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Ronchi, Patel guide Islamabad United over Karachi Kings
Islamabad United opener Luke Ronchi plays a shot against the Karachi Kings on Saturday night.-M Sajjad
Sharjah - The defending champions win comfortably by seven wickets with 23 balls to spare
Opener Luke Ronchi, in the midst of a dry patch after his 51 against Multan Sultans in Dubai last week, came to the fore again with an unbeaten half-century as Islamabad United won comfortably by seven wickets at the Sharjah Cricket Stadium.
Faced with a low chase of 143, Ronchi struck an unbeaten 67 from 35 deliveries, that included eight boundaries and three sixes, as Islamabad reached home with 23 balls to spare.
The burly Samit Patel smacked an unbeaten 45 from 30 balls with six boundaries and one six after Sahibzada Farhan had made a 28-ball 30 with four fours.
Meanwhile, it was the third defeat for the Karachi Kings.
Earlier, the Karachi Kings' was a stop-start one after all-rounder Faheem Ashraf had unleashed his fury.
Ashraf took three wickets and was in sight of a hat-trick but the Kings rallied through Australian Ben Dunk and Aamer Yamin.
Dunk ended up with an unbeaten 49 from 32 deliveries with three boundaries and two sixes, while Yamin made an unbeaten 19-ball 35, also with three boundaries and two sixes, as the Kings made 143-6.
But that, unfortunately for the Kings, couldn't change the narrative.
Islamabad United were without their talisman and skipper Mohammad Sami, who was forced to sit out apparently because of a foot injury, with the captaincy thrust on leg spinner Shadab Khan's young shoulders.
And the old wily fox Sami's absence wasn't felt initially with all-rounder Faheem Ashraf scything through the Karachi Kings batting line-up to leave them in disarray.
The 25-year-old dented them and sent them on a downward spiral.
The Kings had turned pauper after Ashraf's three-wicket burst saw them down and almost out.
They had limped to 74 for 6 after Kings' captain Imad Wasim got out for nought, bowled through the gates by Ashraf.
Ashraf had removed Colin Ingram and Liam Livingstone and following Wasim's wicket, was on a hat-trick.
Islamabad United could've turned the screws but couldn't as they ran into Dunk.
And the 31-year-old Queenslander found an able ally in the stoic Yamin and the pair went about repelling the United attack.
Dunk and Yamin threw caution to the winds and went about firefighting their way out of trouble.
The pair smashed together 69 runs for the unbroken seventh wicket to give the Kings something to fight with.
Rumman Raees felt the brunt and perhaps this was where United missed Sami.
Nonetheless, Islamabad United prevailed in the end.
Sunday's double-header pits Multan Sultans against Peshawar Zalmi, while Karachi Kings and Quetta Gladiators round off the segment in Sharjah.
Brief scores:
Karachi Kings: 143-6 in 20 overs (Ben Dunk 49 not out, Aamer Yamin 35 not out, Babar Azam 27, Liam Livingstone 22, Faheem Ashraf 3-26) lost to Islamabad United: 147-3 in 16.1 overs (Luke Ronchi 67 not out, Samit Patel 45 not out, Sahibzada Farhan 30, Imad Wasim 2-27) by 7 wickets.
Man of the Match: Luke Ronchi (Islamabad United).
james@khaleejtimes.com
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