The action of the HBL Pakistan Super League season 10 (PSL10) resumes at Lahore's Gaddafi Stadium as it is set to host playoffs of the league commencing from Wednesday, 21 May.
The top-placed Quetta Gladiators will take on second placed Islamabad United in the Qualifier. The first ball will be bowled at 7.30pm, with toss taking place at 7pm.
The Eliminator 1 will be played between Lahore Qalandars and Karachi Kings on Thursday, 22 May, with the match starting at 7.30pm. Eliminator 2 will be played between the losing side of the Qualifier and winning side of the Eliminator 1, scheduled on Friday, 23 May, followed by the final of the marquee event on Sunday, 25 May.
Defending champions Islamabad United's Sahibzada Farhan is leading the batting charts and currently holds the Hanif Mohammad Cap, with 394 runs from 10 matches, including one century and two half-centuries.
Kings' James Vince occupies second spot, having accumulated 374 runs from 10 outings, including one century and three half-centuries. Qalandars' southpaw Fakhar Zaman has scored 369 runs, including four half-centuries.
In the bowling charts, Kings' Mohammad Abbas Afridi has bagged 17 wickets and holds the Fazal Mahmood Cap. Gladiators' Abrar Ahmed, United's Jason Holder, and Kings' Hasan Ali have taken 15 wickets each.
It is worth mentioning here that The United, fourth in the standings before the last league-stage match, registered a massive total of 251/5 in their allotted 20 overs, courtesy of a record-equalling 153-run opening partnership between Alex Hales and Sahibzada Farhan.
Hales remained the top-scorer for the United with a 35-ball 88, studded with six fours and eight sixes, while Farhan made 73 off 41 deliveries with the help of nine fours and three sixes.
Skipper Shadab Khan gave a late push to their total with a quickfire 42-run cameo.
The United then needed to restrict the Kings to 203 or less to surpass them in terms of Net Run Rate and finish second in the standings.
They eventually booked the 2020 champions to 172 in 18.2 overs to set up Qualifier clash against leaders Quetta Gladiators, which is scheduled to be played at the Gaddafi Stadium in Lahore on Wednesday.
Disappointed Warner
Karachi Kings captain David Warner acknowledged falling short in all three departments in the high-stakes clash.
Reflecting on the defeat, Warner termed it a tough pill to swallow but emphasised that their focus remains on winning the next three matches to clinch the title. He vowed to regroup in the next two days and to make a strong comeback.
"We can let this one go and focus on winning the remaining three games to secure the silverware. We have a couple of days to regroup, and we must bounce back stronger," said Warner.
Warner reiterated that they were aiming to chase down the 252-run target to secure the victory instead of amassing the 204-run mark, which would have allowed them to remain second in the standings, and admitted their failure in all three departments resulted in the defeat.
The target was big, but we were confident about chasing it. We aimed to show intent in the first six overs, and our priority was to win the game. We did well until around the 8th or 9th over, but then it slipped out of our hands. Our performance fell short in all three departmentsbatting, fielding, and bowling."
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