Multan Sultans ease past Karachi Kings in PSL opener

Mohammad Rizwan hits a 30th T20 fifty to guide the defending champions to victory in the first game of the 2022 tournament

Karachi: Karachi Kings 124-5, Multan Sultans 126-3 - Multan Sultans won by seven wickets

Multan Sultans kicked off the defence of their Pakistan Super League title with a seven-wicket victory over Karachi Kings at the National Stadium.

Captain Mohammad Rizwan led the way with an unbeaten 52 from 47 balls - his 30th T20 fifty.

Sohaib Maqsood added 30 before Tim David (12*) hit the winning runs with a crashing six off Mohammad Nabi.

It was a wretched start from the 2020 champions, who made just 124 for 5 from their 20 overs after being inserted.

Fourteen of the last 15 sides to bat first in PSL matches in Karachi had gone on to lose but even after being inserted Sultans stood little chance of turning that statistic around with an insipid innings.

Sharjeel Khan was the only batter able to make decent headway, scoring 43 from 31 deliveries, with three fours and a trio of sixes.

But the remainder of the line-up was unable to follow.

Babar Azam was an uncharacteristically stationary with 23, Joe Clarke holed out for 26 and Mohammad Nabi added just 10.

^{The evergreen Imran Tahir (Asif Hassan/AFP/Getty Images)}

Forty-two-year-old Imran Tahir was the pick of the bowlers with 3 for 16, while new-ball quick David Willey bowled 10 dots from his four overs.

Such was Sultans' dominance they could afford to have two wickets cancelled out due to no balls and still remain very much in the ascendency.

A target of 125 was never likely to be a challenge, particularly with dew expected to take effect in the second half of the game.

Shan Masood got the chase off to a good start with an 18-ball 26, before Rizwan and Maqsood put on a serene 63 for the second wicket.

Though Maqsood and Rilee Rossouw (2) departed in the 15th over delivered by Nabi it only delayed the Sultans' victory.

David secured the victory with a huge maximum off the Afghanistan spinner to ensure their title defence began in perfect fashion.