Babar Azam top-scored with 32* for Kings but Quetta Gladiators chased it down in 15.5 overs

Quetta Gladiators 114 for 2 (Ahsan 57*, Smeed 30) beat Karachi Kings 113 (Babar 32*, Naseem 5-20) by eight wickets

Sohail Tanvir had Sharjeel Khan drag on in the third over, and from thereon, the Gladiators kept Babar off strike while wreaking carnage at the other end. Naseem cleaned up Tom Lammonby, Mohammad Nabi and Lewis Gregory before the completion of the seventh over, reducing the Kings to 34 for 5, before Sarfaraz’s men chipped away regularly enough to ensure the Kings never really managed to regain the foothold they had lost so early in the contest.

While Babar remained undismissed, there remained a sliver of hope for his side, and when Aamer Yamin teamed up with him, he finally appeared to have a batting partner who was providing him some support. A six off Nawaz got him going, with Babar creaming a couple of fours off Hasnain a couple of overs later. But just life seemed to be surging back into the contest, Babar nicked off to the keeper, and after another four and a six, so did Yamin. There was little salvaging a wretched innings by this point, despite a little cameo from Imad Wasim, and the 2020 champions ended up folding for 114.

Ahsan did his burgeoning reputation no harm with another half-century replete with a combination of sweet timing and blistering power. The 28-year old finished unbeaten with 57 off 43 to go with his 73 the previous day. He did find himself involved in the awkward run-out of Ben Duckett, who, dashing to the danger end, found himself mysteriously turned away by the Pakistani.