Quetta Gladiators Crush Hyderabad Kingsmen by 40 Runs in PSL 11

LAHORE: Quetta Gladiators claimed their first victory of Pakistan Super League (PSL) 11 with a commanding 40-run win over Hyderabad Kingsmen at the Gaddafi Stadium on Sunday.

Chasing a target of 175, Hyderabad Kingsmen struggled against an inspired Gladiators bowling attack and could only manage 134-8 in their 20 overs.

Saim Ayub fell early after a brisk start, scoring eight off four balls before being caught by a vicious bouncer from Alzarri Joseph. Soon after, Maaz Sadaqat was dismissed for a duck by Abrar Ahmed, leaving Kingsmen in trouble at 17-2 inside the powerplay. Usman Khan’s departure for 14 off 18 deliveries, again at Abrar’s hands, further dented their momentum, reducing the side to 51-4 by the ninth over.

Saad Ali and Marnus Labuschagne tried to steady the innings with a partnership, but Usman Tariq struck in his first over to remove Saad for seven. Skipper Saud Shakeel then provided another crucial breakthrough by dismissing Labuschagne, who had scored 23 off 21 balls.

Irfan Khan Niazi and Hassan Khan then put together a useful 48-run partnership to revive Hyderabad’s hopes, but the pressure soon returned. Hassan fell for 31 off 19 balls to Ahmed Daniyal, followed by Abrar Ahmed dismissing Irfan for 33. Ahmed Daniyal returned later to send Hammad Azam back for six, leaving Kingsmen under immense pressure as they finished well short of the target. Maheesh Theekshana remained unbeaten on two, while Riley Meredith contributed three runs.

Earlier, Gladiators set a challenging total of 174-8. Skipper Saud and Shamyl Hussain gave their team a solid start, but Riley Meredith struck on the final ball of the second over to remove Saud after a quick four. Meredith returned in the fourth over to dismiss Rilee Rossouw for a duck, putting Hyderabad on top early.

Shamyl Hussain then combined with Hassan Nawaz in a 50-run partnership to stabilize the innings. Shamyl was in excellent touch, scoring 54 off 41 balls, including three boundaries and three sixes, before falling to Meredith. Hassan continued, reaching his fourth PSL fifty, with Khawaja Nafay supporting him at the crease. Hassan’s knock of 53 off 40 came to an end via a direct run-out from Usman Khan.

Maheesh Theekshana then swung the game back in Hyderabad’s favour with two quick wickets in the 15th over, sending Nafay back for six and Ben McDermott for a duck. Tom Curran provided late fireworks, finishing with 31 off 18 balls, including three sixes, while Akif Javed bowled the final over to take two key wickets, including Alzarri Joseph for a duck. Abrar Ahmed and Ahmed Daniyal added quick runs at the end to finish the innings strongly.

For Hyderabad, Riley Meredith was the pick of the bowlers with 3-38, while Maheesh Theekshana and Akif Javed picked up two wickets each.

Quetta Gladiators’ disciplined bowling and timely hitting proved decisive, earning them a well-deserved first win of PSL 11.