PSL 9: Multan Sultans defeat Karachi Kings to seal spot in playoffs

Multan Sultans defeated Karachi Kings by 20 runs at the National Bank Cricket Arena to become the first team to seal their spot in the playoffs of Pakistan Super League (PSL) season nine.

Mohammad Rizwan's men restricted the home team to 169/7 after posting 189/3 on the back of unbeaten 109* by Usman Khan.

Chasing a substantial 190, the Kings managed to accumulate 169 for the loss of seven wickets in the allotted 20 overs.

The home side faced an undesirable start to the pursuit, losing two wickets—Tim Seifert (1) and James Vince (7)—within the batting powerplay, with just 28 runs on the board.

Following the setback, skipper Shan Masood joined forces with Shoaib Malik to briefly anchor the run chase.

The duo batted sensibly, adding 53 runs for the third wicket before Usama Mir dismissed Masood in the 10th over, denting Kings' recovery.

Masood scored a stabilising 36 off 29 deliveries, hitting five boundaries.

Malik then formed a brief partnership with Leus du Plooy (12) before both fell in successive overs, causing the Kings to slip to 99/5 in 13 overs.

Veteran all-rounder Malik top-scored for the Kings with a 28-ball 38, featuring five boundaries.

In the 17th over, the Kings lost another wicket when Muhammad Irfan Khan returned after scoring a 19-ball 23.

Hasan Ali and Mohammad Nawaz offered valuable resistance in the death overs with a brilliant 41-run partnership, which ended on the penultimate delivery. However, the Kings fell short of securing their third victory in PSL 9.

Hasan scored a brisk 17 off eight deliveries, while Nawaz remained unbeaten with a 17-ball 27, featuring three boundaries and a six.

For the Sultans, Usama Mir claimed two wickets, while David Willey, Chris Jordan, Khushdil Shah, and Mohammad Ali each struck out a batter apiece.

Earlier, captain Rizwan's choice to bat first reaped rewards for the Sultans as they accumulated a substantial total on the scoreboard, courtesy of an extended partnership during the second wicket.

The Sultans faced a challenging start to their innings, losing Reeza Hendricks (13) when the scoreboard read just 16 runs in the second over.

Following this early setback, Usman joined his captain Rizwan in the middle, and the duo initiated a remarkable counterattack.

The partnership lasted for over 15 overs, contributing 148 runs to the Sultans' overall score.

Usman played a central role as the primary aggressor in the impressive partnership, while Rizwan provided stability before eventually departing in the 18th over after achieving a careful half-century.

He scored 58 runs off 44 deliveries, including five boundaries.

The Sultans encountered another setback in their batting expedition when Iftikhar Ahmed (4) fell to the first delivery of the penultimate over, bowled by Hasan Ali.

But, Usman Khan stood firm and reached his second PSL century in the final over with a six over deep square leg off Mir Hamza.

Usman remained unbeaten, scoring 106 runs off 59 deliveries, adorned with 15 boundaries, including five sixes.

Blessing Muzarabani led the bowling attack for the Kings, with Hasan securing one wicket.