Kings Clinch Third Victory, Overpowering Zalmi

KARACHI: Karachi Kings, the former PSL champions, secured a narrow two-wicket victory against Peshawar Zalmi in the 11th match of PSL 10, held at the National Bank Stadium on Monday.

After being asked to bat, Zalmi managed to score 147/8 in their 20 overs, despite a determined innings from their captain, Babar Azam.

The prominent batter led Zalmi’s scoring with 46 runs from 41 balls, including seven fours.

Mohammad Haris, the wicketkeeper-batsman (28), and Alzarri Joseph also made valuable contributions to Zalmi’s total.

For the Kings, Khushdil Shah and Abbas Afridi each claimed three wickets, while Mir Hamza and Aamir Jamal took one wicket apiece.

Subsequently, the Kings successfully chased the 148-run target with three balls to spare, thanks to a solid half-century from captain David Warner and an impressive unbeaten performance by Khushdil.

Warner was the highest scorer for the Kings, scoring 60 runs off 47 balls with eight boundaries, while Khushdil contributed an unbeaten 23 runs off 17 balls, hitting three fours.

This two-wicket victory marks the third for the Kings in the ongoing PSL 10, elevating them to second place with six points after five matches. Lahore Qalandars, the two-time champions, have dropped to third place with four points in three games.

Zalmi, conversely, remains in fourth place with two points after four matches, closely followed by Quetta Gladiators, who are fifth due to a lower net run rate.

Islamabad United, the defending champions, currently lead the points table with eight points and a substantial net run rate of 2.544, having won all four of their PSL 10 matches.

Multan Sultans, the 2021 champions and last year’s runners-up, are currently at the bottom of the standings, having lost all three of their PSL 10 matches.