Hyderabad Kingsmen beat Rawalpindiz by 5 wickets – PSL 2026 Match Report
Hyderabad Kingsmen chased down 122 to win the PSL 2026 24th Match at the National Stadium, Karachi on April 16, delivering a five-wicket victory with 21 balls to spare. It was a clinical performance driven by outstanding pace bowling and a composed middle-order partnership that got the job done without drama.
Rawalpindiz Bowled Out for 121
Rawalpindiz never got going with the bat, managing just 121/9 from their full 20 overs. The innings fell apart in the powerplay and never recovered.
Mohammad Rizwan went early – bowled by Mohammad Ali for 15 – and Usman Khawaja followed for just 2, caught off Glenn Maxwell at the end of the second over. When Daryl Mitchell edged one to Hunain Shah for a duck in the fifth, Rawalpindiz were three down for 23 and in serious trouble.
Yasir Khan steadied things briefly with 24 from 30 balls, but fell to Mohammad Ali for the second time in the innings. Sam Billings provided the most substance in the middle order, top-scoring with 26 from 22 before Asif Mehmood cleaned him up. A mid-innings collapse from the sixth through the ninth wicket – spanning just 39 runs – sealed their fate.
Hunain Shah (3/18) and Mohammad Ali (3/21) were the standout bowlers. Shah was relentless, taking three wickets across the 12th, 14th and 17th overs to repeatedly puncture the Rawalpindiz innings. Mohammad Ali’s opening spell was equally damaging. Asif Mehmood chipped in with the Billings wicket in his three overs, finishing with figures of 1/35.
Asif Afridi (15* off 12, 2/20) was the one Rawalpindiz player who enhanced the total and then made himself felt with the ball – the only genuine bright spot in an underwhelming team performance.
Kingsmen Knock Off Target Comfortably
Hyderabad Kingsmen’s chase was never in doubt, though Asif Afridi made things momentarily interesting. He removed Maaz Sadaqat for 4 in the second over, then had Saim Ayub caught at mid-off for 15 in the fifth – Kingsmen were 28/2 with the required rate ticking up.
Captain Marnus Labuschagne steadied the innings with a brisk 32 from 21 balls before falling lbw to Saad Masood at 29/3. Glenn Maxwell went cheaply for 0 a delivery later – 49/5, and a match that had looked one-sided suddenly had a pulse.
But Kusal Perera and Irfan Khan had other ideas. The pair put together an unbroken 74-run stand off just 10.4 overs to seal the win without losing another wicket. Perera was composed and punchy, finishing 32* from 24 balls. Irfan Khan was the more aggressive of the two, top-scoring with 34* from 29 balls to guide Kingsmen home with 21 balls remaining.
Statz MVP: Asif Afridi
Asif Afridi earned the Statz MVP award with a Statz Rating of 84/100. His contribution sat at both ends of the innings – a composed 15* with the bat in a struggling order, then a probing 2/20 in four overs that gave Rawalpindiz their best chance of a result when he struck twice early in the chase. He was the one player on either side who impacted both halves of the match.
Statz Ratings – Top 5
Asif Afridi’s 84 led the match, with Hunain Shah (62.1) and Mohammad Ali second and third for their combined nine-wicket haul with the ball. Marnus Labuschagne (37.9) rated fourth for his stabilising knock with the bat, ahead of Saim Ayub (33.7) whose quick 15 set a positive tone before Afridi struck.
Turning Point
The fall of Mitchell for a duck in the fifth over left Rawalpindiz at 23/3 in the powerplay. From that moment, they were always chasing a recovery rather than building a platform. The final total of 121 was around 30-35 short of what this surface can produce.
Match Context
The result keeps Hyderabad Kingsmen in the mix in the Pakistan Super League 2026. For Rawalpindiz, another below-par batting effort will be a concern heading into the final stretch of the group stage. The full scorecard is available on the Statz Cricket fixture page.
