Karachi Kings defeated an in-form Quetta Gladiators side by seven wickets on Wednesday at the Rawalpindi Cricket Stadium, thanks to fast bowler Hassan Ali, who grabbed four wickets to hold the Kings at bay. Batting first, the Gladiators failed to post a high score on the scoreboard. The second-placed team was bowled out for 118 runs in 19.1 overs, with Ali collecting the vital wickets of Saud Shakeel, Khawaja Nafay, Akeel Hosein, and Muhammad Hasnain for scores of 4/15.
Blessing Muzarabani and spinner Zahid Mahmood impressed with scores of 2/27 and 2/25, respectively.”Started the Rawalpindi leg with an emphatic victory,” the Kings said on social networking site X. “Truly an exceptional team effort.”
Shan Masood, the Kings’ captain, maintained his dismal run in the competition, scoring only seven runs before being removed by Mohammad Amir. However, a 50-run combination between Tim Seifert (49) and James Vince (29) kept the match in the Kings’ grip.
Former Pakistan captain Shoaib Malik kept his composure to smash 27 runs from 20 balls, while Irfan Khan added four runs from six balls to help the Kings defeat the Gladiators.
The Kings have three victories from seven matches, while the Gladiators, who are second in the PSL points table, have four wins from seven.
The Multan Sultans are the only team to have qualified for the PSL playoffs.
Maria Ghanchi