LAHORE, Pakistan: Karachi Kings secured a narrow four-wicket victory over defending champions Lahore Qalandars in a tense sixth match of the Pakistan Super League 11 at Gaddafi Stadium on Sunday.
Chasing a modest target of 129 on a challenging surface, Karachi reached 132-6 with three balls to spare, thanks to a composed innings by Muhammad Waseem and late hitting from Abbas Afridi.
Early collapse tests Kings
Karachi’s chase began poorly as captain David Warner (8) and Salman Ali Agha (0) were dismissed in the same over by Shaheen Shah Afridi, leaving the side at 10-2.
Waseem then steadied the innings, building key partnerships with Saad Baig (19) and Moeen Ali (18) to revive the chase.
He top-scored with a measured 38 off 37 balls, striking three fours and a six, before falling in the 15th over.
Late drama seals victory
Shaheen struck twice in the same over to remove Waseem and Moeen, reducing Karachi to 88-5 and shifting momentum back to Lahore.
A 32-run stand between Khushdil Shah and Azam Khan brought the equation down to 14 runs off the final over.
However, a five-run penalty awarded to Karachi after the ball was deemed to have been altered reduced the target to nine off the last over.
Haris Rauf dismissed Khushdil on the first delivery of the final over, but Abbas Afridi responded with a boundary and a six to seal a dramatic win.
Despite the defeat, Shaheen Shah Afridi delivered an outstanding bowling performance, taking 4-18 in his four overs. Mustafizur Rahman and Haris Rauf claimed one wicket each.
Moeen Ali removes the dangerous Fakhar Zaman, with assistance by Azam Khan behind the stumps! 🧤#HBLPSL11 | #NewEra | #LQvKK pic.twitter.com/KNlKOh2n04
— PakistanSuperLeague (@thePSLt20) March 29, 2026
Qalandars struggle with the bat
Earlier, Lahore were restricted to 128-9 after opting to bat first. Adam Zampa led Karachi’s bowling effort with figures of 2-11, supported by Mir Hamza and Moeen Ali, who also picked up two wickets each.
𝐖𝐡𝐚𝐭 𝐚 𝐬𝐩𝐞𝐥𝐥!
Adam Zampa claimed a wicket with a maiden over to finish 𝟒-𝟐-𝟏𝟏.#HBLPSL11 | #NewEra | #LQvKK pic.twitter.com/s4sTitmOZ9— PakistanSuperLeague (@thePSLt20) March 29, 2026
Lahore lost early wickets, including Fakhar Zaman for one. Abdullah Shafique top-scored with 33, while Haseebullah Khan added 28.
A 43-run partnership between Haseebullah and Sikandar Raza (19) provided some stability, but regular wickets prevented Lahore from building momentum.
