KARACHI: Hyderabad Kingsmen secured a commanding five-wicket victory over Rawalpindiz in the HBL Pakistan Super League match here at the National Bank Stadium on Thursday, riding on a stellar bowling performance from young pacer Hunain Shah to register their third consecutive win.
The triumph reignited their campaign after a shaky start, propelling them to fourth on the points table while Rawalpindiz’s dismal debut season continued with a sixth straight defeat, leaving them winless and mathematically clinging to slim playoff hopes.
Hunain’s impactful spell proved the difference as he dismantled the Rawalpindiz middle order with pace and precision.
He entered the attack in the sixth over when Rawalpindiz were already reeling at 24-3 after a disastrous powerplay. His first delivery yielded two runs but he struck immediately on the third ball of the over, inducing Daryl Mitchell to edge a hard-length delivery to wicket-keeper Usman Khan for a duck.
Returning in the 10th over, Hunain claimed Abdullah Fazal, who edged another length ball attempting a cover drive. Hunain’s final spell in the 17th and 18th overs sealed the innings: he removed Mubasir Khan with a back-of-a-length delivery that found the mid-off fielder, as the pacer finished with impressive figures of 3-18.
Rawalpindiz’s innings ended at a below-par 121-9, their lowest powerplay score of the season causing a collapse. Only Sam Billings (26) and Yasir Khan (24) offered brief resistance in a batting display marked by poor shot selection and inability to rotate strike against disciplined Kingsmen bowling.
Powerplay had derailed Rawalpindiz early. Mohammad Rizwan (15) and Usman Khawaja (two) fell in quick succession — Khawaja bowled by Glenn Maxwell and Rizwan cleaned up by a peach from Ali that nipped back sharply.
The middle order never recovered, with boundaries drying up and the scoreboard crawling at under five runs an over for long stretches. Rawalpindiz’s inability to build partnerships or accelerate left them with a meagre total that always looked vulnerable.
Mohammad Ali complemented Hunain with 3-21, while the seam movement and variations on a fresh surface kept the batters guessing throughout.
“When we lost the first two, three, four matches, I want to give a lot of credit to our management — especially the high management,” Hunain said after the match. “They supported us a lot. They never let us feel that we were not playing well, nor did any negative talk come from their side. In my opinion, no amount of credit is enough for them.”
In the chase, Rawalpindiz’s bowlers created early trouble, reducing Hyderabad Kingsmen to 35-3 inside powerplay.
Left-arm spinner Asif Afridi struck twice with the new ball, removing Maaz Sadaqat and Saim Ayub, while Mohammad Amir accounted for Usman Khan for a duck.
Marnus Labuschagne (32 off 21) and Kusal Perera then launched a counter-attack, but Labuschagne fell lbw to Saad Masood, and Maxwell was bowled for a golden duck by Ben Sears, leaving Kingsmen at 69-5 and the game delicately poised.
From that point, Perera and Irfan Khan Niazi took control in a match-winning 54-run unbeaten partnership.
Perera, aggressive from the outset, announced himself with a six off Amir and mixed deft sweeps and leg glances, reaching 32 not out off 24 with two fours and a six.
Irfan complemented him perfectly, with composure and timing — unleashing elegant straight drives, late cuts to deep third, and a towering six over long-off off Amir.
Their stand featured smart rotation of strike, clever use of sweep and reverse sweep against the spinners, and timely boundaries that eased the required rate below four. Irfan finished unbeaten on 34 off 29 balls with three fours and a six.
The pair navigated the middle overs without further alarm, with Perera sealing the win in the 17th over by glancing a leg-side delivery to the fine-leg boundary.
SCOREBOARD
RAWALPINDIZ:
Mohammad Rizwan b Ali 15
Usman Khawaja b Maxwell 2
Yasir Khan c Maaz b Ali 24
Daryl Mitchell c Usman b Hunain 0
Abdullah Fazal c Usman b Hunain 11
Sam Billings b Asif 26
Saad Masood run out 10
Mubasir Khan c Labuschagne b Hunain 11
Asif Afridi not out 15
Ben Sears c Maxwell b Ali 0
Mohammad Amir not out 2
EXTRAS (LB-4, W-1) 5
TOTAL (for nine wickets, 20 overs) 121
FALL OF WICKETS: 1-11 (Khawaja), 2-20 (Rizwan), 3-23 (Mitchell), 4-41 (Abdullah), 5-62 (Yasir), 6-74 (Saad), 7-97 (Sam), 8-108 (Mubasir), 9-113 (Sears)
BOWLING: Ali 4-0-21-3, Saim 4-0-14-0, Maxwell 1-0-6-1, Hassan 4-0-23-0, Hunain 4-0-18-3 (1w), Asif 3-0-35-1
HYDERABAD KINGSMEN:
Maaz Sadaqat c Sears b Asif 4
Marnus Labuschagne lbw b Saad 32
Saim Ayub c Amir b Asif 15
Usman Khan c Saad b Amir 0
Kusal Perera not out 32
Glenn Maxwell b Sears 0
Irfan Khan not out 34
EXTRAS (LB-3, W-3) 6
TOTAL (for five wickets, 16.3 overs) 123
DID NOT BAT: Hassan Khan, Asif Mehmood, Hunain Shah, Mohammad Ali
FALL OF WICKETS: 1-4 (Maaz), 2-28 (Saim), 3-29 (Usman), 4-68 (Labuschagne), 5-69 (Maxwell)
BOWLING: Asif 4-1-20-2 (1w), Sears 4-0-28-1, Amir 3-0-22-1, Saad 4-0-35-1 (1w), Mubasir 1.3-0-15-0 (1w)
RESULT: Hyderabad Kingsmen won by five wickets.
MAN-OF-THE-MATCH: Hunain Shah
Published in Dawn, April 17th, 2026
