- Usman also became the first batter to score four HBL PSL centuries after his 44-ball match-sealing century
- Hyderabad Kingsmen win back-to-back four matches after as many losses at the start of season
- Tournament scorecards and stats are available here; Action images are available here for free download and editorial use
- The official nomenclature of the league is HBL PSL; Media houses are advised to use the correct nomenclature in all texts, headlines and bulletins
Karachi, 22 April 2026: Usman Khan blazed a 47-ball 101 to help Hyderabad Kingsmen scale Multan Sultans’ 213-run total with four wickets in hand and three balls remaining as they registered their fourth consecutive win of the HBL Pakistan Super League 11 in a fortune-reversing spree here at the National Bank Stadium, Karachi on Wednesday night.
Steven Smith’s 106 off 50 balls went in vain after he put on a 132-run opening stand – the highest such stand in the ongoing season – with Sahibzada Farhan (66, 43b, 4x4s, 5x6s) to help the Sultans to their second-highest total in HBL PSL 11.
Kingsmen avenged the first meeting of the two teams in Lahore on 1 April when the Sultans had successfully chased 226-run target. The Hyderabad based team is now placed fourth with eight points off eight games and tied with fifth-placed Lahore Qalandars.
Sultans, who are currently placed second with 12 points from nine games, needed to win this game to ensure their Playoffs qualification. They will face Islamabad United in the last league match of the tournament on Sunday, 26 April.
On Thursday, Golden Bail-holders Islamabad United will face Rawalpindiz in Twin Cities Derby at National Bank Stadium in afternoon, while Lahore Qalandars will be up against arch-rivals Karachi Kings in Lahore in evening.
In the chase, Kingsmen’s Hassan Khan put the finishing touches with a brilliant unbeaten cameo of 24 off six balls hitting one four and three sixes after Sultans had taken three for 11 in 12 balls from 15.6 over mark to 17.5 with Siddle removing the set Marnus Labuschagne (61, 41b, 9x4s), Glenn Maxwell for two and centurion Usman.
With 32 required off 13 balls, Hassan opened his account with a six on the last ball of 18th over before Muhammad Irfan Khan pumped the first ball of Mohammad Wasim Jnr’s penultimate over for another six. Hassan then blew him apart with another six and a four taking 18 off it with Kingsmen needing eight off last over.
Hassan struck a six to seal the game on the third ball after the duo took a single each to begin the over. Earlier, Labuschagne and Usman came together after Kingsmen were 48-3 in 5.2 overs with Mohammad Ismail snapping all three wickets. He had removed Maaz Sadaqat for seven in the second over, Saim Ayub and Kusal Perera on consecutive balls in the sixth over.
Labuschagne and Usman then put on a match-winning 123-run stand to trump Smith and Sahibzada’s record stand of 132. Usman struck 10 sixes in his outing – joint second-most in an individual HBL PSL innings besides Ben Dunk’s 12 and 10 in 2020 and Fakhar Zaman’s 10 in 2023 against Peshawar Zalmi. He also became the first batter to four HBL PSL centuries.
Usman, who took no time in taking over the record of fastest HBL PSL 11 century from Smith, hammered Ismail for his first six to end the powerplay at 54-3 with the asking rate at 11.4. He again welcomed Ismail in the eighth over with a six, four and six to take 20 runs off it and laid the foundation for successful chase.
He completed his half-century off 24 balls hitting Mohammad Nawaz for back-to-back sixes in the next over and took 18 off it. At the halfway mark, Kingsmen needed 108 to win and Sultans gave away only 27 in the next three.
Labuschagne brought up his second HBL PSL half-century in the 13th over before Usman then targeted Arafat Minhas for three sixes in the 14th over to take 20 off it. Sultans needed 52 off the last five overs when Siddle broke the stand and got his side back into the contest for a brief period.
Usman brought up his century with four and a single at the end of 17th over before Siddle’s double strike
Earlier, Sultans’ innings nosedived with centurion Smith’s departure in the 17th over with Hassan dismissing him. Hyderabad Kingsmen took six for 28 in the last 21 balls of the innings including Akif Javed taking three in the last over to shift the momentum of the game.
Smith followed up his last night’s half-century with his sixth T20 ton after going berserk in the 16th over smashing four fours and two sixes off Hunain Shah, taking 28 runs, and reached his ton off 47 balls. He put on 25-ball 53-run second-wicket stand with Josh Philippe (19, 15b, 2x4s) after Sahibzada was dismissed in the 13th over against Maxwell.
Sahibzada and Smith had taken 56 runs off the powerplay before bringing up the hundred-run stand off 58 balls. For Kingsmen, Hunain, Hassan and Maxwell picked up one each.
Scores in brief:
Match 33 – Hyderabad Kingsmen beat Multan Sultans by four wickets at the National Bank Stadium, Karachi
Multan Sultans 213-7, 20 overs (Steven Smith 106, Sahibzada Farhan 66; Akif Javed 3-30)
Hyderabad Kingsmen 214-6, 19.3 overs (Usman Khan 101, Marnus Labuschagne 61, Hassan Khan 24 not out; Peter Siddle 3-39, Mohammad Ismail 3-41)
Player of the Match – Usman Khan (Hyderabad Kingsmen)
Thursday’s fixtures:
Rawalpindiz v Islamabad United at National Bank Stadium, Karachi; 2.30pm PKT
Lahore Qalandars v Karachi Kings at Gaddafi Stadium, Lahore; 7pm PKT