Multan, May 5, 2025:
Multan Sultans continued to be the whipping boys of the HBL Pakistan Super League 2025, suffering their eighth defeat in nine matches as Peshawar Zalmi cruised to a convincing victory by seven wickets in the 25th match of the tournament at the Multan Cricket Stadium on Monday.
The win kept Peshawar Zalmi’s play-off hopes alive, bringing them to four wins from eight matches – just one point behind fourth-placed Lahore Qalandars, who have a game in hand. In contrast, Multan Sultans’ miserable season continued, with only one game left against table-toppers Quetta Gladiators on Sunday, May 11.
Opting to bat first, Multan started steadily at 40 for two in the PowerPlay and reached 60 for two by 8.4 overs before collapsing to 108 all out in 19.1 overs. At one point, they were in danger of being bowled out for under 100, slipping to 92 for eight in 16.4 overs. A late cameo by Mohammad Hasnain, who scored 10 off 11 balls, helped them cross the three-figure mark.
In response, Peshawar Zalmi lost Mitchell Owen (one) in the first over and had a stroke of luck when Shai Hope dropped Saim Ayub off Hasnain in the second. Despite the early setback and after losing Babar Azam (eight) and Saim, Zalmi reached the target for the loss of three wickets in 13 overs.
Saim’s drop proved to be a costly one for Multan Sultans as the elegant left-hander scored 49 off 33 balls with four fours and three sixes. Max Bryant remained 38 not out with five fours and a six off 20 balls.
The 2025 season has been a nightmare for the Sultans, whose batters had previously dominated the league, reaching four finals and winning the title in 2021.
After scoring 235 in a losing cause against Karachi Kings to open their campaign, their form has steadily declined. Their batting scores throughout the season reflect the slump: 235, 155, 107, 228-5, 168-5, 185-3, 89, 117, 108.
Their bowling hasn’t fared any better, with opponents racking up totals of:
236-4, 202-6, 227-7, 129-4 (17.1 overs), 195-9, 171-3 (17.1 overs), 186-5 (19 overs), 90-0 (6.5 overs), 204-4.
On Monday and on a good batting surface, Yasir Khan was caught at short-fine-leg off Saim Ayub’s first ball, Mohammad Rizwan pulled Luke Wood to square leg and Tayyab Tahir was caught at mid-on trying to clear the boundary off Ahmed Daniyal.
Tayyab’s dismissal opened the floodgates. Maaz Sadaqat bowled Ashton Turner and Amir Barki, while Shahid Aziz edged behind off Ali Raza. Daniyal completed his three-wicket haul by removing David Willey and Ubaid Shah in quick succession, reducing the Sultans to 104 for nine. Hasnain was the last man out, falling to Luke Wood.
Shai Hope top-scored for Multan with 23 before falling to his West Indian teammate Alzarri Joseph, while Tayyab Tahir chipped in 22.
For Zalmi, Ahmed Daniyal returned impressive figures of three for 17 in four overs. Maaz Sadaqat and Luke Wood chipped in with two wickets apiece, conceding 12 and 18 runs, respectively.
Scores in Brief:
HBL PSL 2025 Match 25 – Peshawar Zalmi beat Multan Sultans by seven wickets
Multan Sultans 108 all out, 19.1 overs (Shai Hope 23, Tayyab Tahir 22, Mohammad Rizwan 17; Ahmed Daniyal 3–17, Maaz Sadaqat 2–12, Luke Wood 2–18)
Peshawar Zalmi 110-3, 13 overs (Saim Ayub 49, Max Bryant 38 not out)
