Sultans break Gladiators’ winning run in PSL 9. Multan Sultans defeated Quetta Gladiators in a thrilling match at the Multan Cricket Stadium on Sunday as part of the ongoing Pakistan Super League (PSL) season nine.
Sultans break Gladiators’ winning run in PSL 9
Mohammad Rizwan’s men successfully defended the 181-run goal thanks to their ball-striking accuracy, while the Gladiators’ batters failed to harm their opponents. Chasing the target, the Gladiators began cautiously, scoring only 8 runs in the first two overs against Mohammad Ali and David Willey.
Jason Roy fell to Ali in the third over, and Saud Shakeel quickly followed suit after losing his wicket to Willey in the sixth over, leaving his side 42-2. Despite losing two wickets, skipper Rilee Rossouw and youngster Khawaja Nafay remained at the crease and established a 60-run partnership.
Gladiators had the lead in the pursuit, but Rossouw’s surprise ejection shifted the tide in Sultans’ favour. The wickets kept dropping, as the visiting team could only reach 167 runs in the allotted overs, suffering their first PSL 9 defeat by 13 runs. Batting first, the Sultans began with a bang, as opener Usman Khan blasted three boundaries to Akeal Hosein to finish the first over on 14/0.
Mohammad Rizwan formed a key 79-run partnership with Hendricks, during which he also reached his half-century. The Sultans skipper then retired to the pavilion after scoring 51 runs off 42 balls, including six boundaries. Following Rizwan’s departure, Quetta appeared to have perfect control of the match, restricting the Sultans to 122-2 in 16 overs.
However, Hendricks and Tahir altered the course of the game for the home team, scoring 58 runs together in the final four overs to propel their team to a competitive total. Hendricks was out in the penultimate over after hitting 72 runs off 47 balls, while Tahir stayed unbeaten on 35 off 22. Just before the end of the Sultans’ innings, a ball struck Quetta’s wicketkeeper batsman, Sarfaraz Ahmed.
