Qalandars strengthen Playoffs bid with win over Zalmi

An unbeaten fifty from Fakhar Zaman powered Lahore Qalandars as they overhauled Peshawar Zalmi's 200-run target to strengthen their bid for the Playoffs. Hyderabad Kingsmen, the only other team in the race to claim the final spot, need to beat Rawalpindi by either 85 runs or chase a target in around 10 overs in their final league game to get past the Qalandars' superior Net Run Rate.

Asked to bat first, Zalmi were reduced to 36/2 in the Powerplay before a 94-run stand between captain Babar Azam and Michael Bracewell steadied the ship. Babar made 59 off 45 before being bowled by Haris Rauf in the 16th over. Michael Bracewell carried on, slamming six sixes and eight fours in his 45-ball 83 before departing in the final over. A 14-ball 27 from Iftikhar Ahmed propelled Zalmi to 199/4 in 20 overs.

In reply, Qalandars' openers struggled against the moving ball and lost Mohammad Naeem early. Abdullah Shafique provided impetus as they scored 36 runs off the last two Powerplay overs. While Shafique fell right after, contributions kept coming through the order while Fakhar Zaman shored one end up. His 53-run stand with Charith Asalanka kept them on track before blitzes from Sikandar Raza (29 off 11) and Daniel Sams (35* off 15) ensured they crossed the line with three deliveries to spare.

The Qalandars not only strengthened their case for a Playoffs spot but also knocked the Karachi Kings out in the process.

Brief Scores: Peshawar Zalmi 199/4 in 20 overs (Michael Bracewell 83, Babar Azam 59; Shaheen Afridi 2-36) lost to Lahore Qalandars 200/4 in 19.3 overs (Fakhar Zaman 58*, Daniel Sams 35*; Khurram Shahzad 1-22) by six wickets