DUBAI: The defending champions Islamabad United defeated Lahore Qalandars by five wickets after a hard-fought contest in the opening match of the much-awaited fourth edition of the Pakistan Super League (PSL) in Dubai on Thursday night. Chasing a target of 172 runs, Islamabad reached the target in the penultimate over with five wickets and four balls to spare. Asif Ali was the star of the show for Islamabad with his explosive 36 runs off just 19 balls, while Faheem Ashraf aided him well with his 11-ball 23. Ronchi with his 27 runs off 17 balls and Hussain Talat with 37 runs also contributed in taking their team to victory.
Rahat Ali posed threat to United in the middle of the innings with his four wickets, three of which were taken in a single over, but Islamabad recovered well and eventually won in the penultimate over. Earlier, Lahore Qalandars failed to capitalise on the initial boost provided by opener Fakhar Zaman and Sohail Akhtar as the United successfully restricted the green shirts to 171.
A 50-run opening partnership between Fakhar Zaman and Sohail Akhtar in six overs put the defending champions on the defensive but it was United's all-rounder Faheem Ashraf who drew the first blood by taking out Akhtar's wicket. Qalandars were 97/1 in the 11th over. All eyes were on the biggest star attraction AB de Villiers, who played his debut PSL innings after retiring from the international cricket for South Africa last year. AB scored 24 off 17 balls with two boundaries and one six on a strike rate of 141.17.
Qalandars lost 8 wickets in the second half of the innings. After Fakhar Zaman's departure with 65 runs off 44 balls, things were down the hill for the Qalandars. Before the spectacular inaugural match, Junoon, Boney M and Fawad Khan rocked the crowd at the Dubai International Cricket Stadium. The opening ceremony event started with the national anthem of Pakistan.
The PCB Chairman Ehsan Mani kicked-off the event with thanking the commercial partners and the fans who extended their support to the league. Europe's The Final Countdown — was played after Mani's speech. The musical night began with the tune of the 1992 World Cup. Boney M performed on their famous track: Daddy Cool. Former president General (retd) Pervaiz Musharraf was also present among the attendees. Followed by the performances of the international artists, Aima Baig and Shuja Haider came on the main stage to kick off the performances of Pakistani artistes. The Junoon band electrified the stadium with their 'Jazba Junoon'. The vocalist Ali Azmat and the band mesmerised the crowd.
Fawad Khan was the showstopper of the evening with his performance of the PSL's anthem of the Fourth edition. During the ceremony, players of all the six franchises entered the stadium along with their respective team managements. The PSL-4 will feature 30 league matches and run for over a month from February 14 to March 17. It will feature six teams – Peshawar Zalmi, Quetta Gladiators, Karachi Kings, Multan Sultans, Lahore Qalandars, and Islamabad United in action.
