Lahore Qalandars Victorious in Thrilling Opening Encounter
The first match of the eighth edition of the Pakistan Super League (PSL) was a nail-biting affair between Multan Sultans and defending champions Lahore Qalandars. The match took place at the Multan Cricket Stadium on Monday night and ended with Lahore emerging as the winners.
Read More: Lahore Qalandars Squad
Lahore’s All-Around Performance Leads to Victory
Led by Fakhar Zaman’s scintillating half-century, which included 5 massive sixes, Lahore put on a superb all-around performance. They scored 175/5 in their 20 overs, which proved to be too much for Multan to chase. Despite a solid start from their openers, including an excellent form from Rizwan, Multan could not reach the target and succumbed to the pressure from Lahore’s bowlers.
Read More: Multan Sultans Squad
Rizwan Shines for Multan Sultans
Openers Rizwan and Masood put the Sultans in a commanding position by stitching a 100-run partnership for the first wicket. Rizwan scored his 13th fifty of the PSL against the defending champions, showing his excellence in the tournament. However, despite their efforts, the Qalandars finally found a breakthrough via Hussain Talat, who sent Masood back to the pavilion after scoring 35 runs in 31 balls.
Last-Over Drama
In the last over, the Sultans needed 15 runs to win, but Lahore’s Zaman Khan defended 14 runs to secure the win for his side. Khusdil Shah struck Zaman for a four in the fifth ball, but in the last ball of the innings, the Sultans were short of two runs to win the match.
Fakhar Zaman Reaches Milestone
Put to bat first, the defending champions Qalandars managed to score 176 runs in 20 overs, thanks to Fakhar Zaman’s 66 runs off 42 balls. The left-handed batter also completed his 2000 runs in the PSL. Young opening batter Mirza Tahir Baig also contributed to the team’s total with 36 runs off 26 balls.
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Here’s the updated PSL 8 points table:
| Team | Matches | Won | Lost | N/R | Points | Net Run Rate |
| Lahore Qalandars | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 2 | |
| Multan Sultans | 1 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | |
| Islamabad United | – | – | – | – | – | – |
| Quetta Gladiators | – | – | – | – | – | – |
| Peshawar Zalmi | – | – | – | – | – | – |
| Karachi Kings | – | – | – | – | – | – |
