Karachi Kings Clinches the PSL Championship

The Karachi Kings’ became the champion of Pakistan Super League – PSL 2020 defeating Lahore Qalandars by five wickets here at the National Stadium Karachi on Tuesday.

Man of the Match Babar Azam’s brilliant batting who remained unbeaten with 63 runs off 49 balls led the Kings to its first victory in PSL. Babar made five half centuries in the League. He was presented with Players of the Tournament and the Best Batsman award while Shaheen Afridi best bowler and Fakhar Zaman best fielder.

The match played in the closed stadium, Karachi Kings scored 35 runs for the loss of one wicket during the power play. When the total score reached 49, Alex Hales was clean bowled by Dilbar Hussain. He scored 11 runs off 11 balls with the help of 1 four. Chadwick Walton played a confident innings in which he hit a four off 27 balls and scored 22 runs taking total score to 110 runs. After which Iftikhar Ahmed also scored four runs and was caught by David Wiese. On the very next ball of Harris Rauf without making any run

Rutherford was caught by Sohail Akhtar. Babar Azam scored 63 off 49 balls with the help of seven fours and remained unbeaten while captain Emad Wasim scored 10 off seven balls with the help of two fours.

LQ’s bowlers Haris Rauf and Dilbar Hussain got two wickets each in stipulated four overs while Samit Patel took one wicket.

Qalandars scored 134 runs with loss of seven wickets in stipulated 20 overs. Qalandars opening batsmen Tamim Iqbal and Fakhar Zaman scored just 30 runs at an average of six runs per over during the first five overs of the power play.

Besides three extras, Tamim Iqbal scored 10 and Fakhar 17 runs. While in 10th over when their partnership reached 68 runs at an average of 6.8, Tamim Iqbal was caught out by Iftikhar Ahmad on Umaid Asif’s ball. He faced 38 balls and made 35 runs with the help of one six and four fours.

Fakhar Zaman scored 27 runs off 24 balls with the help of four fours. Fakhar Zaman played a high shot on the leg side where there were two fielders but Iftikhar Ahmed called for a catch and thus he was caught out.

Qalandars first wicket on 68 runs, second on 69 and third on 70 runs fell one after another. Muhammad Hafeez was caught out by Babar Azam on Imad Wasim’s ball after scoring just two runs. Samit Patel scored five runs off eight balls and was caught out by Waqas Maqsood on ball of Arshad Iqbal while Captain Sohail Akhtar and David Wiese scored 14 runs each, Ben Dunk 11, and Shaheen Afridi who remained not out scored 12 runs.

Kings’ bowlers Arshad Iqbal, Umaid Asif and Waqas Maqsood took two wickets each in stipulated four overs while Imad Wasim took one wicket only.

Earlier, Lahore Qalandars had won the toss and decided to bat first.

Lahore Qalandars:
Sohail Akhtar (captain) Fakhar Zaman, Tamim Iqbal (Bangladesh), Muhammad Hafeez, wicket keeper Ben Dunk (Australia), Samit Patel (England), David Wiese (South Africa), Muhammad Faizan and Shaheen. Afridi, Haris Rauf and Dilbar Hussain.

Karachi Kings:
Imad Wasim, Babar Azam, Sharjeel Khan, Alex Hales (England), Umaid Asif, wicket keeper Chadwick Walton (West Indies), Muhammad Amir, Waqas Maqsood, Rutherford (West Indies), Iftikhar Ahmed and Arshad Iqbal.

Source: APP