Karachi Kings made a flying start after choosing to bowl first, with Shoaib Malik dismissing Saim Ayub with a skillfully executed arm ball on the very first delivery of the match. Mir Hamza and Hasan Ali further compounded Peshawar Zalmi’s troubles by removing Mohammad Haris and Tom-Kohler Cadmore cheaply, leaving Peshawar struggling at 42/3 by the end of the powerplay.
Babar Azam took charge, reaching the significant milestone of 10,000 career T20 runs with a boundary in the second over and later completing a 37-ball half-century in the 12th over with a splendid six off Tabraiz Shamsi. His partnerships with Rovman Powell (68 runs) and Asif Ali (28 runs) shifted momentum in Peshawar’s favor, but aside from these three, no other player managed to reach double digits.
Hamza dismissed both Babar and Aamer Jamaal in the 18th over, while Hasan Ali wrapped up the innings for 154 with two more wickets in the final over, supported by Daniel Sams who finished with impressive figures of 2/28. In response, Muhammad Akhlaq launched an assault right from the outset, taking on Mohamamd Zeeshan and scoring heavily off his first two overs, which went for 32 runs.
Luke Wood, on the other hand, was exceptional, dismissing both openers Akhlaq and Shan Masood and conceding just a maiden over during the powerplay, keeping the six-over score at 48/2. James Vince and Shoaib Malik then built a steady half-century partnership, but the required run rate kept climbing.
🚨 POLLY CARNAGE IN LAHORE 🚨
— PakistanSuperLeague (@thePSLt20) February 21, 2024
Karachi Kings are cruising to victory 🙌#HBLPSL9 | #KhulKeKhel | #PZvKK pic.twitter.com/mfTiwXPVhv
Malik attempted to accelerate after the strategic timeout in the 13th over but was stumped for a run-a-ball 29. However, Kieron Pollard’s aggressive approach turned the tide, as his unbeaten 49 off 21 balls guided the team to victory in just 16.5 overs.