Lahore: Daryl Mitchell splendid knock of 64 runs helped Lahore Qalandars beating Multan Sultans by five wickets.
Qalandars comfortably chase challenging 186-run target down with five wickets in hand and six balls remaining.
The home side faced an early setback when opener Mohammad Naeem departed for just six runs, dismissed by Josh Little in the second over with only 12 runs on the board.
Recovering from the early blow, Fakhar Zaman and Abdullah Shafique added 33 runs for the second wicket before Mohammad Hasnain removed Fakhar immediately after the powerplay.
Fakhar contributed 28 off 22 deliveries, hitting three fours and two sixes.
Abdullah then partnered with Daryl Mitchell for a 49-run stand to keep Qalandars’ chase on track. However, Ubaid Shah jolted the hosts with two quick wickets, dismissing Shafique and Sam Billings — the latter for a three-ball duck — in a crucial 12th over.
Shafique’s innings featured two fours and two sixes in his 34 runs from 25 balls.
At 95/4 in 12 overs, Qalandars were under pressure but Mitchell and Sikandar Raza turned the game around with a blistering 89-run partnership for the fifth wicket, putting the hosts within touching distance of victory.
Mitchell top-scored for Qalandars with a sparkling 64 from 38 balls, laced with four fours and four sixes, before falling in the penultimate over.
Raza, meanwhile, stayed unbeaten, steering his side home with a fiery 40 off just 21 deliveries, including two fours and four sixes.
For Sultans, Ubaid Shah stood out with two wickets, while Mohammad Hasnain, Akif Javed, and Josh Little chipped in with one wicket each.
Earlier, skipper Mohammad Rizwan and Kamran Ghulam struck pivotal half-centuries to guide Multan Sultans to a challenging 185/3 in their 20 overs, anchored by a game-changing unbeaten fourth-wicket stand between Rizwan and Ghulam.
Multan made a cautious start before opener Yasir Khan injected some momentum, smashing a six and a four before falling to a sharp delivery that ended the opening stand.
Yasir contributed a quick 24 off 18 balls, hitting three boundaries and a maximum.
Rizwan then stitched two small partnerships, first with Usman Khan and then with Shai Hope, who chipped in with 18 off 14 and nine off nine balls, respectively.Later, Kamran Ghulam joined Rizwan at the crease, and the pair stabilised the innings with a composed and aggressive unbeaten 115-run stand.
Rizwan top-scored with an unbeaten 76 off 48 balls, featuring six boundaries and three sixes, while Ghulam supported brilliantly with a 31-ball 52 not out, which included two fours and four sixes.
Earlier. Lahore Qalandars won the toss and elected to bowl first against Multan Sultans.
