Karachi Kings endured a humiliating defeat at the hands of defending champions, Multan Sultans, in the debut match of the seventh edition of Pakistan Super League (PSL) on Thursday, 27 January. They were outplayed by Mohammad Rizwan-led Sultans in all departments.

When the hosts batted first, they were all out for just 124 runs in 20 overs, even though they put together an opening stand of 66 runs. With the help of experienced campaigner Imran Tahir, Multan spinners slowed Karachi down for runs. With three wickets for 16 runs, Tahir was the major destroyer.

PSL history’s lowest first-innings total of 5 wickets or fewer, completed with the loss of 5 wickets or less.

Prior to this, Karachi’s 128/5 against Islamabad United in the inaugural edition was the lowest first-innings score with five or less wickets taken out.

Four of the lowest first-innings scores in the history of the Pakistan Super League are shown below.

Babar Azam’s early dismissal was a major contributor to Karachi’s slow performance. To continue on the momentum established by Sharjeel Khan’s quick-fire 43, Karachi had a solid foundation to build on. Babar, a stalwart of the innings, threw his wicket away while trying to hit Khushdil Shah for a six. The captain made 23 runs off 29 balls, with a 79.31 strike rate.

Babar had his second-slowest PSL inning ever (minimum 25 balls faced).

Let’s take a look at Babar Azam’s five slowest innings in the tournament so far:

The loss of Babar imposed unnecessary strain on the team’s inexperienced batting order. When Sultans spinners spun a web around Karachi batsmen to restrict them to a below-par score, the wicket’s fluctuating behaviour did the rest.

With 10 balls to spare, Mohammad Rizwan’s undefeated half-century gave his side a seven-wicket victory in the first match of their title defence.

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