Islamabad United secured second place in the 2026 Pakistan Super League (PSL 11) standings after beating Multan Sultans by four wickets in a high-stakes clash at the National Bank Stadium on Sunday.
The win booked United a meeting with Peshawar Zalmi in the Qualifier, which will be played at the same venue on Tuesday.
Chasing 193, Islamabad got over the line with eight balls to spare, thanks largely to a superb unbeaten knock from Mark Chapman after a disciplined all-round bowling effort had earlier kept Multan below the 200 mark.
United made a shaky start to the chase when Sameer Minhas fell for 1 in the second over with just 10 runs on the board. Devon Conway then departed for 18 in the sixth over, while Mohsin Riaz added a brisk 25 off 17 balls before becoming Multan’s third wicket.
At 72/3 in 7.2 overs, the chase was still in the balance, but Chapman and captain Shadab Khan pulled Islamabad back into control with a vital 63-run partnership for the fourth wicket.
Shadab made an important 36 off 28 deliveries, hitting five fours, before falling in the 15th over. Islamabad then lost a couple of wickets in quick succession, but Chapman stayed composed and finished the job with a match-winning innings.
The New Zealand batter remained unbeaten on 69 off 33 balls, striking four fours and six sixes, and guided United home in the penultimate over.
For Multan, Faisal Akram picked up two wickets, although he proved expensive, while Peter Siddle, Mohammad Wasim Jr, Muhammad Ismail, and Mohammad Imran took one wicket each.
Earlier, after being put in to bat by Shadab, Multan Sultans posted 192/7 in their 20 overs.
Their innings began positively as Steve Smith and Sahibzada Farhan gave them a 60-run opening stand. Both openers scored 30, but Islamabad hit back quickly after the powerplay. Salman Mirza removed Smith on the final ball of the sixth over, and Shadab Khan then dismissed Farhan on the very next delivery to leave Multan at 60/2.
After the double blow, Shan Masood took charge of the innings and made a brisk 44 off 33 balls, hitting three fours and two sixes. He added 42 runs with Josh Philippe, who made 11, before Islamabad’s bowlers again broke through at key moments.
Multan looked in danger of finishing well short of a competitive total, but a late counterattack lifted them. Arafat Minhas played an aggressive cameo of 31 off 19 balls, including three sixes, while Mohammad Wasim Jr smashed 26 not out off just nine balls. Their late hitting added 55 runs in the last 21 deliveries and pushed Multan close to 200.
For Islamabad, Chris Green, Salman Mirza, Salman Irshad, Imad Wasim, Faheem Ashraf, and Shadab Khan claimed one wicket each.
Stay posted to ProSports for all the latest PSL 11 news, playoff schedule for each team, stats, highlights, live score, and live streaming.
