LAHORE: Multan Sultans’ slim hopes of reaching the HBL Pakistan Super League 2025 playoffs were extinguished after a heavy 87-run loss to Karachi Kings on Thursday at Gaddafi Stadium — marking their seventh defeat in eight games.
Karachi solidified their fourth-place position with their fourth win in seven matches. James Vince’s unbeaten fifty led the way with the bat, taking Kings to a formidable 204-4. Mohammad Nabi then starred with the ball, taking 3-14 as Multan collapsed for just 117 in 16.1 overs.
Multan, runners-up in the last four seasons and champions in 2021, had to win to stay in contention. Opting to bat, Karachi made a fiery start with captain David Warner (30 off 13, 4 fours, 2 sixes) and Tim Seifert (22 off 11) hammering 34 runs in the first two overs.
Warner pummeled Michael Bracewell for 24 runs in a single over, including three boundaries and two sixes, pushing the spinner out of the attack. Seifert also attacked before falling to Ubaid Shah.
After Warner was caught by Kamran Ghulam off David Willey, and Omair Bin Yousuf fell soon after, Karachi were 60-3. But Vince, who had already scored a century against Multan this season, anchored the innings with an unbeaten 65 off 45 balls (5 fours, 2 sixes). He was supported by Irfan Khan, who hit 40 off 33 (2 fours, 3 sixes), building a 78-run partnership for the fourth wicket.
Irfan took on leg-spinner Usama Mir with two sixes, while Vince hit a six and four off Ubaid. After Irfan’s dismissal, Khushdil Shah joined Vince, and the pair added 66 runs off 31 balls. Khushdil’s quickfire 33* off 13 (2 fours, 3 sixes) helped Karachi cross 200, including a six to finish the innings off Jordan.
Despite dropping two catches, Multan skipper Mohammad Rizwan praised the team’s fielding as their best of the tournament.
In reply, Multan’s batting faltered early. Rizwan went for a duck, caught behind off Abbas Afridi. Usman Khan was bowled by Mir Hamza, leaving Multan reeling at 20-2.
Yasir Khan hit three sixes in a 17-ball 26 but couldn’t convert it into a bigger score. Kamran Ghulam’s 29 off 25 was the only other significant contribution. The rest of the middle order crumbled against Nabi, who removed Campher, Bracewell, and Usama Mir. Khushdil also chipped in with two wickets, dismissing Iftikhar and Kamran.
Multan were all out for 117, ending their campaign on a low note.
In the post-match presser, Rizwan lamented his team’s poor fielding as a season-long problem. “We dropped crucial catches every game, and those mistakes cost us heavily,” he admitted.
Score Summary:
Karachi Kings 204-4 (James Vince 65*, Irfan Khan 40, Khushdil Shah 33*; Ubaid Shah 2-49)
Multan Sultans 117 all out in 16.1 overs (Kamran Ghulam 29, Yasir Khan 26; Mohammad Nabi 3-14, Khushdil Shah 2-26)
Result: Karachi Kings won by 87 runs
Player of the Match: James Vince
Current PSL 2025 Standings:
| Team | M | W | L | Pts | NRR |
| United | 6 | 5 | 1 | 10 | +1.176 |
| Qalandars | 8 | 4 | 3 | 9 | +1.110 |
| Gladiators | 7 | 4 | 2 | 9 | +1.034 |
| Kings | 7 | 4 | 3 | 8 | +0.445 |
| Zalmi | 6 | 2 | 4 | 4 | -0.847 |
| Sultans | 8 | 1 | 7 | 2 | -2.597 |
