Lahore Qalandars 185 for 5 (Naeem 60, Emon 45, Ismail 2-47) beat Multan Sultans 165 for 5 (Turner 52*, Masood 44, Mustafizur 2-37) by 20 runs (DLS method)

Lahore Qalandars' top-order won an entertaining contest defined by a mad dash of power hitting over Multan Sultans by 20 runs.

With the game reduced to 13-overs-a-side after evening rain, the home side's top three flew out of the blocks as Qalandars smashed 134 in the first eight overs, and set the Sultans 186 to chase. Shaheen Shah Afridi, Ubaid Shah and Mustafizur Rahman followed it up with a flawless powerplay that essentially finished off the game - the 23 balls the fielding restrictions were in play for allowing just 27 runs.

Sultans picked up the pace after that, led primarily by explosive knocks from Ashton Turner and Shan Masood, but given how far behind they had fallen, they were destined to fall short.

The writing was on the wall when Muhammad Ismail sent the first ball down legside for five wides, and the first four balls went for 24. It began what would end up being a ruinous powerplay for Sultans, and the carnage continued unabated when the field spread out. The first 27 balls saw 85 runs scored without loss, and even when Sultans tuned in a pair of relatively respectable overs, it was ruined by further indiscipline with the ball and in the field.

Arafat Minhas's solitary over included two no-balls, four byes, two sixes and 26 runs. Mohammad Naeem completed a 24-ball half-century soon after, but Sultans began to slowly drag an innings that looked destined to cross 200 in the final few overs. Under the circumstances, Peter Siddle's figures of 1-26 in three overs were almost heroic, the final five runs conceded thanks to five overthrows off the final delivery. It seemed to sum up Sultans' effort with the ball.

If Qalandars began brightly with the bat, they would match it with their exploits in the bowling powerplay. Sultans were expected to come out firing in pursuit of the huge target they had to chase, but clever variations and pinpoint accuracy left Sahibzada Farhan and Steve Smith feeding off scraps.

Smith was reduced to heaving listlessly in an attempt to clear midwicket, with Shaheen lighting up his stumps as one of those hacks hit fresh air. Ubaid followed up by sending Josh Phillippe back cheaply, and Farhan was good for only a couple of sixes before Mustafizur induced him into holing out.

Thereafter, Sultans' innings resembled the kind they might have required all along if they were going to run the Qalandars target down. Masood smashed 44 off 17 in an entertaining knock while Turner turned it on right at the back end. The final nine overs saw Sultans plunder 136, but Qalandars had done the job with the ball in the first four, and, indeed, through much of their innings with the bat.