KARACHI: Karachi Kings won the opening match of the Pakistan Super League (PSL) sixth edition beating Quetta Gladiators by seven wickets in a one-sided match played at National Stadium Karachi on Saturday.
The Kings, who earlier restricted Gladiators to 121, emerged victorious with a score of 126-3 with 37 balls remaining.
Babar Azam (24 off 20) and Joe Clarke (46 off 23) put up a strong partnership helping Kings to easily beat Quetta by seven wickets with 37 balls to spare.
All-rounder Muhammad Nabi played a nice little cameo in the end for Kings, scoring quick 30 runs off 14 balls smashing three sixes and two fours all over the ground.
Arshad Iqbal was declared Man of the Match for his brilliant bowling spell picking up three wickets by giving away only 16 runs in 4 overs.
It was the biggest win for Kings in terms of balls to spare in Pakistan Super League (PSL) history.
Read More: PSL 2021 kicks off with dazzling opening ceremony
First innings
Earlier, Karachi Kings had won the toss and decided to bowl first in the opening match of Pakistan Super League (PSL) 2021.
Batting first, Quetta set a 122-run target for Karachi Kings.
Chris Gayle was the highest run-scorer from Gladiators as the hard-hitting batsman smashed 39 runs off 24 balls hitting two sixes and 4 fours.
Arshad Iqbal was the pick of the bowlers for Karachi with three wickets while conceding only 16 runs in his four-over.
Karachi Kings will face Islamabad United in their next match scheduled on February 24 (Wednesday).
Squads:
Karachi Kings: Amir Yamin, Arshad Iqbal, Babar Azam, Colin Ingram, Imad Wasim, Mohammad Amir, Sharjeel Khan, Waqas Maqsood, Mohammad Nabi, Dan Christian, Joe Clarke.
Quetta Gladiators: Azam Khan, Ben Cutting, Mohammad Hasnain, Mohammad Nawaz, Naseem Shah, Sarfaraz Ahmed, Chris Gayle, Tom Banton, Usman Khan Shinwari, Saim Ayub and Qais Ahmed.
PSL opening ceremony
The sixth edition of the Pakistan Super League (PSL) kicked off with a glitzy opening ceremony here at National Stadium Karachi.
The opening ceremony, which was reportedly recorded in Istanbul, Turkey, started with the national anthem of Pakistan followed by fireworks. PSL 6 Anthem artists Naseebo Lal, Young Stunners, Aima Baig performed in an opening ceremony.
Comprehensive security arrangements have been made for conducting the event. Only 7,500 fans will be able to witness the matches at NSK due to the Covid-19 pandemic.
In total, 34 matches will be played during the month-long tournament that will conclude on 22nd March with the final to be played in Gaddafi Stadium Lahore.
Here’s a complete schedule of Karachi Kings’ matches;
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