Islamabad United defeated Karachi Kings by five wickets as a result of their excellent bowling performance and calm chase. As a result, Islamabad shot up to the second position, while Karachi finished second from the bottom. These two teams are among the four contending for the three playoff berths that remain.
Despite the absence of Naseem Shah, Islamabad’s bowlers chose to field and put pressure on Karachi right away. The early removal of Shan Masood set the tone, but Karachi’s middle order fell apart fast, leaving them reeling at 49/4.
Despite the surface being difficult, Kieron Pollard and James Vince’s solid combination brought stability and 58 runs to Karachi’s innings, which ended below expectations at 150/7. Three wickets were taken by Tymal Mills.
Islamabad, needing to score 151 to win, lost the first two openers in the powerplay. But a 58-run combination between Agha Salman and Shadab Khan calmed the ship. Salman’s breakthrough for Blessing Muzarabani briefly caused a hiccup, but Haider Ali and Faheem Ashraf showed steely nerves to lead Islamabad to victory with eight balls remaining.
Brief scores: Shadab Khan 34, Agha Salman 33, and Karachi Kings 150/7 (Kieron Pollard 39; Tymal Mills 3-34) lost to Islamabad United 151/5 in 18.4 overs by 5 wickets.
