Lahore (APP – Urdu Point / Pakistan Point News – 27 Mar, 2026) Defending champion Lahore Qalandar (LQ) was too good to lose to Hyderabad Houston Kingsmen (HHK) as they beat rookies HHK by 69 points in the opening match of the 11th edition of the tournament. Pakistan Super League (Polish) at Gaddafi Stadium here late Thursday night.
Chasing a target of 200 set by Lahore Qalandars, as Shaheen Shah Afridi decided to bat first after winning the toss, Hyderabad Kingsmen were reduced to 130-10 in their 20 overs after their batting line-up succumbed under pressure.
Chase was never easy as no batsman could build a major partnership as 25 was the highest partnership of 25 (16) for the first wicket while Marnus Labuschagne’s 26 (22) was the highest run-scorer for the Kingsmen.
No other batsman impressed with the bat as Saim Ayub managed to score only 17 (13).
In the press conference that followed the match, Kingsmen captain Marnus acknowledged the superiority of the Qalandars in all areas of the match, adding that the Qalandars are the defending champions and deserve to win.
However, he promised to come back strong in the second match on Sunday.
Haris Rauf was the most impressive among the LQ bowlers as he bowled with speed and accuracy and took two wickets for 22 runs from four overs.
Sikandar Raza and Obaid Shah also picked up a brace for 27 runs each.
Shaheen Shah Afridi and Mustafizur Rahman picked a wicket each.
The last two batsmen Akiv Javed and Mohammad Ali were run out.
Earlier, Fakhar Zaman carried his advantage with the bat from the ICC Men’s T20 World Cup where he scored 53 (39) and claimed an 84 (50) partnership for the first wicket and this partnership set the tone for the rest of the innings for the Qalandars as they reached 199-6 from 20 overs.
Qalandars lost four wickets in quick succession as they scored around 50 runs in the next seven overs but wicketkeeper-batsman Haseebullah Khan’s unbeaten 40 (28) and Hijab Sikandar Raza’s 24 (10) pushed Qalandars to a huge total.
It was Shaheen Afridi’s two balls off two balls that saw Lahore jump to 199-6. Australians Riley Meredith and Hasan Khan took a double for 39 and 30 runs from four overs each while Mohammad Ali picked one wicket for 50 runs from three overs.
No other player including spin duo Saime and captain Marnus could do any damage while Akif Javed also remained wicketless in his two matches.
Although Sikander Raza was a strong contender for the Player of the Match (POTM) title for his all-round performance, Fakhar Zaman was named POTM for his brilliant half-century which led Qalandars to a huge total.
He will face Karachi Kings Quetta The Galdiators are in a night match at Gaddafi Stadium on Friday evening.