- May 6, 2025
In one of the Featured Thrillers of the 2025 Pakistan Super League, Karachi Kings pulled off a shock final-over win over their bitter rivals Lahore Qalandars at Gaddafi Stadium in a rain-affected confrontation. It was a match of changing fortunes, breathtaking personal performances, and tactical errors – all resulting in a sensational late cameo by Irfan Khan that took the Kings from an almost certain defeat to an unforgettable victory, with an innings of 48 not out off just 18 balls.
Qalandars Blaze Early Before Rain Disrupts Momentum
The night started well for Lahore, who batted first in what was to be a full 20-over match, at least at the start. Mohammad Naeem had shown glimpses of promise throughout the season, and this was by far his best performance to date, brutalising a 22-ball 50 that had Karachi reeling from the start. Fakhar Zaman had a half-century to support him, as the Qalandars piled on 69 in the powerplay. Even Mohammad Nabi, the least expensive spinner of the tournament, went for 28 off his first two overs. It was only Aamer Jamal’s smart bowling that halted the Naeem show, but not long after, the rain came and ended play for over 90 minutes.
Abbas Afridi and Mir Hamza Shift the Game
Play resumed with just 15 overs to go. The Qalandars took a couple of quick runs with Fakhar and Abdullah Shafique, but they seemed to lose their rhythm. Abbas Afridi and Handy Hamza made 2 in 2. Afridi made 3 from 7 balls. Abbas Afridi was fantastic today with 4 for 27. Statistics underline Afridi’s importance today; when he dismissed Fakhar mid-innings, it was a prelude to a mauling. When they got to 160-8, it looked competitive. They had made some good starts, and their only way of losing was to be blown away, which, from the wickets they were losing, didn’t look possible!
Its target was 168 runs in 15 overs, and it looked like the Karachi Kings were in control while batting. David Warner came out and smashed 20 off an Asif Afridi over, and Tim Seifert was going well too against Shaheen Shah Afridi. After a few overs of fun, the Qalandars got back into the match and imposed a few disciplined spells of bowling, which naturally dropped the run rate, and then soon got 5 wickets in close succession. Once the asking rate climbed to over 16 with only Irfan Khan and Mohammad Nabi left, it looked like the match was well in hand for the Qalandars.
Irfan Khan’s Death-Over Brilliance Stuns Lahore
Then came the twist that would be forever etched into PSL folklore. Irfan Khan went after the talismanic Lahore captain Shaheen, hitting him for three sixes in an over that rekindled hope for Karachi. With Nabi doing an admirable job in support, they got another 20 runs off Haris Rauf’s penultimate over, requiring only seven runs from the last six balls. Daryl Mitchell, a part-timer who had to bowl the last over, was feeling the pressure. Irfan made no mistake, and hitting the third ball over long-off for six brought the smiles back.
The victory also gives Karachi a huge confidence boost as it moves them to second in the table so it sends Islamabad United within striking distance of the end of the table and proves particularly big trouble for Lahore Qalandars, who were once in control of their destiny, now seriously looking at the possibility of bowing out early from a tournament where they had a strong initial impression with solid batting and bowling successes, that turned out to be the lack of success during the death overs.
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