What a way to end the group stage saga! It’s our desi El-Clasico boys. Yes, it is Karachi Kings v Lahore Qalandars. Who will win this time? The Lahore Qalandars 2024 Players lost the match by 67 runs last time. Were they able to take their revenge this time? Or will Karachi Kings end their disappointing PSL 8 campaign on a good note?
The last group stage match, match number 30, was played on 12 March 2023. But how did this match turn out to be? It would have been even more exciting if Shaheen Afridi had also played. Alas! he took a break in this match for good. After all, the Qalandars were at the top of the group stage and were the first team to qualify for the playoffs.
The PSL Draft 2024 Players Updated.
Match details
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| GADDAFI STADIUM LAHORE | |
| Match | Karachi Kings v Lahore Qalandars |
| Date | Sunday, March 12, 2023 |
| Time | 7:00 PM |
| Match number | 30 |
| Umpires | Aleem Dar |
| Rashid Riaz | |
| TV Umpire | Asif Yaqoob |
| Match Referee | Roshan Mahanama |
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Toss
Karachi Kings won the toss, and they decided to bat first. Seems like they can catch a break, as Shaheen won’t be taking the first wicket tonight.
Playing 11
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| KARACHI KINGS | LAHORE QALANDARS |
| Haider Ali | Fakhar Zaman |
| Muhammad Akhlaq | Abdullah Shafique |
| Tayyab Tahir | Kamran Ghulam |
| Qasim Akram | Sam Billings |
| Imad Wasim | Hussain Talat |
| Ben Cutting | David Wiese |
| Irfan Khan | Shane Dadswell |
| James Fuller | Rashid Khan |
| Imran Tahir | Haris Rauf |
| Mohammad Umar | Dilbar Hussain |
| Akif Javed | Zaman Khan |
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First innings – Karachi kings
- Mohammad Akhlaq and Tayyab Tahir formed an effective team, and the game was going well around the midway point.
- They lost very little speed following that as the Qalandars sneaked in a few calm innings, but some hearty knocks from captain Imad Wasim and then Ben Cutting ensured they got near 200 runs.
- It will not be an easy pursuit for the table-toppers.
- You cannot blame me for not writing too much for this inning. After witnessing matches with more than 550 runs this time, 196 seems timid.
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| KARACHI KINGS 196-7 | |
| BATTING | BOWLING |
| Muhammad Akhlaq 51(36) | Hussain Talat 2-24 |
| Tayyab Tahir 40(23) | Zaman Khan 2-39 |
| Imad Wasim 45(31) | Haris Rauf 2-52 |
| Ben Cutting 33(14) | Dilbar Hussain 1-37 |
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Second innings – Lahore Qalandars
- The surface wasn’t as smooth as the Pindi pitches, yet there was a challenge for the spinners, and the Kings played exceptionally well to reach 197, which they followed up with a superb bowling effort.
- The Qalandars’ innings rarely went, as they continued losing wickets at periodic intervals.
- Hussain Talat’s 25 for 25 was the top score, which covers the scenario well.
- Concerningly the Qalandars, Rashid Khan was smacked on the helmet and went off with an injury.
- Not a good end for the Qalandars; they couldn’t win this match against their arch-rivals. It was 2-0 this time.
- Karachi Kings had a good end to the tournament. They wanted a better end, but it is still and improvement from their previous campaign. We wish the Kings to have a better season next time.
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| LAHORE QALANDARS 110-10 | |
| BATTING | BOWLING |
| Hussain Talat 25(25) | Akif Javed 2-8 |
| Haris Rauf 18(14) | Imran Tahir 2-24 |
| Fakhar Zaman 13(11) | Mohammad Umar 2-20 |
| Imad Wasim 2-26 | |
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Man of the match
It was the day for Akhlaq. He propelled the team towards a high total by providing quick 51 runs early on. He was very happy about tonight’s performance. Akhlaq said he planned to play his natural game, which paid off.