Rawalpindi:In a crucial Pakistan Super League (PSL) 9 encounter, Islamabad United emerged victorious against Karachi Kings by 5 wickets.
The match, held at Pindi Cricket Stadium, saw Islamabad United successfully chase down Karachi Kings’ target of 151 runs, reaching the total with 5 wickets in hand by the 19th over.
Captain Shadab Khan led from the front with a responsible knock of 34 runs, supported by Salman Ali Agha’s contribution of 33 runs. Haider Ali added 26 runs to the tally while Faheem Ashraf remained unbeaten with 12 runs. Alex Hales managed 18 runs, and Colin Munro scored 9 runs.
For Karachi Kings, Mir Hamza shone with the ball, taking 3 crucial wickets, while Blessing Mozarabani and Zahid Mehmood claimed one wicket each.
Winning the toss, Islamabad United elected to field first, inviting Karachi Kings to bat.
Karachi Kings posted a total of 150 runs for the loss of 7 wickets in their allotted 20 overs. Kieron Pollard top-scored with 39 runs, followed by James Vance with 29 runs, Tim Seifert with 26 runs, Irfan Khan with 16 runs, and captain Shan Masood with 10 runs. Hasan Ali contributed 6 runs, and Mir Hamza remained not out with 2 runs.
Islamabad United’s bowlers put up a strong show, with Timel Mills claiming 3 wickets, Faheem Ashraf taking 2 wickets, and Imad Wasim and Haneen Shah picking up one wicket each.
Faheem Ashraf’s stellar all-round performance earned him the Man of the Match award.
In their previous encounter, Islamabad United had also secured victory against Karachi Kings, winning by 7 wickets.
