Multan Sultans beat Rawalpindiz by 6 wickets – PSL 2026 Match Report
Multan Sultans chased down 167 with eight balls to spare at the National Stadium on Tuesday, Steven Smith’s blistering half-century doing the heavy lifting as Rawalpindiz slipped to yet another defeat in a PSL 2026 season that has completely fallen apart for them.
Multan now sit firmly in the top half of the table. Rawalpindiz, rock bottom with nothing from seven games, are staring down early elimination.
Rawalpindiz build a platform, Forrester goes berserk
Rawalpindiz lost Shahzaib Khan from the fourth ball of the innings, caught at long-on off Mohammad Imran Randhawa for a duck. That cost them a quick start but Mohammad Rizwan steadied things, rotating strike alongside Yasir Khan before Arafat Minhas had Rizwan stumped for 26 off 29.
The middle overs were steady without being spectacular. Daryl Mitchell was the anchor, grinding to 58 not out off 46 balls – the kind of innings that builds a foundation but doesn’t blow a game open on its own.
What blew the game open was Dian Forrester off just 15 deliveries. The Rawalpindiz all-rounder smashed 37 not out from the last three overs, three fours and three sixes at a strike rate of 246. It lifted Rawalpindiz from a below-par 121/4 at the 17th over to 166/4 – a total that at least gave their bowlers something to defend.
Smith takes it apart
Rawalpindiz needed a fast wicket. They got one in the 4th over, Asif Afridi clean bowling Sahibzada Farhan for 20. But Steven Smith was already into his work by then.
The Australian played one of those innings that looks effortless until you clock the numbers – 56 off 31 balls, five fours and three sixes at a strike rate of 180. He and Josh Philippe built a partnership that took Multan from 29/1 to 98 before Philippe was caught for 17, and then Smith and Shan Masood added another 70-odd before Smith was caught behind off Saad Masood’s seam.
At 100/3, Multan needed 67 from nearly eight overs with Ashton Turner at the crease. No panic. Turner knocked off 37 not out from 21 balls, Arafat Minhas supported with an unbeaten 7 from 3, and Multan cruised home with 8 balls remaining.
For Rawalpindiz, Asif Afridi was the one bright spot – 2/28 from four overs, both key wickets, Statz Rating of 50.9 the only positive to take from a game where most of their bowlers went at nine or above.
Statz MVP: Steven Smith – 68.4/100
Smith’s 56 off 31 balls was the innings that made the chase simple. Fifty-six runs at 180 strike rate batting second in a T20 chase is the kind of performance you can’t ignore in the Statz Ratings – 68.4/100 takes the MVP award, just ahead of Mohammad Imran Randhawa‘s 67.6 for his wicket-to-run ratio in the powerplay (1/9 from three overs at economy 3.00).
PSL 2026 – Match 31 | National Stadium, Karachi
Rawalpindiz 166/4 (20 ov) | Multan Sultans 167/4 (18.4 ov)
Multan Sultans won by 6 wickets (with 8 balls remaining)
Full stats, Statz Ratings and player profiles on Statz Cricket.
