LAHORE: For a long while on Thursday night, it seemed like Karachi Kings’ chase would once again flatter only to deceive. Then Khushdil Shah arrived — with 47 needed off 24 balls and the pressure of a fading campaign weighing heavily — and turned the game on its head with a blistering cameo that kept his side alive in the HBL Pakistan Super League.

Karachi were 153 for five when Khushdil walked in, the required rate nudging towards 12 an over after the dismissal of Azam Khan. What followed was a breathtaking assault.

Khushdil announced himself with a crisp boundary off pacer Haris Rauf before unleashing carnage against Shaheen Shah Afridi in the 18th over — three towering sixes and a four that swung momentum decisively.

He then sealed the contest in emphatic fashion, launching back-to-back sixes off Haris, the second a clean strike over cow corner that sparked jubilant scenes in the dugout at the Gaddafi Stadium here as the Kings chased down 200 with eight balls to spare.

The five-wicket victory lifted Karachi from the brink, keeping their playoff hopes alive, while Lahore Qalandars, despite posting a competitive 199, were left to rue missed chances and a costly final assault.

Earlier, the Qalandars had set what looked a formidable total, but the Kings’ reply began shakily. Jason Roy fell early to Ubaid Shah, undone by extra bounce, while Reeza Hendricks followed soon after, miscuing a slower bouncer. When Salman Ali Agha perished attempting an ill-timed pull, Karachi were 69 for three and struggling to keep pace with the asking rate.

David Warner (63 not out off 44), however, held firm. The captain mixed caution with aggression, threading boundaries through the off-side and rotating strike smartly. His partnership with Moeen Ali revived the innings. Moeen, in particular, injected urgency, taking on Sikandar Raza with a pair of towering sixes and then continuing the charge against the spinners.

Their stand shifted the equation before Ubaid returned to dismiss Moeen for a quickfire 39, caught at long on. Azam briefly threatened with a six and a four but fell to Daniel Sams at a crucial juncture, leaving the chase delicately poised — until Khushdil’s late heroics rendered the earlier fluctuations irrelevant.

Lahore’s total had been built on a commanding foundation laid by Fakhar Zam­an and Abdullah Shafique. After a cautious start, the pair took control, punishing anything loose. Fakhar was particularly fluent, slashing Rizwanullah thr­o­ugh point and launching him over midwicket, while Abdullah supported him with elegant drives and powerful pulls.

The duo added 110 for the second wicket, with Fakhar bringing up his third successive half-century. He survived a crucial moment on 43 when Roy dropped a straightforward chance at long on — a miss that proved expensive as Lahore surged past 100 inside 10 overs.

Abdullah, meanwhile, reached his fifty with a deft cut before accelerating further, including a towering straight six off leg spinner Zahid Mahmood. But Lahore’s momentum dipped once Fakhar holed out to long on against Moeen.

Charith Asalanka fell cheaply soon after, and despite Abdullah’s continued fluency, his dismissal — bowled by a searing yorker from Rizwanullah while attempting a scoop — triggered a slowdown.

The middle order failed to fully capitalise, though Raza and Sams provided a late push. Sams struck a couple of lusty blows and benefitted from another dropped catch by Roy, while Shaheen added a quick six and four in the final over to push Lahore to 199.

In the end, it was a total that seemed just enough — until Khushdil ensured it wasn’t.

Scoreboard

LAHORE QALANDARS:
Fakhar Zaman c Roy b Ali 61
Mohammad Farooq run out 18
Abdullah Shafique b Rizwanullah 62
Charith Asalanka c Azam b Ali 0
Sikandar Raza not out 18
Daniel Sams run out 20
Shaheen Shah Afridi c Ali b Hasan 10

EXTRAS (B-1, LB-1, W-8) 10
TOTAL (for six wickets, 20 overs) 199
DID NOT BAT: Usama Mir, Haseebullah Khan, Ubaid Shah, Haris Rauf
FALL OF WICKETS: 1-24 (Farooq, 3.3 ov), 2-134 (Fakhar), 3-148 (Asalanka), 4-160 (Abdullah), 5-183 (Sams), 6-199 (Shaheen)
BOWLING: Hamza 4-1-49-0 (1w), Hasan 4-0-32-1, Ali 4-0-26-2 (2w), Rizwanullah 3-0-41-1, Zahid 4-0-35-0, Salman 1-0-14-0

KARACHI KINGS:
David Warner not out 63
Jason Roy c Haseebullah b Ubaid 9
Reeza Hendricks c Abdullah b Ubaid 10
Salman Ali Agha c Abdullah b Haris 14
Moeen Ali c Raza b Ubaid 39
Azam Khan b Sams 14
Khushdil Shah not out 44

EXTRAS (W-10) 10
TOTAL (for five wickets, 18.4 overs) 203
DID NOT BAT: Hasan Ali, Zahid Mahmood, Mohammad Hamza, Rizwanullah
FALL OF WICKETS: 1-10 (Roy), 2-39 (Hendricks), 3-69 (Salman), 4-127 (Ali), 5-146 (Azam)
BOWLING: Shaheen 4-0-51-0 (1w), Ubaid 4-0-41-3 (3w), Sams 3-0-30-1 (2w), Usama 2-0-19-0, Haris 3.4-0-36-1 (1w), Raza 2-0-26-0 (1w)
RESULT: Karachi Kings won by five wickets.
MAN-OF-THE-MATCH: Khushdil Shah

Points table

(Tabulated under matches, won, lost, no result, points, run-rate)

Peshawar Zalmi 9 8 0 1 17 2.645
Multan Sultans 9 6 3 0 12 0.450
Islamabad United 8 4 3 1 9 1.082
Hyderabad Kingsmen 8 4 4 0 8 -0.367
Lahore Qalandars 9 4 5 0 8 -0.558
Karachi Kings 9 4 5 0 8 -1.063
Quetta Gladiators 9 3 6 0 6 -0.355
Rawalpindiz 9 1 8 0 2 -1.330

Published in Dawn, April 24th, 2026