LAHORE: Debutants Rawalpindiz’s Pakistan Super League nightmare continued as a clinical Multan Sultans handed them a seven-wicket thrashing in the final match of the Lahore-leg on Monday.

The win lifted Sultans to the top of the table outright with eight points from five matches, while Rawalpindiz remained winless after four matches. This was also Sultans’ fourth successful run-chase, while it was also Rawalpindiz’s fourth successive failure defending — a fact that tells its own story about the two sides’ contrasting strengths and weaknesses.

Ironically, this was also Mohammad Rizwan’s 10th successive defeat as captain, following six straight losses in the same role at Multan Sultans last year.

The action now shifts to Karachi, where fellow debutants and pointless Hyderabad Kingsmen take on Peshawar Zalmi on Wednesday.

Player of the Match Faisal Akram returned figures of 4-0-31-4 and Yasir Arafat bagged two for 22 as Rawalpindiz, put in to bat, posted 182 for eight on the back of a late assault by Sam Billings, who scored a 34-ball 56 not out with seven fours and a six.

Billings put on 33 off 17 balls for the sixth wicket with Dian Forrester (24, 11b, 1×4, 3×6) and added 31 off 15 balls for the unfinished ninth wicket with Mohammad Amir Khan, who faced just two balls.

From the top order, Kamran Ghulam scored a 24-ball 35 with three fours and two sixes, while Mohammad Rizwan scored a 13-ball 19 and Daryl Mitchell a 12-ball 17.

In reply, Multan Sultans, despite losing Steve Smith in the second over, once again displayed their batting depth by romping home in 16.2 overs for the loss of three wickets.

Sahibzada Farhan and Josh Philippe led the charge with a 110-run second-wicket partnership off 58 balls. It ended when Philippe fell to Mohammad Amir after scoring 56 off 30 balls with six fours and three sixes — his maiden PSL half-century.

Farhan followed shortly afterwards, castled by Mohammad Amir Khan for 68 off 38 balls with four fours and five sixes. He now leads the batting charts with 232 runs from five matches, including a century and a half-century. Islamabad United’s Sameer Minhas is second with 180 runs from three matches.

Needing 44 from 41 balls when Farhan fell, Shan Masood and captain Ashton Turner took control and steered their side home with 22 balls to spare. Shan remained unbeaten on 27 off 15 balls with two fours and a six, while Turner scored 26 not out off 10 balls with two fours and two sixes.

Scores in brief:

Match 14 – Multan Sultans beat Rawalpindiz by seven wickets

RAWALPINDIZ 182-8, 20 overs (Sam Billings 56 not out, Kamran Ghulam 35, Dian Forrester 24, Mohammad Rizwan 19, Daryl Mitchell 17; Faisal Akram 4-31, Yasir Arafat 2-22)

MULTAN SULTANS 186-3, 16.2 overs (Sahibzada Farhan 68, Josh Philippe 56, Shan Masood 27 not out, Ashton Turner 26 not out; Mohammad Amir 2-32)

PLAYER OF THE MATCH – Faisal Akram (Multan Sultans)

WEDNESDAY’S FIXTURE: Hyderabad Kingsmen v Peshawar Zalmi (7pm), Karachi.