Islamabad United 191 for 7 (Shadab 34, Asif 28, Imad 2-30) beat Karachi Kings 190 for 8 (Imad 55, Qasim 51, Maqsood 3-34) by one run

Islamabad United were the side beset by injuries, but the insult was all Karachi Kings. It went much, much deeper than anyone might have believed six overs before the death, and took a third umpire’s decision on a marginal run-out to settle the outcome. But for the Kings, the result in the end was no different to their previous six games: a defeat. They become the first PSL side to lose their first seven PSL games, and the first to be eliminated from this year’s competition. But in the end, the story of United’s one-run win was much too dramatic to be reduced to mere numbers.

It came down to a nail-biting final over from Waqas Maqsood, in which Kings needed eight. A boundary off the second ball brought it down to a run-a-ball, but two wickets took the game right down to the final delivery, off which the Kings needed two. Chris Jordan spooned it back to Maqsood, who somehow dropped it, but managed to gather and effect a direct hit at the non-striker’s end. Jordan was inches short of the popping crease that would have guaranteed the Kings a Super Over, and United had just about clung on to victory in a game they should have sealed long ago.

United had major problems throughout their defence of 191 with Shadab and Zameer missing, and for much of the first ten overs, the Kings needed to bide their time, stay in the game, and target whoever bowled the other three overs. But when Asif Ali, who had a grand total of two career T20 wickets, stepped up, he removed Sharjeel off a rank long-hop with his first ball, and cleaned up Mohammad Nabi four deliveries later. The Kings were 80 for 5, and the game seemed done and dusted.

But Pakistan U-19 captain Qasim and Imad struck up a glorious counterattacking partnership that put their side on the brink of victory. Qasim rode his luck to score an unbeaten 51 off 26, while Imad Wasim smashed 55 off 28, both capitalising on United losing their discipline on the field. No fewer than half-a-dozen catches were shelled, and ones were allowed to turn into two and four as the nerves tightened while the runs flowed freely. Hasan Ali was at the receiving end of another death-overs pasting; he was smashed for 16 runs in the penultimate over that left Qasim with so little to work with.

If you’ve seen United bat once, you’ve probably seen them bat every time. Rahmanullah Gurbaz and Muhammad Akhlaq fell early, but that didn’t deter them from continuing to go after the bowling. Once more, there wasn’t one outstanding contributor to their total, but five batters scored between 22 and 34, all at strike rates in excess of 130. Faheem Ashraf (29* off 10) and Asif Ali (28 off 11) blitzed a 57 off a combined 21 balls at the death as United walloped 78 off the final six overs. A couple of hours later, they would need every single one of those as they just about held off a resurgent Kings side, and shored up their own hopes of playoff qualification in the process.

After moving to his fourth PSL franchise, Afridi said: “I am excited to join Quetta Gladiators, a side that has had a roller-coaster ride in the past few events despite winning the title in 2019. In my final PSL event, it will be my dream and wish to sign off with another PSL trophy after tasting success with Peshawar Zalmi in 2017. PSL is an event that encourages and inspires a player to give his very best. I will use the same motivation to help my team and put up performances that can help us achieve our event objectives.”

Leaving Iftikhar was a tricky decision for United as they were allowed to have up to two local players in each of the Platinum and Diamond categories. Since they now have Shadab Khan and Asif in platinum, they had to leave one of Hasan Ali, Faheem Ashraf and Iftikhar out. They added Azam in the Gold category instead.

“It has been a difficult decision to move from Islamabad United, but looking ahead at my future in T20 cricket that is linked to the Pakistan team, I thought this was the best move,” Iftikhar said.

“I am grateful to the Islamabad United management for their support and understanding, as they have continued to stand behind me in all my decisions. I am thrilled to be rejoining Shahid Afridi at Quetta Gladiators after 2017, when we last played together in HBL PSL. Quetta Gladiators include a number of my contemporaries with whom I have played lot of cricket.”

The seventh PSL season will be beginning on January 27 next year, with a pre-tournament draft on December 12. The league, which begins about a month earlier than usual to make room for Australia’s upcoming tour of Pakistan in March-April, will be ending on February 27.

Every franchise is allowed to retain up to eight players from their previous roster and pick another eight in the draft. Players who were picked up as replacements for the Abu Dhabi leg in PSL 6 have not been considered in the original roster. Each team is also allowed to pick two additional players in the supplementary round.

Only two venues will be hosting the PSL: Karachi’s National Stadium will be staging the first 15 matches, while all other games – including the final – will be played at the Gaddafi Stadium in Lahore.

The deadline for PSL trades closed on Thursday with only United, Gladiators and Sultans utilising the option to trade. Teams now must decide their retentions – maximum of eight – by 4pm Pakistan time on Friday.