Multan Sultans defeated Peshawar Zalmi by 3 runs in their Pakistan Super League encounter at National Stadium, Karachi on Sunday.

Zalmi won the toss and elected to bowl first in a match they played without any foreign players as all foreign players of their team departed for their home countries over coronavirus fears. The match was played behind closed doors.

Tournament leader Multan Sultans struggled to score freely and posted 154-6 after 20 overs. Wicketkeeper batsman Zeeshan Ashraf hit a half century and Khushdil Shah scored 20-balls 30 runs to help Sultans post a respectable total.

Rahat Ali was the pick of the Zalmi bowlers as he picked three wickets for 24 runs to keep Sultans under below par score.

Chasing 155 runs, Zalmi could only manage to score 151 for the loss of 7 wickets. Imamul Haq scored 56 runs off 41 balls including four fours and two sixes. Shoaib Malik and Umar Amin scored 30 and 29 runs, respectively.

Ali Shafiq and Sohail Tanvir got two wickets each.

Earlier in the Sultans innings, Rahat broke the opening partnership when Rohail Nazir nicked a delivery to wicketkeeper Kamran Akmal after scoring 14 runs on as many balls including two boundaries.

Zeeshan and captain Shan Masood added 60 runs for the second wicket partnership before Rahat again dealt a double blow to Sultans to halt their recovery. Zeeshan edged a short delivery to keeper Kamran. He scored 52 runs off 39 balls and hit 7 fours and a six.

Rahat next clean bowled Moeen Ali in the same over who went for a duck.

Ravi Bopara was next the man to go after scoring 5 runs off eight balls when Hammad Azam took his catch at cover on the bowling of M Amir Khan.

Hasan Ali removed captain Shan Masood when Umar Amin took a catch at cover. He scored 28 runs off 23 balls hitting three boundaries.

Captain Wahab Riaz took the key wicket of Shahid Afridi who mistimed his shot that went up high in the air and Umar Amin ran back and took a lovely catch at cover. He scored 19 runs off 13 balls hitting one boundary and a six.

Khushdil Shah hit two sixes in his 20-ball 30 runs to help Sultans to reach 154-6.