Lahore Qalandars crush Karachi Kings by 65 runs in PSL 10 clash

Lahore: In the sixth match of the 10th edition of the Pakistan Super League (PSL), Lahore Qalandars defeated Karachi Kings by 65 runs, securing their second consecutive victory in the tournament.

The match was played at the National Bank Stadium in Karachi, where Lahore Qalandars batted first and posted a total of 201 runs for the loss of 6 wickets in the allotted 20 overs.

Chasing the target, Karachi Kings were off to a disastrous start as Lahore captain Shaheen Afridi dismissed David Warner and James Vince in the very first over, leaving Karachi under pressure. The entire Karachi side was bowled out for 136 runs in 19.1 overs.

Warner and Vince, both departed without scoring. After the early collapse, Karachi struggled to recover. Shan Masood and Tim Seifert scored 18 runs each, Irfan Khan made 6, Arafat Minhas went for a duck, Abbas Afridi scored 1, Hasan Ali contributed 27, Adam Milne 16, and Khushdil Shah top-scored with 39.

For Lahore, Shaheen Afridi and Rashid Hussain took 3 wickets each, Sikandar Raza claimed 2, while Asif Afridi and Haris Rauf picked up one apiece.

Earlier, Shaheen Afridi won the toss and opted to bat first. Fakhar Zaman and Mohammad Naeem opened the innings for Lahore. Naeem was dismissed for just 7, followed by Abdullah Shafique for 6.

However, a 125-run partnership between Fakhar Zaman and Daryl Mitchell for the third wicket laid the foundation for a big total. Fakhar scored 76 off 47 balls (5 sixes, 6 fours), while Mitchell made 75 off 41 (2 sixes, 9 fours). Sam Billings added 19 and Sikandar Raza chipped in with 10 runs.

Hasan Ali was the pick of the bowlers for Karachi, taking 4 wickets, while Abbas Afridi took 1.

Lahore made one change to their lineup, bringing in Zaman Khan in place of Jahandad Khan. Karachi retained the same squad from their previous match, where James Vince’s century had led them to a thrilling win over Multan Sultans.

Lahore had lost their opening match to Islamabad United but bounced back with a victory over Quetta Gladiators in their second game.