INQUISITR.COM / Sports

Watch PSL Cricket Playoffs 2nd Qualifier Live Stream: Islamabad United Vs. Karachi Kings — Winner Faces Peshawar

By Jonathan Vankin
Published on: 12:28 PST, Feb 19, 2016

The first-ever PSL T20 cricket playoffs are well underway and fans can watch a live stream of the second qualifying match on the road to the first Pakistan Super League championship, when third-place Islamabad United take on the Karachi Kings, the league’s fourth-place finisher — with the winner moving on to face Peshawar Zalmi in the last semifinal.

Zalmi, who finished on the top of the table in the inaugural PSL competition, suffered a shocking, one-run defeat to the Quetta Gladiators in the first qualifier of the playoffs. Quetta now advances straight to the Tuesday championship final, enjoying three full days of rest as they await the winner of Saturday’s semifinal between Peshawar and the Islamabad vs. Karachi winner.

After losing their opener, Bismillah Khan, on just the second ball of the first innings, coming up short on the toss and being inserted by Peshawar Captain Shahid Afridi, Quetta employed a 79-run partnership between two of the world’s most powerful batsmen — England’s Kevin Pietersen and Sri Lanka legend Kumar Sangakkara — to build a modest total of 133.

League-leading wicket taker Wahab Riaz of Peshawar led the way in suppressing the Gladiators’ attack, claiming three more wickets to bring his PSL total to 15 in eight matches, while allowing just 17 runs in three overs and three balls.

But Quetta bowling stymied the Zalmi bats, as New Zealand’s Grant Elliot and Pakistan Under-23 star Mohammad Nawaz took three wickets apiece. But they couldn’t stop the Peshawar bats from driving to within eight runs with just a single over remaining.

In that over, Pakistan veteran right-arm medium Aizaz Cheema took back-to-back wickets from Hasan Ali and Wahab Riaz — after starting the over by allowing Riaz a boundary and a single. But he held Mohammad Ashgar to two on the final ball to set off a wild Quetta celebration on the field.

View highlights from the thrilling first PSL playoff qualifier in the video below.

To find out how to watch a live stream of the PSL playoffs second qualifying match, Islamabad United vs. Karachi Kings, see the links in the final paragraph of this article. The match gets underway at 8 p.m. on Saturday, February 20, at Dubai International Cricket Stadium in Dubai, United Arab Emirates. For cricket fans in the United States, that start time will be 11 a.m. Eastern Time, 8 a.m. Pacific.

Nawaz took Man of the Match honors in the historic first-ever PSL playoff game.

“I knew it was a very big match today. We were playing against such a big team and I wanted to give my 110 percent. I am happy with how it turned out. It was difficult to grip the ball because of the dew, but I am happy with the performance,” Nawaz said after the match. “It was great to play in front of such a big crowd.”

While Peshawar and Quetta represented the elite of the new Pakistan Super League T20 tournament, Islamabad United and Karachi Kings fared less well and were, frankly, fortunate to make the PSL playoffs.

Islamabad, led by longtime Pakistan Captain Misbah-ul-Haq, split their schedule, winning four and losing four.

Karachi, skippered by Pakistan all-rounder Shoab Malik, managed to win only two of their eight matches, but snuck into the playoffs on net run rate ahead of last-place Lahore Qalanders, who had the identical won-loss ledger.

As the playoffs got underway, however, Malik promptly resigned as captain, turning the duties over to England’s Ravi Bopara.

RELATED STORIES:
Watch Pakistan Super League Cricket Live Online: Streaming Matches
Bangladesh Cricket Team Under Terror Threat At T20 World Cup, Tanks To Guard Stadium During Tigers Matches
India Vs. Pakistan Cricket: Schedule Of Rivalry Matches Before End Of March
Zimbabwe vs. Pakistan Cricket: Terrorism Fears Seed Confusion — Historic Tour Off, Then On Again
India Vs. Pakistan Cricket: Arch-Rivals Agree To New Series, Will Face Off In UAE
How Big Was That India Vs. Pakistan Cricket Match? This Picture Will Give You An Idea

To watch a live stream of the 2016 second PSL playoffs qualifying match, Islamabad United vs. Karachi Kings, go to Cricket Gateway at this link — or try this link for other streaming options. All three of the remaining Pakistan Super League playoff matches will be streamed live in Pakistan on YouTube, through a deal between the PSL and Google, at this link. To watch the live stream on mobile devices, download the Cricket Gateway app.

[Featured Photo via Pakistan Super League Facebook]

Share this article: Watch PSL Cricket Playoffs 2nd Qualifier Live Stream: Islamabad United Vs. Karachi Kings — Winner Faces Peshawar
cricket
More from Inquisitr