A blistering late cameo from Khushdil Shah, combined with a composed half-century by captain David Warner, guided Karachi Kings to a sensational five-wicket victory over defending champions Lahore Qalandars in the 35th match of the Pakistan Super League (PSL) 11 at the Gaddafi Stadium on Thursday.
Chasing a daunting 200-run target, Karachi Kings reached the total with eight balls to spare, finishing at 200 for five to keep their playoff hopes alive.
The visitors made a shaky start as Jason Roy was dismissed for nine in the second over by Ubaid Shah, leaving the Kings at 10 for one. Warner then steadied the innings with brief contributions from Reeza Hendricks (10) and Salman Ali Agha (14).
Momentum shifted when Warner found support in Moeen Ali, with the pair adding a brisk 58-run partnership. Moeen played an aggressive knock of 39 off 17 balls, striking four sixes and a boundary before falling to Ubaid Shah.
Karachi suffered another setback when Azam Khan was bowled by Daniel Sams for 14, bringing Khushdil Shah to the crease at a crucial juncture.
Khushdil turned the game decisively in Karachi’s favour with a fearless counterattack, notably smashing 23 runs in the 18th over bowled by Shaheen Shah Afridi. With 11 runs needed off the final two overs, Khushdil sealed the chase in style, hitting back-to-back sixes off Haris Rauf in the penultimate over.
He remained unbeaten on a match-winning 44 off just 14 deliveries, including five fours and two sixes, while Warner anchored the innings with an unbeaten 63 off 44 balls, hitting 10 boundaries.
For Lahore Qalandars, Ubaid Shah was the pick of the bowlers with three wickets for 41 runs, while Daniel Sams and Haris Rauf claimed one wicket each.
Earlier, Lahore Qalandars posted a competitive 199 for six after being put into bat. Despite an early setback with Mohammad Farooq run out for 18, Fakhar Zaman and Abdullah Shafique put the hosts in control with a commanding 110-run partnership for the second wicket.
Fakhar scored 61 off 41 balls, including five fours and three sixes, before being dismissed by Moeen Ali, who also removed Charith Asalanka for a duck in the following over.
Shafique top-scored with 62 off 36 deliveries, featuring five fours and three sixes, before being bowled by debutant Rizwanullah.
Late contributions from Sikandar Raza (18 not out) and Shaheen Afridi (10 off four) helped Lahore finish strongly, while Daniel Sams added 20 before being run out.
Moeen Ali stood out with the ball for Karachi, taking two wickets for 26 runs, while Rizwanullah and Hasan Ali picked up one wicket each.
The result marks a crucial turnaround for Karachi Kings, while Lahore Qalandars will look to bounce back after falling short despite a strong batting performance.