LAHORE – Islamabad United beat Lahore Qalandars by 8 wickets in the opening match of the Pakistan Super League (PSL 9) that was played at Gaddafi Stadium in Lahore on Saturday.
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Batting first, Lahore Qalandars set a 196-run target for Islamabad United in 20 overs at the loss of 5 wickets.
Chasing the target, Islamabad United scored the required number of runs in 18.2 overs at the loss of just 2 wickets.
Islamabad United won the toss and decided to field first. The high voltage clash started at 8:00pm Pakistan Standard Time after a dazzling opening ceremony was held at the PCB’s headquarters Gaddafi Stadium.
The ceremony featured exciting performances from renowned artist Arif Lohar, Natasha Baig, pop band Noori and the singers of the HBL PSL 9 anthem song Ali Zafar and Aima Baig.
Fans were also be treated to spectacular fireworks and a mesmerising laser show.
Ahead of game, Quetta Gladiators new skipper Rilee Rossouw said opportunity to lead Purple force in PSL 9 doesn’t come around often, calling it honour for him.
As a side, we will try to make it a high-performance arena, Rossouw said, adding that conditions in Karachi and Lahore will suit his side and that is where we will look to bag the most points.
Shadab Khan, who is leading Islamabad United, said he has been captain of Islamabad United for last four seasons and wants to lift trophy for his team. Khan said Imad Wasim and Shah brothers are huge boost for the franchise.
Faheem Ashraf and Azam Khan are two vital cogs in our team. I want my team to stand tall in high-pressure games and get over the line, he said. Shadab said Uniteds evaluated mistakes from the last season and are looking forward to executing our plans aptly this time around.
Islamabad United Squad PSL 9
Shadab Khan (captain), Alex Hales, Azam Khan, Colin Munro, Faheem Ashraf, Haider Ali, Imad Wasim, Jordan Cox, Matthew Forde, Mohammad Waseem, Naseem Shah, Obed McCoy, Qasim Akram, Rumman Raees, Salman Ali Agha, Shahab Khan and Tymal Mills
Emerging: Hunain Shah, Shamyl Hussain and Ubaid Shah
Lahore Qalandars Squad for PSL 9
Fakhar Zaman, Rassie van der Dussen, Sahibzada Farhan, Abudllah Shafique, Daniel Lawrence, Mirza Tahir Baig, Shai Hope, Bhanuka Rajapaksa, Lorcan Tucker, David Wiese, Sikandar Raza, Ahsan Bhatti, Jahandad Khan, Kamran Ghulam, Shaheen Afridi, Haris Rauf, Zaman Khan, Mohammad Imran Jr., Syed Faridoun, and Tayyab Abbas.
