Multan Sultans eliminated from PSL 10 after crushing defeat by Karachi Kings
LAHORE: Multan Sultans were officially ousted from Pakistan Super League (PSL) 10 after suffering a crushing defeat to Karachi Kings in the 20th match, played at Gaddafi Stadium on Thursday.
Set a daunting target of 205, Multan endured a disastrous start as captain Mohammad Rizwan was dismissed for a second-ball duck in the second over by Abbas Afridi, with the score at just 3-1. The following over saw Mir Hamza strike, removing wicketkeeper-batter Usman Khan for only one.
The Sultans’ top order unraveled under pressure. Yasir Khan offered brief resistance with a 26-run cameo off 17 deliveries but was the third wicket to fall during the powerplay, leaving Multan tottering at 34-3 in 4.2 overs.
Kamran Ghulam provided some stability in the middle, staying unbeaten for much of the innings and scoring 28, but received little support. Curtis Campher dealt key blows, dismissing Mohammad Nabi (12) and Iftikhar Ahmed (8), reducing the Sultans to 76-5 by 10.2 overs.
Michael Bracewell (2) and David Willey (0) fell cheaply as the collapse deepened, with Multan staggering to 85-7 in 11.4 overs. Khushdil Shah then removed the well-set Kamran Ghulam, further crushing Multan’s hopes at 88-8 in the 12.4th over.
Mohammad Nabi mopped up the tail by taking his third wicket, dismissing Usama Mir for just 1, while Mir Hamza wrapped up the innings by removing Ubaid Shah (14), consigning Multan to just their first winless campaign in eight matches.
Earlier, Karachi Kings chose to bat first and came out blazing, thanks to aggressive hitting from openers Tim Seifert and captain David Warner.
Although Ubaid Shah broke through by dismissing Omair Bin Yousuf for 1 at 58-3, Irfan Khan Niazi and James Vince steadied the innings with a pivotal fourth-wicket stand.
By the 12th over, Karachi had recovered to 112-3, with Niazi unbeaten on 39 and Vince on 33. The duo added 78 runs before Campher broke the partnership, removing Niazi for 40 off 33 balls at 138-4 in 14.5 overs.
James Vince maintained his strong form in PSL 10, notching another half-century to lift Karachi to 155-4 after 17 overs. He was joined by Khushdil Shah, who produced a blistering late cameo.
The Kings piled on 16 runs in the final over, finishing with a commanding 204-4. Vince stayed unbeaten on 65, while Khushdil smashed 33 off just 13 balls, setting up a comprehensive win.
