Multan Sultans 228/5 (Yasir 87, Iftikhar 40, Rishad 2-45) beat Lahore Qalandars 195/9 (Raza 50, Billings 43, Ubaid 3-37) by 33 runs**
Multan Sultans finally kicked off their PSL campaign with a convincing 33-run win over Lahore Qalandars, thanks to a blistering 87 from Yasir Khan and a well-rounded bowling performance under the scorching Multan sun.
Yasir lit up the Sultans’ first home game of the season with a fiery 44-ball innings at the top, setting the tone for a record-breaking total of 228 — the highest ever in a PSL match held in Multan. His explosive start, combined with Iftikhar Ahmed’s unbeaten 40 off just 18 balls, helped propel the hosts to a daunting score.
Lahore’s bowlers had no answers. Zaman Khan and Haris Rauf, once key figures of the Qalandars’ attack, were particularly punished. Yasir smashed three sixes and a four in one over from Zaman, while Rizwan dismantled Rauf for 20 in the next as Multan racked up 79 in the powerplay.
Though Asif Afridi briefly slowed the momentum by dismissing Rizwan, Yasir continued his charge, reaching fifty with a towering six. Usman Khan added further misery to Rauf’s figures, which ended at a painful 3-over spell for 54 runs. Iftikhar then capped the innings with a late flourish, taking 14 off the final over from Shaheen Afridi.
Qalandars, needing a near-perfect chase, never found the rhythm. Fakhar Zaman provided an early spark with a 14-ball 32, smashing Willey and Bracewell, but his effort was cut short by a brilliant catch from Josh Little off Ubaid Shah’s bowling.
Abdullah Shafique and Daryl Mitchell tried to steady the chase with a 36-run stand, but Multan’s bowlers turned the screws. A triple-strike dismantled the middle order, removing Shafique, Mitchell, and Rishad in quick succession.
Sam Billings and Sikandar Raza offered some resistance. Billings found his range briefly, hitting Little for 16 in one over and lifting hopes with a couple of big hits. However, Ubaid returned to deliver the crucial blow — removing Billings with a top edge for his third wicket. His wild celebration even resulted in accidentally hitting teammate Usman Khan in the face.
While the outcome was already clear, Raza fought on till the end, launching a few powerful sixes and bringing up a half-century off the final ball to reduce the defeat margin. But the match was long gone, and the Multan crowd had plenty to cheer about as their team finally marked their first win — and potentially the start of some serious momentum in the tournament.
