Multan Sultans 228 for 5 (Yasir 87, Iftikhar 40*, Usman 39, Rizwan 32, Rishad 2-45) defeated Lahore Qalandars 195 for 9 (Raza 50*, Billings 43, Fakhar 32, Ubaid 3-37, Bracewell 2-20, Mir 2-26) by 33 runs
Multan Sultans eventually kick-started their PSL 2025 campaign with a win over Lahore Qalandars by 33 runs. In the inaugural match at home on a sizzling hot night in Multan, Yasir Khan’s thumping 87 off 44 balls at the top provided his team with a comfortable lead that they never gave away. Iftikhar Ahmed’s 40 off 18 deliveries and cameos throughout the innings helped Sultans achieve 228 – the highest-ever score at Multan in the PSL.
Qalandars never swung at the pace required to surpass a total of such magnitude, and Sultans’ bowlers were much more accurate with their implementation. Michael Bracewell and Ubaid Shah picked wickets at the top as no Qalandars batter was able to make a start count, and the innings fizzled out, going only 195 for 9.
For Sultans, their initial Yasir-Mohammad Rizwan combination started on a positive note, taking control over Shaheen Shah Afridi in his first two overs. But it was the demolition of Zaman Khan and Haris Rauf that established the benchmark. Charging the fifth over, Zaman was ravaged for three sixes and a four by Yasir. In the sixth, Rizwan dispatched Rauf’s aggressive lengths at will, hitting him for 20 as Sultans reached 79 in the powerplay.
Asif Afridi, the only one who kept Sultans mute, dismissed Rizwan, but Yasir continued to drive along. He completed his half-century with a six off Rishad Hossain, before he and Usman Khan targeted Daryl Mitchell. In the meantime, Rauf’s return only meant further agony for Qalandars as Usman hammered him for another 19 runs; altogether, Rauf would have given away 54 in his three overs.
When Shaheen came back to bowl the last over, it was Iftikhar who got his range, collecting 14 from a wayward over as Sultans raced to 228. Shaheen, Haris and Zaman, who were once the pride of Qalandars’ attack, had collectively conceded 119 runs in eight overs.
Michael Bracewell played inside the powerplay, Multan Sultans vs Lahore Qalandars, PSL, Multan, April 22, 2025
Michael Bracewell kept playing well for Multan Sultans•PCB
Sultans have not been able to protect a total higher than this, but Qalandars would have to have some hope if Fakhar Zaman provided a vintage start. At one stage, they did seem to get it when the opener took on David Willey, scoring 30 runs off the first two overs, before he creamed the stingy Bracewell for a six. In Ubaid’s opening over, however, Fakhar hooked one that went over the Multan floodlights, but Josh Little showed no nerves to hang on to an excellent catch to trim his cameo down at 32 off 14 balls.
Abdullah Shafique and Mitchell attempted to preserve the game through a innovative third-wicket partnership that scored 36 from 22 balls. But the challenge of the asking rate was much too astronomical. Sultans reacted with a triple strike in removing the pair along with Rishad, thereby leaving only Sam Billings and Sikandar Raza as the last hopes of Qalandars.
Billings was getting to the middle of the bat, attacking Little in an 11th over that yielded 16 runs and reduced the asking rate to below 13 runs per over. Ubaid, also, attacked a couple of sixes in the 15th over. But, importantly, Ubaid had the last laugh off the last ball. Billings attempted to heave over midwicket, but top-edged to Kamran Ghulam. Ubaid, on the other hand, playfully hit Usman in the face when he was enjoying his third wicket a bit too energetically.
The match, however, was done and dusted. Raza lingered and smashed some massive sixes to reduce the margin of defeat, and off the last ball of the innings, completed a 27-ball half-century. But Qalandars’ chance of a win had expired long back, and the Multan crowd was able to witness their team starting a campaign that might just be taking flight.
