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11:24 PM IST, 10:54 PM local time: Lahore Qalandars have battered the newbies. Hyderabad Kingsmen go down by 69 runs in the opening fixture of PSL 11.

It seemed like a contest between a veteran boxer and a debutant still adjusting to lights. One landed punches at will, while the other absorbed the lesson.

The tone was set early by Fakhar Zaman. In his own words, the pitch did not seem very easy in the first three overs. The scoreboard reflected that too. The swashbuckling southpaw was striking at only 111 until then. But then, he switched gears.

Front leg out of the way, swinging the bat with authority, not just hitting the ball, but pounding it — typical Fakhar Zaman. He raced to his 26th PSL half-century setting the tone for a big first innings total. His opening partner Mohammad Naeem played the perfect sidekick with an effervescent 19-ball-30.

Then, they hit a speed bump. Hassan Khan routed out both the openers and Abdullah Shafique got run out. Qalandars went from 84/0 to 94/3. But that only allowed Haseebullah Khan a timely entry. The left-hander took some time to get his eye in before unleashing the big shots towards the end. Sikandar Raza's explosive 10-ball-24 and Shaheen Afridi's successive sixes off the final two balls of the innings propelled the team total to 199/6. Apart from Hassan Khan, Riley Meredith too picked two wickets.

In response, Hyderabad Kingsmen's innings moved along like an old, broken-down car — stuttering at every mile of the way. Apart from captain Marnus Labuschagne, no batter could even reach 20. Every bowler who had the chance to roll his arm over, picked a wicket at least. Ubaid Shah, Sikandar Raza and Haris Rauf got two apiece while Shaheen Afridi and Mustafizur Rahman got one each. The Qalandars skipper, who finished with an economy rate of 7, was the most expensive of the lot.

Sikandar Raza impressed not just with some tight bowling, but also a run out, a catch and some sprightly ground fielding.

Biggest Win for Lahore Qalandars in Lahore in PSL (By Runs):

110 vs Islamabad United, 2023

95 vs Islamabad United, 2025

88 vs Islamabad United, 2025

69 vs Hyderabad Kingsmen, 2026, Tonight*

66 vs Islamabad United, 2022

Fakhar Zaman (Player of the Match): (On his fifty in the first match) “To be honest, I was not at my best today, and the wicket was not that easy to bat on. But I was lucky enough to score those runs, and credit also goes to our bowlers for the way they bowled.

(On handling the tough conditions early in the innings) The ball was swinging a little bit, and I told Naeem and also sent a message to Shaheen that the wicket is not easy. We needed to keep wickets in hand so that we could score big later. Our plan was to keep wickets in hand and then accelerate at the end, and we succeeded with that plan.

(On his opening partnership with Naeem) Naeem makes it very easy for me. Our plan is simple - he attacks the bowlers, and I play according to the situation. He is a special talent, and on his day, he can win games for the team. I really enjoy batting with him.”

Biggest Defeat in debut match in the PSL (By Runs) 

69 - Hyderabad Kingsmen vs Lahore Qalandars, Lahore, 2026, tonight*

63 - Quetta Gladiators vs Lahore Qalandars, Dubai (DICS), 2016

Most Player of the Match Award in PSL:

12 - Fakhar Zaman*

8 - Babar Azam

8 - Rilee Rossouw

Marnus Labuschagne (Hyderabad Kingsmen Captain): "[What went wrong] I think, you know, it is the first hit out for the team. Lot of lessons to be learned and there are a lot of positives. The spinners really pulled things back in the middle overs and got that run rate in the 7s. There were some positive things to take and with the batting, I think we just lost a few wickets early in that powerplay and then we just could not get the momentum back and kept losing wickets continuously. As you said, lots of positives. 9 games left, it was just the first one. 

[On not getting partnerships] Yeah, I mean there is a lot of things that need to go right. Partnerships, good start in the powerplay. Especially here, it was a good batting wicket. 

[On lack of power-hitters] I think that was probably more of a wicket thing, the conservativeness came down because we had lost 4-5 wickets in the first 6-7 overs. The ground is so fast, there is always boundaries available if you beat the field." 

Shaheen Afridi (Lahore Qalandars): "(On the performance tonight and the lead up to it) We enjoyed it. We have been together for the last two weeks. We started the camp early. Yea, really enjoyed it. 

(On the batting) Fakhar and Naeem were excellent in the powerplay. We did struggle in the middle overs a bit. But this is just the start. Then, there were Sikandar and Asif in the middle at the end. 

(On if the bowling gives him confidence going forward) Really happy with how Mustafizur bowled and how Haris Rauf bowled. The last time we played (in the final of the last season) we had made four changes. The seven players who were common were playing today too. 

(On the two sixes he hit) That's my job. (On his own bowling) I was looking to build pressure and take early wickets."

It was like a drag race between a finely tuned race car and one still coming out of the showroom. Defending champions Lahore Qalandars have hit the ground running, while debutants Hyderabad Kingsmen seem a long way away from finding the right gear. 

We hope you enjoyed the coverage of this game as much as we did bringing it to you. Do join us tomorrow at 6:30 PM IST (6:00 PM local time) for the clash between Karachi Kings and Quetta Gladiators. For now, this is Darpan Tikiya signing off on the behalf of Ajay Pal Singh, Dev Rajawat, Zeeshan Naiyer and Aman. Keep following Crickxo for more cricketing action from around the world. See you soon!