Lahore Qalandars eliminated after Kingsmen beat Pindiz in qualifying for PSL key clashes

KARACHI: The Lahore Qalandars were eliminated after Hyderabad Kingsmen crushed the Rawalpindiz team in HK VS Pindiz match here today as the ongoing Pakistan Super League edition entering key matches of the tournament.

During their high-intensity encounter, the Kingsmen’s batting lineup struggled to build momentum against a clinical bowling attack, posting a modest total anchored by a resilient innings from Usman Khawaja.

Mohammad Rizwan provided a brisk start with 26 off 16 balls, but the middle order collapsed as Shahzaib Khan (1), Kamran Ghulam (0), and Dian Forrester (6) fell cheaply to the pace of Hunain Shah and Akif Javed.

Sam Billings added late needed with a quickfire 23 off 12 deliveries, but the lower order failed to contribute meaningfully, with Saad Masood (5), Amad Butt (3), and Asif Afridi (3) all departing cheaply, while Mohammad Amir and Ben Sears were dismissed for ducks.

Amid the collapse, Khawaja stood firm as the lone resistance, scoring an unbeaten 66 off 43 balls, including nine boundaries, to guide his side to a fighting total.

Earlier, Pindiz were set to chase a massive 244-run target after Glenn Maxwell powered Kingsmen with a crucial 70.

The 39th match of PSL 11 began after RAP won the toss and elected to bowl first against the Kingsmen. The decision by the bottom-placed side was aimed at finding some momentum and making a comeback in the crucial stage of the tournament.

However, the decision turned out to be the wrong one as the innings performed by the HK earlier went remarkable. Key players from the third-placed Kingsmen, Maaz Sadaqat, Usman Khan, Kusal Perera, along with Saim Ayub and Hassan Khan, delivered strong performances alongside Maxwell.

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Opening batter Maaz scored 28, while middle-order batters Usman and Kusal contributed 54 and 50 respectively. Hassan Khan and Marnus Labuschagne added 16 and 5 runs.

Maxwell’s 70-run knock included 8 boundaries and 3 sixes, giving the innings strong momentum.

The team eventually posted a total of 244 runs which the team successfully defended during their bowling. Experts believed the match went in the hands of the HK after they proved the top level performance in both the batting and the fielding. As a result, Pindiz came under serious pressure were all out in the 17th over of the chase, making only 136.