Multan Mavericks and Lahore Strikers recorded convincing victories in their respective opening matches of the T20 CM Punjab Champions League, being organized by the Sports Board Punjab at Multan and DG Khan on Monday night.
Director General Sports Punjab Muhammad Tariq Qureshi congratulated Multan Mavericks and Lahore Strikers on their impressive victories and appreciated the competitive spirit displayed by all participating teams.
In the opening match, Multan Mavericks defeated Lahore Tigers by seven wickets after a dominant all-round performance at Multan. Batting first, Lahore Tigers posted 142 runs in their allotted 20 overs. Zain bin Farooq remained top scorer with 45 runs, while Malik Bilal added 28. For Multan Mavericks, Rana Adeel starred with the ball by claiming three wickets, while Mehar Saeed picked up two wickets.
In reply, Multan Mavericks comfortably chased down the target in just 15.2 overs. Rana Adeel produced a match-winning knock of 92 runs off only 45 balls, smashing 13 fours and four sixes. Haseeb Nazim contributed 18 runs and Shoaib chipped in with 16. Ali Raza, Tauseef and Khaqan claimed one wicket each for Lahore Tigers.
The second match saw Lahore Strikers outclass Gujrat Thunder by eight wickets. Gujrat Thunder, batting first, scored 145 in their allotted 20 overs. Rahat Ullah top-scored with 35 runs, Hayat Zada 21, while Zain Farooq made 20, Muneeb Zafar and Mubashir Aslam added 19 runs each. Abu Bakar and Umar Butt were the pick of the bowlers, claiming three wickets each.
Lahore Strikers chased the target comfortably, thanks to impressive batting performances from Zain-ul-Hassan, who scored 71 runs, Khawaja Abdullah with 32 and Abu Marsad, who remained unbeaten on 28. Farhad Jameel and Hayat Khan claimed one wicket each for Gujrat Thunder.
The Commissioner of Multan attended the Multan Mavericks-Lahore Tigers fixture as the chief guest, while the Deputy Commissioner of Dera Ghazi Khan graced the Lahore Strikers-Gujrat Thunder match as the chief guest.