Lahore Qalandars outplay Hyderabad Kingsmen in PSL 11 opener
2026-03-26 - 18:10
Lahore Qalandars beat Hyderabad Kingsmen by 69 runs in the HBL Pakistan Super League (PSL) 2026 opener at Lahore’s Gaddafi Stadium on Thursday evening. Chasing a challenging 200-run target for victory, Kingsmen kept losing wickets at regular intervals and were bundled out for 130 on the last ball of the final over. Skipper Marnus Labuschagne was the highest scorer for Kingsmen with 26 off 22 balls, laced with three boundaries. Riley Meredith made an unbeaten 19 off 26 balls, and Saim Ayub 17 off 13 balls with the help of three boundaries. Hassan Khan contributed 14 off nine balls, and Mohammad Ali and Hammad Azam 10 runs each. No other batter could enter the double figures. Ubaid Shah, Sikandar Raza and Haris Rauf bagged two wickets each while Shaheen Shah Afridi and Mustafizur Rahman took one wicket apiece. Akif Javed and Mohammad Ali were run out. After winning the toss and opting to bat first, Qalandars managed to reach 199/6 in their quota of 20 overs. Opener Fakhar Zaman was the top scorer for Qalandars, who made 53 off 39 balls, hitting 10 boundaries. Haseebullah Khan made an unbeaten 40 off 28 balls, laced with three fours and one maximum. Mohammad Naeem contributed 30 off 18 balls with the help of four fours and one maximum. Sikandar Raza made a quickfire 24 off 10 balls, Parvez Hossain Shanto 14 off 13 balls, and skipper Shaheen Shah Afridi 12 off two balls. Hassan Khan and Riley Meredith bagged two wickets each and Mohammad Ali one, while Abdullah Shafique was run out. Lahore Qalandars are defending champions, while Hyderabad Kingsmen played their PSL debut match. Lahore Qalandars Playing XI: Mohammad Naeem, Fakhar Zaman, Abdullah Shafique, Parvez Hossain Emon, Haseebullah Khan (wk), Sikandar Raza, Asif Ali, Shaheen Shah Afridi (capt), Haris Rauf, Mustafizur Rahman, Ubaid Shah Hyderabad Kingsmen Playing XI: Saim Ayub, Usman Khan (wk), Marnus Labuschagne (capt), Kusal Perera, Irfan Niazi, Rizwan Mehmood, Hassan Khan, Hammad Azam, Riley Meredith, Mohammad Ali, Akif Javed HBL PSL 2026 brings multiple broadcast production enhancements