Mitchell, Raza power Qalandars to vital win over Sultans

Overseas players Daryl Mitchell and Sikandar Raza batted superbly to guide Lahore Qalandars to their third victory from six games, defeating Multan Sultans by five wickets in their crucial HBL PSL X match at the Gaddafi Stadium in Lahore on Saturday night.

Mitchell smashed 64 off 38 balls, while Raza produced an unbeaten 40 off just 21 balls, enabling Qalandars to chase down the 186-run target with six balls to spare, despite losing five wickets along the way.

Earlier, Mohammad Rizwan (76 not out) and Kamran Ghulam (52 not out) anchored Multan Sultans to 185-3 in their 20 overs.

The victory lifted Qalandars to second place on the points table with six points from six matches. Karachi Kings also have six points but a lower net run-rate.

Meanwhile, it was the Sultans' fifth loss in six games, pushing them to the brink of elimination.

Chasing a tricky total, Qalandars had a poor start when Mohammad Naeem fell cheaply, bowled by Josh Little in the second over after scoring just six runs off four balls.

Fakhar Zaman and Abdullah Shafique tried to rebuild but only added 33 runs for the second wicket. Mohammad Hasnain gave Sultans a vital breakthrough by dismissing Fakhar, who struck two sixes and three fours in his 22-ball 28.

Abdullah Shafique and Daryl Mitchell then batted sensibly, putting on 49 runs for the third wicket to keep Qalandars in the hunt. However, young pacer Ubaid Shah swung the game back in the Sultans' favor by removing Shafique and Sam Billings (0) in the same over.

Shafique edged a delivery that pitched on off-stump to the wicketkeeper Usman Khan. He hit two sixes and two fours in his 25-ball knock.

Sikandar Raza then joined Mitchell, and together they batted authoritatively. Raza, in particular, was aggressive in his approach. The duo stitched a match-winning 89-run partnership for the fifth wicket to ensure Qalandars’ successful chase.

Mitchell, who reached his half-century off 32 balls, hit four sixes and four fours. Raza hammered four massive sixes and two fours in his brisk 21-ball innings.

Ubaid Shah was the pick of the bowlers for Sultans with 2-34.

Earlier, after being asked to bat first on a green-tinged surface, Multan Sultans skipper Mohammad Rizwan led from the front with an unbeaten 76, while Kamran Ghulam chipped in with a fiery 31-ball 52 to guide their team to a strong total.

Rizwan, initially scratchy, found his rhythm later and played some elegant strokes to bring up his 21st PSL fifty off 41 balls, striking six fours and three sixes.

He shared a 115-run stand for the fourth wicket with Kamran, who smashed four sixes and two fours during his 30-ball blitz. Kamran reached his fifty in just 30 deliveries.

At one point, Sultans were struggling at 70-3 in the 11th over. Kamran’s aggressive batting shifted the momentum, helping the Sultans post a fighting total by scoring 69 runs in the last five overs.

Earlier, Yasir Khan looked promising but failed to convert his start. Haris Rauf provided the breakthrough for Qalandars, dismissing Yasir, who had hit one six and three fours in his 18-ball 24. Yasir was caught by Sikandar Raza at deep square-leg, leaving Sultans at 30 in the fifth over.

Usman Khan (18) then joined Rizwan but also failed to make a big impact, falling to Daryl Mitchell after a 14-ball 18, featuring one six and two fours.

Returning after an illness, West Indies’ Shai Hope also struggled and was bowled for nine by Tom Curran, hitting just one boundary.

At that stage, Rizwan and Kamran Ghulam batted brilliantly, shifting the pressure onto Qalandars’ bowlers and keeping the scoreboard ticking until the end.

Tom Curran (1-24), Haris Rauf (1-46), and Daryl Mitchell (1-47) were the successful bowlers for Qalandars. Shaheen Afridi bowled economically, conceding just 25 runs in four overs, while Asif Afridi gave away 22 runs in two overs.

In the powerplay, Sultans managed 39-1.

Exploiting the grassy pitch, Shaheen Afridi, Tom Curran, and Haris Rauf bowled tightly early on, troubling the Sultans’ top order. Rizwan appeared shaky against the early movement and narrowly escaped a few dismissals.

However, after the powerplay, Sultans shifted gears and managed to post a competitive total, thanks largely to the Rizwan-Kamran partnership.