Islamabad, May 23, 2025: Lahore Qalandars will now face Islamabad United in PSL Eliminator 2 on Friday, 23rd May while Karachi Kings’ campaign came to an end. The winner of Eliminator is set to play Quetta Gladiators in the final on 25th May.
In pursuit of the target, Fakhar Zaman and Mohammad Naeem (14 off 12, 1 four, 1 six) built a solid opening stand of 42 runs before Naeem was sent back by Hasan Ali. Fakhar made a valuable 47 from 28 balls, hitting five boundaries and three sixes, setting the pace for one of Qalandars’ finest run-chases in PSL history.
Abdullah Shafique came to bat in the fifth over and stitched together 33 runs off 22 balls with Fakhar. He then began attacking the Karachi bowlers alongside Kusal Perera (30 off 24 balls, 1 four, 1 six). At the halfway stage, after Fakhar’s dismissal in the ninth over, Qalandars stood at 89 for 2, needing just over ten runs per over.
Abdullah and Kusal then hit 67 runs in the next five overs, pushing the Kings’ bowlers on the defensive. Hasan Ali eventually broke their 83-run stand with a timely wicket. Abdullah, who smashed three boundaries and five sixes to notch his eighth PSL fifty, departed in the 16th over thanks to a fine catch from James Vince.
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Qalandars chased down the total with eight balls to spare. Bhanuka Rajapaksa hiting two fours and a six remained unbeaten on 23 off 12 balls, the winning shot. For Karachi, Hasan Ali picked up two wickets, while Fawad Ali and Mir Hamza grabbed one wicket each.
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Earlier, Karachi Kings made 190 for 8, with David Warner leading the innings with a top-score of 75. The second-best score came from Khushdil Shah, who scored an unbeaten 27 as Lahore Qalandars fast bowlers shared six wickets among them.
For Lahore, Haris Rauf was the standout with 3 wickets for 35 in his four overs, while Shaheen Shah Afridi grabbed two key wickets.
