Islamabad United 83 for 2 (Mohsin 42, Mohammad Ali 2-29) beat Hyderabad Kingsmen 80 (Usman 25*, Gleeson 3-9, Shadab 3-13, Imad 3-21) by eight wickets

United have a chance of finishing the league stage in the top two as that spot will now be determined on the result of their next game against Multan Sultans, who are currently at No. 2, but one point ahead of United. Kingsmen’s qualification is contingent on the other results going in their favour as they are now locked in the competition for the final spot with Lahore Qalandars and Karachi Kings, who are all on eight points.

The moisture in Karachi’s air combined with the National Stadium’s peculiar sideways breeze compelled United to bowl all their six powerplay overs by the pace bowlers, and Gleeson, who picked up a wicket in each of his three overs in that phase, began dismantling Kingsmen’s line-up from the very first ball.

Maaz Sadaqat top-edged a pull to deep third as the right-arm quick banged the ball on hard length and moved it away. It would serve as a template for him throughout his spell as he hit more than half of his deliveries – 57% to be precise – on that nagging six to eight meters length. He had Kingsmen tottering at 24 for 3 after accounting for Marnus Labuschagne and Saim Ayub, whose torrid form this season continued, in his next two overs.

There was no respite for Kingsmen post powerplay as Shadab and Imad continued to chip away, shattering their hopes of posting a respectable total. The United captain cut short a rescue effort between Usman Khan, who remained unbeaten on 25 off 35, and Kusal Perera by outsmarting the latter with his top spin and struck twice in as many balls later that exposed the tail in just the 12th over.

Imad, from the other end, had Glenn Maxwell, who has had a horrendous run with 26 runs in five innings in what is his debut PSL season, trapped in front. Asif Mahmood hit the only six of the innings in the 14th over and was caught by Shadab off Salman Mirza in the next over and Imad ran through the remaining two wickets in the 16th.

It was always going to be a straightforward chase on this pitch, a belter supporting dead grass, and United’s youngsters, Sameer Minhas (27* off 20) and Mohsin Riaz, who was on his PSL debut and scored 42 off 18, made sure that was the case after Devon Conway fell to Mohammad Ali on the second ball. They bludgeoned Kingsmen’s bowlers all around the park in their 79-run partnership off 38 balls for the second wicket.

Sameer thrashed Hunain Shah for consecutive boundaries and Mohammad Ali for a gigantic six down the ground to put Kingsmen under the pump. Mohsin launched Hassan Khan for consecutive sixes at the start of the fourth over and Sameer finished it with consecutive boundaries as the pair plundered his offspin for 23 runs. Mohsin slapped more boundaries off Ali and Hunain as the powerplay progressed as Sameer took a backseat.

United needed only three more runs for victory after the powerplay concluded. Shadab sealed victory with a back-foot cut that raced away to boundary on the fourth ball of the seventh over after the wicket of Mohsin had allowed Kingsmen a breather on the previous ball.