KARACHI: Defending champion of PSL-2020 Karachi Kings beat former champions Quetta Gladiators by seven wickets in the opening match of the Pakistan Super League’s sixth edition, at the National Stadium in Karachi on Saturday.
The Gladiators, after being invited to bat first, lost wickets at regular intervals and could only muster 121 runs — with only four players reaching double-digits — in the face of some terrific seam bowling by the Kings, for whom the young Arshad Iqbal (3-16) proved instrumental.
In response, the Kings’ run chase was never in trouble. Despite losing the early wicket of Sharjeel Khan, they immediately got back on their feet, reaching their target with more than six overs and seven wickets to spare.
Babar Azam, for once, wasn’t the top performer for the Kings. Joe Clarke’s scintillating 23-ball 46 was the highlight of the port city team’s innings. Later, Mohammad Nabi chipped in with an unbeaten 30 off 14 to get his team home.
The contest between the Kings and Gladiators at Karachi’s National Stadium started after a glittering opening ceremony followed by fireworks.
Squads:
Quetta Gladiators: Anwar Ali, Azam Khan, Ben Cutting, Mohammad Hasnain, Mohammad Nawaz, Naseem Shah, Sarfaraz Ahmed, Zahid Mahmood, Chris Gayle, Tom Banton, Usman Khan Shinwari, Cameron Delport, Qais Ahmad, Abdul Nasir, Saim Ayub, Arish Ali Khan, Usman Khan, Hassan Khan (as partial replacement for Dale Steyn).
Karachi Kings: Amir Yamin, Arshad Iqbal, Babar Azam, Colin Ingram, Imad Wasim, Mohammad Amir, Sharjeel Khan, Waqas Maqsood, Mohammad Nabi, Dan Christian, Chadwick Walton, Joe Clarke, Noor Ahmad, Danish Aziz, Mohammad Ilyas, Zeeshan Malik, Qasim Akram.
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