Hasan takes four as Kings stand tall against Gladiators in a thriller

It was a game of fluctuating fortunes, but in the end, the Karachi Kings had the last laugh, overcoming the Quetta Gladiators by 14 runs, with Hasan Ali’s resounding display of seam bowling stealing the show as he finished with figures of four for 27.

Meanwhile, Moeen Ali was adjudged the player of the match in the second HBL PSL 2026 contest at Gaddafi Stadium in Lahore on Friday night for his 48-run knock off 29 balls and his important contribution with the ball, giving away just 26 runs and picking up the wicket of Saud Shakeel.

The Gladiators got off to a blazing start in the powerplay, with Shamyl Hussain’s sensational batting onslaught helping them score 75 without losing a wicket in pursuit of the 182-run target.

After Hussain’s dismissal, the Gladiators lost two more wickets in the next two overs, as Khawaja Nafay (3) and Shakeel were dismissed by Adam Zampa and Moeen Ali, respectively.

The dot-ball pressure created by the spinners increased the asking rate for the Gladiators, as Rilee Rossouw also failed to impress, being clean bowled by Hasan Ali for 25 off 21 balls.

Hasan Nawaz attempted to launch a recovery with a cautious 29-run partnership for the fourth wicket, but he too fell to Hasan Ali in the penultimate over for 19.

On the next ball, Hasan removed Tom Curran with a back-of-length delivery that darted onto the stumps, and on the last ball of the over, he dismissed Ahmed Daniyal, leaving the Gladiators needing 30 from the final over.

For the Kings, Hasan Ali led the bowling attack with four wickets for just 27 runs in four overs, while Zampa, Moeen Ali, and Agha contributed one wicket each.

First Innings

The Karachi Kings posted 181 for seven, with Moeen Ali’s unbeaten 48 guiding them to a competitive total after losing momentum in the middle overs.

In the powerplay, the Kings looked on track for 200+, with David Warner scoring 35 off 22 balls, including four fours and a six, before being dismissed by Abrar Ahmed in the 11th over.

Warner struck four successive fours in the third over off Alzarri Joseph, while Salman Agha added 22 off 10 balls, hitting three successive fours before being dismissed on the last ball after a successful LBW review.

Quetta Gladiators’ spinners Usman Tariq and Abrar Ahmed curbed the run flow after the Kings had scored 60 for two in the powerplay.

In the space of 22 runs, the Gladiators lost three wickets, with Abrar removing Warner and Saad Baig (30), and Usman clean bowling Azam Khan (14) in the 14th over.

Moeen Ali then steadied the innings, maintaining the run flow before unleashing a flurry of boundaries.

He struck a six and four off Usman in the 18th over, followed by a maximum in the next. In the final over, a boundary from Moeen and a top-edged boundary from Hasan Ali off Ahmed Daniyal helped the Kings reach a healthy total.