win to get two more valuable points to perch on top of the points table with a total of 6 points. Karachi Kings, who had lost three games on the trot, boosted their run rate with a massive win and now perch right beneath Multan with 2 points.
Next Fixtures
Fans will witness an important game between Peshawar Zalmi and Quetta Gladiators at 7:00 pm on Saturday. The match will be played at the National Bank Cricket Arena, Karachi.
Past PSL Winners
PSL 2016 – Islamabad United
PSL 2017 – Peshawar Zalmi
PSL 2018 – Islamabad United
PSL 2019 – Quetta Gladiators
PSL 2020 – Karachi Kings
PSL 2021 – Multan Sultans
PSL 2022 - Lahore Qalandars