Defending champions Lahore Qalandars secured a commanding 69-run victory over Hyderabad Kingsmen in the Pakistan Super League’s (PSL) opener, powered by Fakhar Zaman’s fluent fifty and a disciplined bowling performance at Lahore’s Gaddafi Stadium on Thursday.
Set to chase a daunting 200-run target in their maiden PSL appearance, the Kingsmen’s batting unit faltered and could accumulate 130 before getting bowled out in 20 overs. Captain Marnus Labuschagne remained the top-scorer for the Kingsmen with a cautious 26 off 22 deliveries, followed by No.9 batter Riley Meredith, who made an unbeaten 19 off 25 deliveries.
Besides them, opener Saim Ayub (17), experienced all-rounder Hammad Azam, and tailender Mohammad Ali, 10 each, were the only other batters to amass double figures.
For the Qalandars, Haris Rauf, Sikandar Raza and Ubaid Shah bagged two wickets each, while Mustafizur Rahman and captain Shaheen Shah Afridi chipped in with one scalp apiece. Qalandars captain Shaheen Shah Afridi’s decision to bat first paid dividends as the holders racked up 199/6 in their 20 overs despite a brief top-order collapse.
The three-time champions made a flamboyant start to their innings, courtesy of an 84-run partnership between their openers, Fakhar and Mohammad Naeem.
The crucial partnership was eventually broken by Hassan Khan on the second delivery of the ninth over when he got Naeem caught at long-on by Rizwan Mehmood. The right-handed opener walked back after scoring a 19-ball 30, comprising four fours and a six. Qalandars then lost two more wickets in the next two overs as top-order batter Abdullah Shafique (four) got run out, while Fakhar fell victim to Hassan shortly after bringing up his half-century.
The left-handed opener remained the top-scorer for the Qalandars with 53 off 39 deliveries, studded with nine fours.
Following the back-to-back setbacks, Haseebullah Khan and Parvez Hossain Emon (14) put together an anchoring 37-run partnership for the fourth wicket, which culminated with the latter’s dismissal in the 16th over. Haseebullah was then involved in a brisk 45-run partnership with all-rounder Sikandar Raza, who played a quickfire 24-run cameo off just 10 deliveries, featuring two sixes and as many fours.
The wicketkeeper batter remained unbeaten with a 28-ball 40, while Asif Ali and captain Shaheen made handy contributions at the backend, scoring nine and 12 not out, respectively.
For the Kingsmen, Riley Meredith and Hassan picked up two wickets each, while Mohammad Ali made one scalp.
Earlier, Chief Minister Punjab Maryam Nawaz Sharif visited Gaddafi Stadium to support players during the opening match of the Pakistan Super League. She was warmly received by Mohsin Naqvi and other officials upon her arrival. During the visit, she met with the owners of all eight teams, extended her best wishes, and interacted with both local and international players, appreciating their commitment to the game. She was also introduced to players from Hyderabad Kings and Lahore Qalandars, and joined them for a group photograph.
Chief Minister Punjab Maryam Nawaz Sharif paid tribute to foreign players participating in the league and praised the organizers for successfully hosting the tournament despite challenging circumstances.