Gladiators beat Kings, strengthen position top of PSL points table

Quetta Gladiators completed a double over Karachi Kings to regain the top spot in the Pakistan Super League (PSL) points table on Saturday.
Grant Elliot was the winning team’s standout performer, finishing with figures of 4-15 in his quota of four overs as Quetta wrapped up Karachi for a paltry 126 before chasing the target with ease.
Ahmed Shehzad scored 41 off 27 balls before getting clean-bowled by leg-spinner Usama Mir while Kevin Pietersen and captain Sarfraz Ahmed contributed 26 and 29 runs respectively.
The opener hit seven fours, providing a decent start to the Gladiators who lost Luke Wright in the fifth over.
Earlier, Elliot frustrated the Karachi batsmen with his precision medium pace bowling and took the prize wicket of Ravi Bopara.
The Kings won the toss and opted to bat first against the high-flying Gladiators side. They suffered the worst possible start, losing opener Nauman Anwar early before Malik and Vince put on a 47-run stand.
Elliott, who has been in magical form with the ball since linking up with the Gladiators, dismissed Vince for 23 as the Kings reached 66/2 in 10 overs.
The New Zealander has bowled just eight overs since his PSL debut and has already bagged seven wickets, proving himself as a handy inclusion to the Quetta side.
Shoaib Malik, the Karachi captain, was also their highest scorer with 45 off 38 balls.
The Kings, who defeated Lahore Qalandars on Friday courtesy Ravi Bopara’s all-round show, are once again without the services of Mohammad Amir and the Gladiators also remain unchanged.
The last time the two teams met, Ahmed Shehzad scored a scintillating 71 off 46 balls to give the Gladiators a comfortable eight-wicket win. The Kings also lost their following two games before downing the Qalandars and will now hope to produce a better performance against the Gladiators.
Peshawar Zalmi and the Gladiators are currently share the top spots on the PSL table and while the other teams have experienced mixed fortunes, the Shahid Afridi and Sarfraz Ahmed-led sides have continued to march on.
Squads:
Karachi Kings
Nauman Anwar, Shoaib Malik, James Vince, Shakib Al Hasan, RS Bopara, Mushfiqur Rahim†, Imad Wasim, Sohail Tanvir, Usama Mir, Sohail Khan, Mir Hamza
Quetta Gladiators
Ahmed Shehzad, LJ Wright, KP Pietersen, GD Elliott, Mohammad Nabi, Sarfraz Ahmed*†, Anwar Ali, Mohammad Nawaz (3), Zulfiqar Babar, Akbar-ur-Rehman, Aizaz Cheema