Multan Sultans beat Lahore Qalandars for first win of the season

Multan Sultans finally opened their account in PSL 10 by defeating Lahore Qalandars by 33 runs in the 12th match of the Pakistan Super League season 10, at Multan on Tuesday.

Lahore Qalandars fell short, managing 195 for 9 by the end of their innings. Despite fighting knocks by Sikandar Raza (50) and Sam Billings (43), Lahore couldn’t keep up with the required run rate.

Fakhar Zaman (22), Mohammad Naeem (11), and Daryl Mitchell (19) were dismissed cheaply.

Multan’s bowling attack stood strong, with Ubaid Shah picking up 3 wickets, and Usama Mir taking 2. Rashid Hussain also contributed with 2 dismissals, while Shaheen Shah Afridi and Asif Afridi claimed one wicket each.

Earlier, Yasir Khan and Iftikhar Ahmad’s explosive knock helped Multan Sultan to set a massive target of 229 runs for Lahore Qalandars.    

Multan Sultans won the toss and elected to bat first against Lahore Qalandars in their PSL X match at their home ground in Multan.

They scored 228 for the loss of five wickets in their 20 overs. 

The Sultans' innings featured a blistering innings by Yasir Khan, who hammered 87 runs off just 44 balls. His explosive knock, studded with 6 sixes and 6 fours, laid a solid foundation for Multan’s imposing total.

Yasir Khan’s aggressive strokeplay kept the scoreboard ticking at a rapid pace, keeping the pressure firmly on Lahore’s bowlers.

Complementing Yasir’s brilliance was Iftikhar Ahmed, who played a quickfire unbeaten innings of 40 runs off just 18 deliveries, further accelerating the momentum in the latter half of the innings.

Earlier in the lineup, Usman Khan contributed a steady 39 runs, while captain Mohammad Rizwan chipped in with a composed 32-run knock, anchoring the top order.

On the bowling side, Lahore Qalandars struggled to contain the Sultans’ onslaught. Rishad Hossain was the pick of the bowlers with 2 wickets, while Shaheen Afridi, Asif Afridi, and Sikandar Raza each claimed one wicket.

Sultans are facing a familiar foe in their pursuit of the first win of the season in front of their home crowd, whom they edged out 10-9 in head-to-head record.

A total of 19 matches have been played between them in PSL, Sultans won 10 and Qalandars won 9, including two finals.

Multan Sultans, who were the most balanced side and the runners-up of the last three seasons, are still struggling to find their first win this season. They are at the bottom of the points table, having played three and lost three. Return to home conditions may change their fortunes.

On the other hand, Lahore Qalandars, shaping it well after their defeat in the opening match against Islamabad United, came back strongly and won their two matches. Fakhar Zaman looked in great touch on top and lifted Qalandars with back-to-back player of the match awards.

Multan Sultans made two changes, Yasir Khan and Joshua Little came in place of Shai Hope and Akif Javed. Lahore Qalandars are unchanged.

Playing XIs

Lahore Qalandars: Fakhar Zaman, Mohammad Naeem, Abdullah Shafique, Daryl Mitchell, +Sam Billings, Sikandar Raza, Shaheen Afridi, Rishad Hossain, Haris Rauf, Zaman Khan, Asif Afridi.

Multan Sultans: Mohammad Rizwan, Yasir Khan, Usman Khan, Kamran Ghulam, Michael Bracewell, Iftikhar Ahmed, Ashton Turner, David Willey, Usama Mir, Ubaid Shah, Joshua Little.