Karachi Kings defeated Lahore Qalandars by four wickets under the DLS method in a rain-affected Pakistan Super League match Saturday at Gaddafi Stadium. The contest was reduced to 15 overs per side due to weather delays.
Lahore Qalandars batted first and posted 160 for eight. Openers Mohammad Naeem and Fakhar Zaman provided a strong start, building a 90-run partnership in just 7.5 overs. Naeem scored 65 off 29 deliveries, while Zaman added 51 off 33 balls.
However, after the opening stand, Lahore experienced a batting collapse, losing eight wickets for 67 runs. Karachi's bowlers contained the scoring, with Abbas Afridi leading the attack by taking four wickets for 27 runs. His dismissals included Abdullah Shafique, Daryl Mitchell and Sikandar Raza. Abbas Afridi impacted Lahore's middle order.
Before the match, Lahore Qalandars all-rounder Sikandar Raza downplayed the rivalry hype, stating the team focused on securing a top-two finish in the PSL standings.
Following the rain interruption and DLS calculation, Karachi Kings were set a revised target of 168 runs from 15 overs.
Karachi’s chase began with contributions from their top order. David Warner scored 24 off 13 balls and Tim Seifert made 24 off 10 deliveries. Saad Baig added 25 off 15 balls.
Irfan Khan anchored the chase, scoring an unbeaten 48 off 21 balls, including five sixes, to guide his team to victory with three balls remaining. Mohammad Nabi contributed a quick 15 runs.
The pitch at Gaddafi Stadium had previously shown it could be difficult for batters, with the average first innings score in completed matches being around 160.
For Lahore, bowlers Haris Rauf and Mitchell each took two wickets, but they could not prevent Karachi from reaching the target.
