Ali Raza joins elite list of PSL bowlers with stunning hat-trick

LAHORE: Peshawar Zalmi pacer Ali Raza etched his name into Pakistan Super League (PSL) history on Wednesday, becoming one of the select bowlers to claim a hat-trick as Karachi Kings posted a competitive total in the 11th edition of the tournament at Gaddafi Stadium.

Raza returned impressive figures of 4/41 in his four-over spell and produced a sensational hat-trick in the final over of the innings, dismissing Khushdil Shah, Shahid Aziz and Hasan Ali in successive deliveries. 

With this feat, he also became the youngest bowler to take a PSL hat-trick and the first from Peshawar Zalmi to achieve the milestone.

Overall, he is only the seventh bowler in PSL history to take a hat-trick and the fifth fast bowler to do so. 

The milestone was first achieved by Mohammad Amir for Karachi Kings against Lahore Qalandars in the inaugural edition. 

Other pace bowlers on the list include Junaid Khan, Mohammad Sami and Abbas Afridi, while the spin contingent features Imran Tahir and Akeal Hosein.

List of PSL hat-trick takers:

• Mohammad Amir (Karachi Kings vs Lahore Qalandars, 2016)
• Junaid Khan (Multan Sultans vs Lahore Qalandars, 2018)
• Imran Tahir (Multan Sultans vs Quetta Gladiators, 2018)
• Mohammad Sami (Islamabad United vs Karachi Kings, 2019)
• Abbas Afridi (Multan Sultans vs Lahore Qalandars, 2023)
• Akeal Hosein (Quetta Gladiators vs Peshawar Zalmi, 2024)
• Ali Raza (Peshawar Zalmi vs Karachi Kings, 2026)

Earlier, Karachi Kings posted 182 for 9 in their 20 overs, built on strong contributions from Jason Roy and Azam Khan.

Openers David Warner and Jason Roy gave Karachi a steady start, adding 35 runs before Ali Raza struck, bowling Warner for 11 off 13 balls to break the partnership.

Salman Ali Agha joined Roy and added useful runs, but Karachi slipped to 71 for 2 when Aaron Hardie removed Ali Agha for 12 off 9 balls.

Roy continued to anchor the innings superbly, bringing up his ninth PSL half-century and forming another key partnership with Reeza Hendricks. However, Sufiyan Muqeem dismissed Hendricks for 13, leaving Karachi at 98 for 3.

Azam Khan then injected momentum with aggressive stroke play, sharing a rapid 63-run stand with Roy as Karachi crossed the 150-mark. Azam scored 35 off 19 balls before being dismissed by Iftikhar Ahmed.

Roy eventually fell for a brilliant 85 off 51 balls, striking 11 fours and two sixes, as Mohammad Basit claimed his wicket in the final overs. 

Karachi closed their innings at 182-9 after a strong finish, despite Ali Raza’s historic spell stealing the spotlight.