RAWALPINDI: The highly-anticipated playoff match-ups of the Pakistan Super League (PSL) 10 were complete after defending champions Islamabad United hit Karachi Kings here at the Rawalpindi Cricket Stadium on Monday.
The United, fourth in the standings before the last league-stage match, listed a huge total of 251/5 in their chosen 20 overs, courtesy of a record-equaling 153-run opening company between Alex Hales and Sahibzada Farhan.
Hales continued the top-scorer for the United with a 35-ball 88, dotted with six fours and eight sixes, while Farhan made 73 off 41 distributions with the help of nine fours and three sixes.
Skipper Shadab Khan provided a late thrust to their total with a quickfire 42-run cameo.
The United then needed to limit the Kings to 203 or less to exceed them in terms of Net Run Rate and finish second in the statuses.
They finally booked the 2020 champions to 172 in 18.2 overs to set up Qualifier clatter against leaders Quetta Gladiators, which is arranged to be played at the Gaddafi Stadium in Lahore on Wednesday.
PSL 10 standings after league-stage matches
| Teams | Matches | Wins | Losses | No Result | Points | Net Run Rate |
| Quetta Gladiators (Q) | 10 | 7 | 2 | 1 | 15 | 1.393 |
| Islamabad United (Q) | 10 | 6 | 4 | 0 | 12 | 0.372 |
| Karachi Kings (Q) | 10 | 6 | 4 | 0 | 12 | 0.049 |
| Lahore Qalandars (Q) | 10 | 5 | 4 | 1 | 11 | 1.036 |
| Peshawar Zalmi (E) | 10 | 4 | 6 | 0 | 8 | -0.293 |
| Multan Sultans (E) | 10 | 1 | 9 | 0 | 2 | -2.449 |
For the unexperienced, the winning team of the Qualifier will loan directly into the PSL 10 final, while the behind team will have another chance to qualify for the conference clash.
Kings, on the other hand, slid to the third position due to a lower Net Run Rate and will now take on arch-rivals Lahore Qalandars in the Eliminator at the latterโs home ground on Thursday.
Remaining PSL 10 schedule:
May 21, 2025: Qualifier 1 โ Quetta Gladiators vs Islamabad United in Lahore
May 22, 2025: Eliminator โ Lahore Qalandars vs Karachi Kings in Lahore
May 23, 2025: Qualifier 2 โ TBD vs TBD in Lahore
May 25, 2025: Final โ TBD vs TBD in Lahore
