Karachi Kings produced a stunning 198-run chase to beat RawalPindiz by five wickets in the 10th match of PSL 11 at Lahore’s Gaddafi Stadium on Thursday. Azam Khan and David Warner led the charge with rapid half-centuries as the 2020 champions reached the target with four balls to spare.
Karachi lost opener Muhammad Waseem in the third over with 27 runs on the board, but Warner and Salman Ali Agha rebuilt the innings with a steady 43-run stand for the second wicket. Agha made 29 before falling in the ninth over.
After Agha’s dismissal, Azam Khan came in at No. 5 ahead of Moeen Ali, and the decision paid off immediately. He joined Warner in a decisive 76-run partnership for the third wicket that shifted the momentum firmly in Karachi’s favour.
Warner scored 50 off 36 balls, hitting six fours and a six, before Daryl Mitchell removed him in the 16th over. However, Azam kept attacking and pushed Karachi to the brink of victory. He top-scored with 74 off 34 deliveries, smashing six fours and six sixes.
Mitchell dismissed Moeen Ali on the first ball of the final over to create brief tension, but Abbas Afridi answered immediately with a six to seal Karachi’s third straight win of PSL 11. Mitchell finished as the pick of Rawalpindi’s bowlers with 3-32, while Naseem Shah and Mohammad Amir took one wicket each.
Mitchell and Billings lift RawalPindiz to 197
Earlier, Karachi captain David Warner chose to field first, but the move backfired as RawalPindiz posted 197/6 in 20 overs. Mohammad Rizwan fell for 21 in the third over, and Khushdil Shah then removed Yasir Khan and Kamran Ghulam in quick succession to leave the innings at 55/3 in 6.1 overs.
Daryl Mitchell and Sam Billings then transformed the innings with a 120-run partnership for the fourth wicket. Mitchell scored 65 off 41 balls with five fours and three sixes, while Billings made 58 off 35 balls, including eight fours and a six. Abdullah Fazal added an unbeaten 17 off eight balls to maintain the late surge.
Although Karachi conceded 197, Hasan Ali delivered the standout bowling performance for his side. He claimed 3-24 in four overs and broke the dangerous Mitchell-Billings stand in the 18th over. Khushdil Shah took two wickets, while Mir Hamza added one.
