Labuschagne steers Hyderabad Kingsmen to six-wicket win over Islamabad United

KARACHI: Hyderabad Kingsmen registered their second straight win in the HBL Pakistan Super League after defeating Islamabad United by six wickets with 11 balls remaining at the National Bank Stadium on Sunday night.

Chasing 154 on a surface that offered grip and uneven bounce, Kingsmen were guided by captain Marnus Labuschagne, who remained unbeaten on 61 off 53 balls. His innings held the chase together as Hyderabad reached 157-4 in 18.1 overs.

The pursuit began at pace through Maaz Sadaqat, who made 30 from 16 deliveries, hitting four fours and two sixes. He attacked stand-in captain Chris Green and Imad Wasim early, with Imad conceding 20 runs in an over as Kingsmen moved to 50 without loss inside five overs. Maaz was then caught at mid-on off Green in the fifth over.

Labuschagne and Saim Ayub added 60 runs for the second wicket to steady the innings. Saim scored 35 off 26 balls, striking two fours and two sixes, while the pair kept the scoreboard moving and prevented the required rate from rising sharply. Saim was dismissed in the 14th over when he edged Faheem Ashraf to wicket-keeper Devon Conway.

The same over brought another wicket when Usman Khan edged a delivery down the leg side to Conway, leaving Kingsmen at 112-3. Kusal Perera then fell for two, caught at deep backward square off Green, as Islamabad briefly worked their way back into the contest.

Glenn Maxwell, however, quickly shifted momentum again with an unbeaten 21 off nine balls. He struck two sixes off Imad in the 17th over to bring the target close. Labuschagne completed his half-century off 46 balls in the 16th over with a scoop off Salman Irshad before he and Maxwell took Kingsmen home in the 19th over.

United lose momentum after strong start

Earlier, Islamabad United posted 153-9 after being sent in to bat. Devon Conway and Sameer Minhas gave the innings a brisk start, putting on 57 for the opening wicket inside the powerplay. Conway made 45 off 31 balls with seven boundaries, while Sameer contributed 22.

United’s innings lost momentum in the middle overs, with two run-outs in the 10th over proving costly. Mohammad Faiq was run out for 18, and Conway was also dismissed in a mix-up after making 45. Those setbacks shifted the initiative towards Hyderabad.

Mark Chapman then top-scored with 42 off 30 balls, hitting three fours and two sixes, and tried to rebuild the innings. Haider Ali made 6 and Faheem Ashraf scored 5, but United were unable to accelerate effectively.

The closing stages belonged to Asif Mehmood, who returned figures of 4-18 in two overs. He removed Chapman and then dismissed Imad Wasim, Mehran Mumtaz and Chris Green in a late burst that saw United slip from 150-5 to 153-9 in the final over.

Score summary

For Islamabad United, Devon Conway scored 45, Mark Chapman 42 and Sameer Minhas 22. Mohammad Ali took 2-26, Glenn Maxwell claimed 1-21, and Asif Mehmood finished with 4-18.

For Hyderabad Kingsmen, Labuschagne remained unbeaten on 61, Saim Ayub made 35, Maaz Sadaqat scored 30 and Maxwell added an unbeaten 21. Chris Green and Faheem Ashraf took two wickets each for Islamabad.

Hyderabad Kingsmen won by six wickets, while Labuschagne was named man of the match.