Lahore Qalandars clinched a five-wicket victory against Multan Sultans in their second PSL 2024 encounter, bouncing back after their previous 33-run defeat to the same opponents. The match, held at Lahore’s Gaddafi Stadium, saw a strong batting performance from Lahore, chasing down Multan’s 185/3 with six balls to spare.
Rishad Hossain Dropped After Mixed Performances
Young leg-spinner Rishad Hossain, who had shown promise in the first three matches, was left out of the playing XI after a lackluster outing against Peshawar Zalmi. Despite conceding 18 runs in 2 overs, he failed to take any wickets and didn’t contribute significantly with the bat. His exclusion, however, didn’t hinder Lahore’s performance as they secured a crucial win.
Multan Sultans, batting first, posted a competitive total thanks to skipper Mohammad Rizwan’s unbeaten 76 (48 balls) and Kamran Ghulam’s quickfire 50 (31 balls). Yasir Khan (28 off 18) and Usman Khan (18 off 14) also chipped in, but Lahore’s bowlers managed to restrict them to a chaseable target.
Lahore Qalandars- Mitchell & Raja, Big Partnership
Lahore’s chase got off to a steady start with Abdullah Shafique (34 off 25) and Fakhar Zaman (28 off 22) laying the foundation. However, the game truly turned in Lahore’s favor thanks to a blazing 89-run stand between Daryll Mitchell (64 off 38) and Sikandar Raza (40 off 21).
Mitchell fell just two runs short of victory, but Raza, along with Asif Ali (1 off 1), sealed the deal in style. The win propelled Lahore to second place in the PSL standings, keeping their playoff hopes alive.