Peshawar Zalmi captain Babar Azam, after winning the toss, opted to bat first on a challenging Multan pitch. The early setback came as Shahnawaz Dahani dismissed Peshawar’s in-form young opener, Saim Ayub, in the fourth over. Unbothered by the early stutter, Babar and Haseebullah Khan formed a resilient partnership of 46 runs to end the powerplay. Haseebullah, exhibiting a threatening strike rate of 205, fell short of a half-century when Usama Mir claimed his wicket in the 11th over. Subsequently, Paul Walter quickfire contributed 16 runs in the 12th over before getting dismissed in the 13th over. The flow of runs slowed down briefly as Multan’s disciplined bowling, spearheaded by David Wiley, accounted for crucial wickets, including those of Walter and Rovaman Powell. Peshawar found themselves at 151/6 in 17 overs before a late surge by Luke Wood propelled the total to 179/8 in their allotted 20 overs.
In reply, Multan Sultans faced an early setback when captain Mohammad Rizwan departed in the third over. Despite this setback, Yasir Khan and Reeza Hendricks displayed grit, constructing a solid partnership that propelled the Sultans to 38/1 at the end of the powerplay. However, Salman Irshad pegged back with Yasir’s scalp before the efforts of Dawid Malan and Hendricks orchestrated a 45-run stand for the third wicket. Subsequently, Malan, in particular, showcased his prowess by scoring 52 off 25 deliveries, steering his team to 122/3 in 14.3 overs, only to depart in the same over. The momentum shifted in favour of Peshawar during the 16th over, as their bowling brigade, led by Arif Yaqoob’s 3/43, managed to dismiss Khushdil Shah, Usama Mir, and David Willey, sending them back to the pavilion. With 22 runs required from the last over, all eyes were on Iftikhar Ahmad, hoping for a repeat of his heroics from the previous match. Unfortunately, luck did not favour Iftikhar this time as Zalmi emerged victorious by a narrow margin of five runs despite conceding 16 runs that included two wides.
The last over was an absolute thriller! 🤯#HBLPSL9 | #KhulKeKhel | #MSvPZ pic.twitter.com/oEMB7TkJpv
— PakistanSuperLeague (@thePSLt20) February 23, 2024
Peshawar Zalmi won a match after eternity. pic.twitter.com/ZTn9xClSZW
— Sumra 🇵🇰 (@Binte__Khalid) February 23, 2024
Much needed win!
Superb
NAVEEN UL HAQ YOU BEAUTY! What a spell what a victory😭🔥
Peshawar Zalmi beats Multan Sultans in Multan! We are ready for this season now😈💛💪🏼#PZvsMS #PSL2024 #PeshawarZalmi pic.twitter.com/KfEQ9ZbW90— Abdullah Orakzaiii (@AbdullahOrkzy23) February 23, 2024
Le Peshawar to Lahore:#PSL2024 #PeshawarZalmi #PZvMS pic.twitter.com/LQ5axhI54X
— BannoKiSaheli || IU ♥️ (@BannoKiSaheli_) February 23, 2024
Crazy
1st one!
First victory for Babar Azam team 👌. Like this naughty snap of him ✌️😀#HBLPSL9 #BabarAzam #PeshawarZalmi pic.twitter.com/faS5eIXbRi
— Ahmer Najeeb Satti (@AhmerNajeeb) February 23, 2024
i think we all agree on the fact that peshawar zalmi is pct of psl, always the most entertaining team of the tournament. what a match truly
— Ahmed. (@ahmxidd) February 23, 2024
They are back!
Big W!
Peshawar Zalmi become the first team to beat Multan sultans in Multan 👏#HBLPSL9 | #PSL2024 pic.twitter.com/e0XeRIkvZY
— Nawaz 🇵🇰 (@Rnawaz31888) February 23, 2024
