Pakistan middle-order batter Sahibzada Farhan produced a breathtaking unbeaten century to erase Virat Kohli’s T20 batting milestone, guiding Multan Sultans to a memorable six-wicket win over Hyderabad Kingsmen in a high-scoring Pakistan Super League (PSL) encounter in Lahore on Wednesday. Chasing 226, Multan pulled off the fifth-highest successful chase in PSL history, finishing the job with eight balls still left. Farhan was the standout performer, remaining not out on 106 off 57 deliveries and steering the chase from the first over to the last.
Farhan and Smith set the pace in a Powerplay surge
Farhan forged the breakthrough partnership with Steven Smith, amassing a 104-run opening stand that set the tone for Multan. Smith struck quickly, hitting 46 off 20 balls, as the duo turned a steady start into a decisive onslaught during the Powerplay. By the end of the first six overs, Multan had raced to 83 runs. Farhan reached his half-century in just 25 balls and kept the scoring rate ticking upward even as wickets fell at the other end. Hyderabad Kingsmen did find brief momentum through Hassan Khan and Saim Ayub, but Shan Masood’s sharp 29 off 16 ensured the chase remained within reach.
With the match entering its final stages, Arafat Minhas provided the finishing flourish for Multan, finishing unbeaten on 26 off 11 balls. Farhan brought up his century in the 19th over and then capped the chase by striking a six soon after to seal the result.
Hyderabad post 225 for 5 before late collapse
Earlier, Hyderabad Kingsmen compiled 225 for 5, powered by two aggressive contributions from Maaz Sadaqat and Sharjeel Khan. Maaz struck 62 off 26 balls and reached his fifty in 19 deliveries, while Sharjeel stayed unbeaten on 51 from 26 balls. Despite their solid batting output, Hyderabad suffered a setback as they fell to their third straight defeat, with Marnus Labuschagne leading the side. Multan, meanwhile, made a strong start to their campaign by registering consecutive wins.
Farhan joins the elite T20 century group
Farhan’s knock was his ninth century in T20 cricket, moving him into a joint-fourth position on the all-time list alongside Virat Kohli and Rilee Rossouw. The innings also saw him surpass the earlier record holders Virat and Rossouw, and he climbed to the milestone as the second-fastest player in terms of innings (160), behind only Chris Gayle, who tops the chart with 22 T20 hundreds in 127 innings. Farhan now sits just behind Gayle (22), Babar Azam (11), and David Warner (10) in the standings for the most T20 centuries.
World Cup feat adds to Farhan’s growing legacy
Earlier this year, Farhan further etched his name into international records at the ICC Men’s T20 World Cup. He became the first player to register two centuries in a single edition, breaking Virat Kohli’s mark for the most runs in one tournament edition. Farhan struck 383 runs across seven matches, maintaining an average of 76.60 and a strike rate of 160.25. Kohli had held the previous record for more than 12 years, when he scored 319 runs in the 2014 edition of the T20 World Cup.
