Lahore, April 21, 2026: Defending champions Lahore Qalandars edged past Quetta Gladiators by nine runs in a high-scoring encounter at Gaddafi Stadium on Tuesday, registering their fourth victory in the ongoing Pakistan Super League (PSL) 11.
Chasing a challenging target of 198, Quetta Gladiators were restricted to 188-7 in 20 overs, despite strong batting efforts from their top order and a late push in the death overs.
Quetta got off to a positive start as openers Shamyl Hussain and captain Saud Shakeel added 49 runs for the first wicket. However, Sikandar Raza broke the partnership by dismissing Shakeel for 17.
Shamyl continued fluently and brought up his third PSL half-century, scoring 53 off 31 balls with five fours and three sixes. He later fell via a sharp run-out triggered by Daniel Sams and finished at 88-2.
Haris Rauf then struck quickly, removing Hasan Nawaz for a golden duck, before Rilee Rossouw and Khawaja Nafay attempted to rebuild the innings. Rossouw was in exceptional form, scoring a rapid 62 off 29 balls to bring Quetta back into the contest.
However, his dismissal by Ubaid Shah at 149-5 proved decisive. Late wickets, including those of Bevon Jacobs and Brett Hampton, derailed the chase further.
Abrar Ahmed’s unbeaten 24 off 14 balls kept faint hopes alive, but Haris Rauf bowled a tight final over, conceding just nine runs to seal the win for Lahore.
Earlier, Lahore Qalandars posted 197-6 after being put into bat, powered by a spectacular century from Fakhar Zaman. The innings began cautiously after Mohammad Farooq fell early for four, but Fakhar and Abdullah Shafique steadied the ship with a 57-run partnership.
Shafique contributed 14 before Abrar Ahmed broke through, but Fakhar shifted gears aggressively, reaching his 26th PSL fifty in commanding fashion. He was later joined by Charith Asalanka, with the duo adding 96 runs for the third wicket. Asalanka scored a valuable 31 before falling to Brett Hampton.
Fakhar continued his dominance, bringing up a superb century—his third in PSL history—before being dismissed for 103 off 51 balls, striking 11 fours and six sixes. Late contributions from Sikandar Raza and Daniel Sams helped push Lahore close to the 200 mark, with Sams finishing unbeaten on 18.
