Rawalpindi: Multan Sultans on Saturday beat Quetta Gladiators by 9 runs and knocked it out from playoffs race of the Pakistan Super League eighth edition(PSL8).
While chasing 263 runs target, Quetta Gladiators did not get off to a good start as they lost the first wicket for 14 runs. Jason Roy, who scored century in the previous match, was dismissed for just six runs.
Martin Guptill scored 37 runs off just 14 balls as he hit four sixes and two fours, but then Ihsanullah got his wicket.
Muhammad Hafeez could add only one run to the total as Quetta Gladiators lost third wicket for 68 runs.
Omair Bin Yousuf and Iftikhar Ahmed brought Quetta back in the match as they had a century partnership, with both of them scoring half centuries.
It ended when Iftikhar Ahmed was dismissed by Abbas Afridi after scoring 53 runs. Ihsanullah dismissed Omair Bin Yousuf for 67 runs in the next over as Quetta lost fifth wicket for 178 runs.
Umar Akmal scored 28 off 10 balls to bring them back into the match, but Quetta’s hopes were vanished when he was dismissed.
Quetta Gladiators needed 29 runs in the last over but they could score 19 runs only and fell short by nine runs.
Naveen-ul-Haq and Qais Ahmed scored 17 runs each and remained not out.
Earlier, Multan Sultans got off to an aggressive start as they dropped Shan Masood and brought in Usman Khan.
Rizwan and Usman attacked the fast bowlers of Quetta and scored 11 runs in the first over of Naveen-ul-Haq and then 17 runs in the over of Aimal Khan with the help of four fours.
Usman Khan did not hesitate to hit Umaid Asif big as well and scored 17 runs in his over to help Multan Sultans score 50 in just four overs.
The opener reached his fifty off 22 balls as he scored 27 runs in the over of Qais Ahmed with the help of three sixes and two fours.
Multan Sultans scored 91 runs in the six overs of batting powerplay and they reached 100 on the third ball of the seventh over.
Muhammad Nawaz, who was brought back for the seventh over, conceded another 21 runs as Multan reached 112 in seven overs.
The carnage did not stop as Usman Khan scored the fastest century of PSL off just 36 balls as Multan Sultans brought up their 150 inside 10 overs.
Usman Khan was dismissed after scoring 120 off 43 balls but Rilee Rossouw also hit a six and a four.
Qais Ahmed, who conceded 54 in first two overs, finally got his first wicket when he dismissed Rilee Rossouw for 15 runs.
Multan Sultan lost their second wicket for 187 runs in the 13th over as it looked certain that they were going to break biggest PSL total record.
Muhammad Rizwan reached his half-century off just 26 balls, his fifth 50 plus score in 10 matches of PSL 8.
Multan Sultans brought up their 200 in the 15th over, as Tim David hit Qais Ahmed for a six, the eighth six conceded by the bowler off his 19th ball of the match.
He got his second wicket when he dismissed Muhammad Rizwan for 55 runs but conceded another six on the last ball, as he ended with figures of 77 for 2 in four overs.
Tim David remained not out on 43 whereas Kieron Pollard remained not on 23 as Multan Sultans finished with the biggest total of PSL history, 262 runs for the loss of just three wickets.
