Islamabad United emerged victorious over Lahore Qalandars by 8 wickets in the opening match of Pakistan Super League (PSL) season 9.
The commencement of PSL 9 took place at Gaddafi Stadium, Lahore, featuring defending champions Lahore Qalandars against Islamabad United.
Islamabad United captain Shadab Khan won the toss and decided to field first.
Lahore Qalandars posted a total of 195 runs for the loss of 5 wickets. In response, Islamabad United chased down the target of 196 runs with 10 balls to spare.
Captain Shadab Khan and middle-order batsman Salman Aga played crucial innings, remaining unbeaten and steering the team to victory.
Shadab Khan scored an attractive 74 runs off 41 balls, including 5 fours and 6 sixes.
Salman Aga contributed 64 runs off 31 balls, featuring 3 fours and 7 sixes.
Islamabad United’s Alex Hales also shined with 36 runs.
Lahore Qalandars’ Zeeshan Khan and Salman Fayyaz took one wicket each.
Lahore Qalandars’ Batting: Prior to this, Lahore’s Fakhar Zaman and Sahibzada Farhan opened the innings. Sahibzada Farhan played a delightful innings of 57 runs, while Dosan remained not out with 71 runs. Abdullah Shafique scored 28, David Wiese scored 14, and Fakhar Zaman contributed 13 runs.
Islamabad’s Tail Mills took two wickets, while Naseem Shah and Shadab Khan claimed one wicket each.
It is worth noting that both teams have faced each other a total of 17 times prior to this match, with Islamabad United holding a slight edge with 9 victories.