Gladiators rule the roost in PSL

Dubai - Quetta become first team to make the play-offs after trouncing Karachi Kings

Quetta Gladiators became the first team to make the cut for the HBL Pakistan Super League (PSL) play-offs with two games to spare, after gliding past the Karachi Kings.
The Gladiators crafted a six-wicket victory, with six balls to spare, at the Dubai International Cricket Stadium on Thursday night, for their fourth win and with it, nine points.
They still have two games left to play, against defending champions Islamabad United on Friday night and against Peshawar Zalmi on Saturday night.
And irrespective of what happens there and where they finish on the table, the Gladiators are through to the play-offs.
The Gladiators owed the win to their openers Asad Shafiq and Ahmed Shehzad, who finally struck form.
Shehzad coshed a 40-ball 54, peppered with four boundaries and three sixes, while Shafiq made 51 from 38 balls, which was studded with six boundaries and a six.
The pair toyed with the Karachi Kings attack and put on 105 runs for the opening wicket but unfortunately couldn't see the team through in their chase of 155.
Although, the Gladiators encountered a blip - losing Kevin Pietersen, with the Englishman not having faced a ball, and Shafiq on Nelson (111), it turned out to be a minor one in the end as captain Sarfraz Ahmed (19 n.o) and Mahmudullah (8 n.o) took them home.
Earlier, despite a decent start, the Karachi Kings managed to only muster 154 for six after being asked to bat by Quetta Gladiators skipper Sarfraz Ahmed.
Opener Babar Azam top scored with 36, while Kieron Pollard struck a 19-ball 31 with four boundaries and a six, to give some impetus to the Karachi Kings innings.
Captain and opener Kumar Sangakkara made 28 from 18 deliveries with two sixes and a boundary, while Chris Gayle made a subdued 29 from 34 balls with two sixes and a boundary.
Bangladesh off-spinner Mahmudullah picked three for 21, while medium pacer Anwar Ali had two for 30.
Earlier, Azam and Sangakkara saw off the Quetta Gladiators bowling attack with ease.
Runs came nice and easy with Sangakkara being the flamboyant of the two, coming up with some cheek shots as well as some beautiful drives.
After Azam had punched left-arm pacer Tymal Mills for a boundary between point and cover, Sangakkara leaned into crisp drive for a boundary, which had class written all over it, to wrap up that second over.
It was a neat tango between the two with Sangakkara following up with what Azam had come up with. Azam smashed left-arm pacer Mir Hamza through midwicket after which Sangakkara came down the track and smoked Hamza for a six over mid-on.
Azam earned a reprieve when on 15 after Mahmudullah misjudged it off pacer Anwar Ali.
Sangakkara and Azam stroked a six and a boundary respectively off left-arm spinner Mohammad Nawaz after which they brought up the 50 partnership with Sangakkara playing a single off Mills.
Mahmudullah was introduced into the attack by Sarfraz, to find the breakthrough and the 31-year-old responded by deceiving Sangakkara.
Sangakkara danced down the track to a flighted one from Mahmudullah but failed to make contact. Sarfraz Ahmed was quick with his glove work and Sangakkara was cross with himself as it was a premeditated shot.
Sangakkara's dismissal put an end to the 63-run stand from 47 balls, for the opening wicket.
And with Azam becoming Mahmudullah's second victim, the Karachi Kings couldn't quite accelerate on that decent start.
The big man Gayle eased himself to some kind of form with a 34-ball 29 before he holed out to Hassaan Khan off Anwar Ali.
But that was after Shoaib Malik was to become Mahmudullah's third wicket of the night, again caught by Hassaan Khan.