A dominant all-round effort helped Islamabad United register a seven-wicket victory over RawalPindiz, as Sameer Minhas starred with a blistering fifty alongside a disciplined bowling unit.
Set to chase a modest 157-run target, the three-time champions comfortably knocked the runs for the loss of just three wickets and 34 balls to spare.
Leading the way for them was emerging opener Sameer, who made a quickfire 70 off just 36 deliveries, studded with seven fours and three sixes.
His brilliance was backed by fellow top-order batter Mohammad Faiq (19) and the middle-order duo of Haider Ali and Mark Chapman, who remained unbeaten with 26 and 24, respectively.
For Pindiz, Rishad Hossain, Jalat Khan and Mohammad Amir could pick up a wicket apiece.United captain Shadab Khan's decision to field first proved beneficial as the Pindiz could accumulate 156/7 in their 20 overs despite Kamran Ghulam's anchoring half-century.
The Pindiz got off to a dismal start to their innings as Richard Gleeson dismissed both their openers, Yasir Khan and captain Mohammad Rizwan, two each, inside four overs with just 15 runs on the board.
Meanwhile, Ghulam, who walked out to bat at No.3, took the reins of Pindiz's batting charge and attempted to launch a recovery by putting together a 51-run partnership for the third wicket with Daryl Mitchell, who contributed 19 off 15 deliveries.
The right-handed batter continued his grit following Mitchell's dismissal and brought up his third PSL half-century off 37 balls by hitting United captain Shadab for a six on the final delivery of the 11th over.
He, however, failed to convert his half-century into a big knock as Faheem Ashraf got him caught behind on the fourth delivery of the subsequent over and thus walked back after top-scoring for the Pindiz with a 39-ball 50, comprising six fours and two sixes.
Following his dismissal, the Pindiz continued to lose wickets at regular intervals and ultimately settled for a below-par total despite handy contributions by Abdullah Fazal and Dian Forrester, who made 23 and 44 not out, respectively.
The pace trio of Salman Irshad, Gleeson and Faheem jointly led the United's bowling charge with two wickets each, while experienced all-rounder Imad Wasim chipped in with one scalp.
