LAHORE: David Warner and Reeza Hendricks blasted unbeaten half-centuries on Saturday as Karachi Kings chased down 196 with nine wickets and nine balls to spare against Quetta Gladiators, but the victory was not enough to keep their HBL Pakistan Super League playoff hopes alive.

Kings were officially eliminated later in the day after Lahore Qalandars won their match against table-toppers Peshawar Zalmi.

A second successive captain’s knock from Warner (89 not out), combined with a commanding unbroken 141-run partnership for the second wicket with Hendricks (87 not out), propelled Kings to what proved to be a consolation win in their final league match here at the Gaddafi Stadium.

The defeat also knocked Gladiators out of the playoff race, leaving two teams — Qalandars and Hyderabad Kingsmen — in contention for the remaining slot alongside already-qualified Peshawar Zalmi, Multan Sultans and Islamabad United.

The final qualification is likely to be determined on net run rate (NRR).

Chasing a formidable 196, Kings not only achieved the target with ease but did so with nine balls to spare, finishing at 199 for one in 18.3 overs. Notably, four of Kings’s five victories in the tournament have come in Lahore.

Gladiator’s, after being sent in to bat, posted 195-6 in the stipulated overs. Rilee Rossouw top-scored with 90 off 54 balls and captain Saud Shakeel added 57 off 34, but the Gladiators slowed dramatically at the death, managing only 20 runs in the last three overs.

With comparatively cooler conditions for the second innings, Kings never looked in trouble after an early wicket.

Kings’s chase began on a steady note, with Jason Roy providing early impetus.

The English opener scored a brisk 20 off 15 balls, striking four boundaries before being dismissed in the sixth over by Jahandad Khan with the score at 58. Though his stay was brief, Roy ensured the required rate remained under control.

What followed was a dominant batting display led by Warner and Hendricks. Warner, registering his third half-century of the tournament and second consecutive unbeaten effort, anchored the innings with authority.

His knock, laced with 10 fours and four sixes, blended composure with catlculated aggression and kept Kings comfortably ahead of the asking rate.

Hendricks complemented his skipper perfectly, matching him stroke for stroke in a fluent innings of 87 off 48 balls, which included eight fours and four sixes.

The duo dismantled Gladiators’s bowling attack with ease, accelerating seamlessly through the middle overs and leaving no room for a comeback.

The pair’s intent was particularly evident in key overs, with Hendricks taking 24 runs off Alzarri Joseph in the 17th over, while Warner had earlier collected 18 runs from Abrar Ahmed in the fifth. Their unbroken stand ensured a one-sided finish as Kings sealed victory in commanding fashion.

Gladiators’s bowlers struggled after the early breakthrough, with Jahandad the lone wicket-taker. The rest of the attack — including Joseph, Khalil Ahmed, Abrar and Usman Tariq — proved ineffective, conceding ten or more runs per over.

For Gladiators, the innings had started disastrously. Pacer Hassan Ali removed both opener — Shamyl Hussain and Khawaja Nafay — for ducks in the very first over of the day.

Shamyl was caught behind off the first ball for a golden duck and Nafay followed in the same over, caught by Warner at mid-off for nought, leaving Gladiators reeling at 1 for 2 inside the opening over.

Rossouw and Saud then engineered a remarkable recovery. Initially cautious, the pair rebuilt the innings with intelligent strike rotation before shifting gears to dominate the bowlers. By the end of the powerplay, Gladiators had surged to 58 for two, a significant turnaround.

The partnership flourished through the middle overs, frustrating Kings’ attack. Rossouw brought up his fourth half-century of the tournament off 36 balls, while Saud reached his fifty off 30 deliveries. Together, they added 100 runs in just 60 balls.

Saud was eventually dismissed for 57 off 34 balls — an innings featuring nine boundaries — when he was caught behind off Rizwanullah with the total nearing 150.

Rossouw, however, continued his assault and, alongside Dinesh Chandimal, pushed the score further before falling for 90 off 54 balls. His innings included six sixes and eight fours as the southpaw reached 10,000 T20 runs during his knock.

Chandimal provided a steady finish, remaining unbeaten on 30 off 17 balls, hitting three fours and a six to ensure Gladiators posted a challenging total.

Among Kings’ bowlers, Hasan claimed two early wickets for 41 runs, while Rizwanullah and Abbas Afridi took two wickets each. However, the attack struggled to contain Rossouw and Saud once they settled.

Despite Gladiators’s recovery, Kings’s clinical chase ultimately rendered the effort insufficient, as Warner and Hendricks produced one of the most dominant batting performances of the season.

SCOREBOARD

QUETTA GLADIATORS:

Shamyl Hussain c Azam b Hasan0

Khawaja Nafay c Warner b Hasan0

Rilee Rossouw c Azam b Abbas90

Saud Shakeel c Azam b Rizwanullah57

Hasan Nawaz c Abbas b Rizwanullah3

Dinesh Chandimal not out30

Jahandad Khan c Hasan b Abbas3

Alzarri Joseph not out2

EXTRAS (B-4, LB-2, W-4)10

TOTAL (for six wickets, 20 overs)195

DID NOT BAT: Khalil Ahmed, Abrar Ahmed, Usman Tariq

FALL OF WICKETS: 1-0 (Shamyl), 2-1 (Nafay), 3-149 (Saud), 4-157 (Rossouw), 5-161 (Hasan), 6-185 (Jahandad)

BOWLING: Hasan 4-0-41-2 (1w), Rizwanullah 3.4-0-28-2 (1w), Ali 4-0-45-0, Salman 3-0-24-0 (1w), Zahid 3-0-29-0, Abbas 2.2-0-22-2 (1w)

KARACHI KINGS:

Jason Roy c Joseph b Jahandad20

David Warner not out89

Reeza Hendricks not out87

EXTRAS (LB-2, W-1)3

TOTAL (for one wicket, 18.3 overs)199

DID NOT BAT: Salman Ali Agha, Azam Khan, Khushdil Shah, Moeen Ali, Abbas Afridi, Hasan Ali, Zahid Mahmood, Rizwanullah

FALL OF WICKET: 1-58 (Roy)

BOWLING: Joseph 4-0-42-0, Khalil 3-0-35-0, Jahandad 3.3-0-38-1 (1w), Abrar 4-0-42-0, Usman 4-0-40-0

RESULT: Karachi Kings won by nine wickets.

MAN-OF-THE-MATCH: David Warner

Published in Dawn, April 26th, 2026