“Enjoyed the experience” Former Australian captain hails PSL after exit

Hyderabad Kingsmen continued their dream debut season in Pakistan Super League (PSL) 11 with a dominant win over Multan Sultans in Eliminator 1 on Wednesday, knocking the 2021 champions out of the tournament.

The Kingsmen will now face Islamabad United in Eliminator 2 in Lahore on Friday. A win there will take them into the final, where they will meet Babar Azam’s Peshawar Zalmi in the title decider.

Kingsmen dominate in Eliminator 1

Opting to field first, Kingsmen captain Marnus Labuschagne made a call that worked perfectly as his side restricted Multan to 159 for 9. Shan Masood fought hard with a half century, but the rest of the batting unit failed to build partnerships.

In reply, the Kingsmen chased down the 160 run target with ease. Maaz Sadaqat and Usman Khan starred with the bat, both scoring 64 off 33 and 35 balls respectively, as the team got over the line with 28 balls to spare and just two wickets lost.

Tim Paine shares emotional message

Following the exit, former Australian captain Tim Paine, who served as head coach of Multan Sultans, shared an emotional message on X.

“A memorable journey with the Multan Sultans has unfortunately come to an end this PSL,” Paine wrote.

“Had a great time with a fantastic group of people and thoroughly enjoyed the experience.”

A strong campaign that fell short

Despite the early playoff exit, Multan Sultans had a solid league stage. Led by Ashton Turner, they finished third on the table with six wins and four defeats from 10 matches, ending with 12 points.

It was a campaign that showed promise, but one that ultimately ended just short of a deeper run in the tournament.