Multan Sultans tightened their grip on the PSL 2026 standings with a commanding fourth win of the campaign, chasing down 183 against Rawalpindiz with clinical efficiency. Having to turn around after another match within 24 hours, the Sultans still produced ruthless batting, powered by Sahibzada Farhan and Josh Philippe during the chase. Multan won the toss for the second straight evening and chose to bowl first, setting up a controlled pursuit that ended inside 17 overs.
Rawalpindiz set a target, but the middle overs swung
Mohammad Rizwan gave Rawalpindiz a sharp start, striking two boundaries in the opening over. Yasir Khan fell early, yet the innings gathered momentum in the second half of the Powerplay, with Kamran Ghulam finding boundaries to keep the run rate ticking. Even so, Rizwan was trapped lbw, forcing the middle order to shoulder the responsibility of building a defendable total.
Faisal Akram then struck twice in the middle overs, turning the contest on its head and leaving Rawalpindiz stumbling at 79/4 around the halfway stage. Daryl Mitchell attempted to counter the spin with sweeping shots that produced back-to-back boundaries, but Akram made the breakthrough again in the same over, removing the New Zealand batter to cut off the recovery.
Dion Forrester responded with momentum, smashing a hat-trick of sixes to lift the scoring tempo. However, Peter Siddle delivered a short ball that ended Forrester’s stay, and Rawalpindiz soon found themselves under pressure at 128/7 with nearly five overs remaining. At that point, the innings looked close to collapsing—until Sam Billings took charge.
Billings struck three boundaries off Mohammad Wasim Jr., then looked to accelerate even further in the penultimate over, hitting Siddle for three more. The English batter remained unbeaten on 56, helping Rawalpindiz edge past 180. Still, Multan’s bowlers needed early strikes once the chase began, and the start they wanted arrived quickly.
At a glance
- Multan Sultans moved to top spot in PSL 2026 with their fourth win.
- Rawalpindiz made 182/8 in 20 overs.
- Multan chased 183, reaching 186/3 in 16.2 overs to win by 7 wickets.
- Sahibzada Farhan scored 68 and Josh Philippe 56* in the chase.
- Faisal Akram took 4/31 for Multan.
- Sam Billings made 56 and Kamran Ghulam 35 for Rawalpindiz.
Steven Smith departed early, giving the opposition an immediate jolt and preventing Rawalpindiz from settling into their bowling rhythm. The response from Multan was immediate and brutal: Philippe and Farhan set the tone, with Farhan finishing the Powerplay by launching two sixes off Mohammad Amir. By the time the opening phase ended, Sultans had already amassed 58 runs.
Amir Khan faced punishment from Philippe, but the real momentum swing came from Rishad Hossain. After beginning with a tidy spell, Hossain was hit hard the moment he changed ends—Farhan smashed three consecutive sixes off the Bangladeshi spinner to bring up his fifty. Philippe then added another big hit in the same over, costing Rawalpindiz 26 runs and putting the chase beyond reach.
The six-hitting continued as the Australian cleared the ropes again in the next over, stretching Multan’s advantage further. Although both batters who had carried the chase—Farhan and Philippe—eventually returned to the pavilion, the damage was already done.
With the target effectively dismantled, Shan Masood and captain Ashton Turner wasted little time in wrapping up the job, ensuring Rawalpindiz had no route back into the contest. Multan’s chase was complete when they reached the required score at 186/3 in 16.2 overs, sealing the victory by seven wickets.
Brief scores: Rawalpindiz 182/8 (20 overs) — Sam Billings 56, Kamran Ghulam 35; Faisal Akram 4/31. Multan Sultans 186/3 (16.2 overs) — Sahibzada Farhan 68, Josh Philippe 56*; Mohammad Amir 2/32. Multan won by 7 wickets.
