Steve Smith Fifty Guides Multan Sultans to Six-Wicket Victory Over Quetta Gladiators

LAHORE – Multan Sultans extended their dominant streak in the HBL PSL 2026, in a six-wicket dismantling of Quetta Gladiators. Sultans chased down a target of 167 with 15 balls to spare, further solidifying their status as the team to beat this season.

Smith Finds His Groove

The spotlight firmly belonged to Steve Smith, who finally broke his PSL drought with a vintage half-century. After a cautious start to the tournament, the Australian maestro looked in sublime touch, carving the Gladiators' attack for 53 off 35 balls. Smith combined classic placement with aggression, hitting seven boundaries and a six.

His partnership with Shan Masood effectively batted Quetta out of the game. Masood played the perfect supporting role, finishing unbeaten on 46 to guide his side across the finish line with minimum fuss.

Turner’s Tactical Triumph

Earlier, Multan captain Ashton Turner won the toss and elected to field, a decision justified by his bowlers’ early discipline. Turner himself led from the front, delivering a parsimonious spell of 1/16 in three overs. His tactical bowling changes kept the Gladiators' batters under constant pressure during the powerplay.

Mohammad Nawaz emerged as the primary wrecker-in-chief, returning figures of 3/30. He claimed the crucial wicket of Quetta captain Saud Shakeel, who had threatened to take the game away with a gritty 56 off 41 balls. Youngster Arafat Minhas also impressed, stifling the middle order with a clinical 2/14 in his four-over quota.

Quetta’s Late Surge Falls Short

Quetta Gladiators struggled to find momentum for much of their innings. Aside from Shakeel’s captain's knock, only Bevon Jacobs offered significant resistance. Jacobs injected late life into the Quetta total with a blistering, unbeaten 49 off 31 balls, including three massive sixes. His late-innings fireworks, alongside a brief cameo from Ahmed Daniyal (22 off 9), pushed the score to a respectable 166/7.

However, on a true Gaddafi Stadium surface, the total proved insufficient against Multan’s deep batting lineup. Quetta's bowlers, led by Abrar Ahmed and Alzarri Joseph, struggled to find the breakthroughs needed to defend the target.

This victory marks Multan Sultans' third consecutive win, keeping them at the summit of the PSL 2026 standings, while Quetta Gladiators must now regroup to revive their campaign.