Sandeep Lamichhane's career-best figures decimate Quetta Gladiators

Sandeep Lamichhane's career-best T20 figures of 4 for 10 decimated first-place Quetta Gladiators' promising start in the Powerplay as Lahore Qalandars rode the Nepal legspinner's heroics to an eight-wicket win in Dubai. Lamichanne came to bowl in the fourth over and reduced Gladiators from 33 for no loss to 47 for four after just 15 balls, missing a fifth as Sarfaraz Ahmed barely survived his first ball.

Gladiators found it difficult to recover after Lamichhane's match-turning spell, eventually subsiding for 106 in 19.1 overs. Despite a modest start to their chase - both openers fell cheaply to end the Powerplay at 35 for two - Haris Sohail and AB de Villiers added an unbroken 74 for the third wicket as Qalandars coasted across the line with 21 balls to spare to win the rematch between the two sides after Gladiators' last-ball three-wicket win on Saturday in Sharjah.

No-brainer this. After the sharp call for DRS to get Watson, Lamichhane got Rilee Rossouw to slice a drive to backward point for his second wicket. The best of the lot was his googly that bowled Umar Akmal through the gate. He capped his haul by stifling Danish Aziz with a series of googlies spinning away from the left-hand batsman before an attempted reverse sweep backfired, gloving a catch to slip.

One of the few blemishes on the day for Qalandars came in the 18th over when Sohail Tanvir flicked Shaheen Afridi to deep midwicket but Sohail Akhtar spilt a straightforward chance. Afridi got his revenge, yorking Tanvir to start the 20th.

Gladiators now have two straight losses after winning four out of four to begin PSL 2019. But they remain in first place, two points ahead of Qalandars, Peshawar Zalmi and Islamabad United. Qalandars are officially fourth, having an inferior net run-rate to Zalmi and United with all three on six points.