KPL 2021: RawalaKot Hawks defeat Mirpur Royals by 43 runs in opener

MUZAFFARABAD: RawalaKot Hawks got the better of the Mirpur Royals beating them by 43 runs in the first fixture of the first edition of the Kashmir Premier League (KPL) on Friday.

The Mirpur Royals had won the toss and put the Rawalakot Hawks to bat in the event opener. Hawks put in an excellent show by setting a 195-run target for the Royals. 

Ahmed Shahzad's batting feat was the highlight of the innings as he blitzed 69 off 42 balls followed by Bismillah Khan who scored 59 off 34 balls for the team. Captain Shahid Afridi also came up with 16 runs off five balls.

Hawks have Arshad Khan as the head coach.

Amad clinched three wickets and gave out merely 20 runs, followed by Salman who targeted two Royals and gave away 35 runs. Khushdil secured one wicket.

Led by former Pakistani skipper Shoaib Malik with Inzamamul Haq as head coach, the Mirpur Royals could not chase the target. Skipper Shoaib Malik hit 74 runs off 50 balls, followed by Amad who could score 22 runs off 15 deliveries.

Hawks' Zaman, Afridi and Asif got two wickets apiece.

The league has six franchises — Rawalakot Hawks, Kotli Lions, Mirpur Royals, Muzaffarabad Tigers, Overseas Warriors, and Bagh Stallions — who are contesting for the prestigious trophy in 18 matches till August 17.

The Mirpur Royals will play under the captaincy of Shoaib Malik, Bagh Stallions will strive for the trophy with skipper Shadab Khan, while the Muzaffarabad Tigers will fight under Muhammed Hafeez.

Meanwhile, Imad Wasim is all set to lead the Overseas Warriors, with Fakhar Zaman leading Kotli Lions and Shahid Afridi leading the Rawalakot Hawks.

Squad:

Mirpur Royals: Sohaib Malik (c), Mukhtar Ahmed, Khushdil Shah, Ibtesam-ul-Haq, Muhammad Akhlqa (wk), Muhammad Taha, Salman Irshad, Ahmed Butt, Sameen Gul, Daniyal Allah Ditta

Rawalakot Hawks: Bismillah Khan, Ahmed Shehzad, Umar Amin, Hussain Talat, Danish Aziz, Kashif Ali, Shahid Afridi (c), Asif Afridi, Usman Shinwari, Waqas Maqsood, Zaman Khan