ISLAMABAD: Karachi Kings were no match for Islamabad United on Thursday as the home side thrashed the Kings by five wickets at the Rawalpindi Cricket Stadium to solidify their position for ahead of the Pakistan Super League (PSL) playoffs.
Chasing 151 runs, United lost wickets earlier when opening batters Alex Hales and Colin Munro departed for 18 and 9 runs respectively. However, a 58-run partnership between in-form batters Shadab Khan (34) and Salman Ali Agha (33) helped United reach a comfortable position to complete the chase.
After explosive batter Azam Khan fell for 9 runs, Haider Ali held his nerves to score 26 runs from 16 balls to help United clinch the match.
“A huge shoutout to Haider Ali and Faheem Ashraf for closing out the match with style and to Salman Ali Agha & Shadab Khan for laying a solid foundation for our chase,” United wrote on social media platform X.
United’s left-arm pacer Tymal Mills returned to form against the Kings, returning figures of 3/34. He dismissed James Vince (29) Mohammad Nawaz (5) and Irfan Khan (16) to ensure the Kings finished with a modest total of 150 from their 20 overs.
For the Kings, Keiron Pollard scored 39 runs, hitting three sixes and an equal number of fours but did not get ample support from any of the Karachi batters. Faheem Ashraf bowled well for United too, returning figures of 2/16 while Imad Wasim and Hunain Shah picked up a wicket each.
With their latest win, United jumped from the number four to the number two spot behind Multan Sultans. The Kings, on the other hand, remain at the fifth spot on the PSL points table, ahead of only bottom-placed Lahore Qalandars.
The top four teams will qualify for the playoffs.
Islamabad brush aside Karachi challenge to solidify position ahead of playoffs
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Islamabad brush aside Karachi challenge to solidify position ahead of playoffs
- Islamabad United beat Karachi Kings by five wickets to jump to second place on PSL points table
- Tymal Mills takes three important wickets, Faheem Ashraf two to restrict Karachi to 150/7
Pakistan’s Engro executes $475 million Islamic financing deal to expand telecom infrastructure
- Islamic banking accounts for over a fifth of Pakistan’s banking assets amid a shift toward Shariah-compliant finance
- The deal brings more than 10,000 telecom towers under Engro’s control, enabling their shared use by multiple operators
KARACHI: Pakistan’s largest conglomerate Engro Corp. has completed a Rs133 billion ($475 million) Islamic financing deal to acquire telecom tower company Deodar, expanding its telecom infrastructure business as the country seeks to strengthen digital connectivity, the company said on Friday.
The transaction, structured entirely through Shariah-compliant financing, brings more than 10,000 telecom towers under Engro’s control and marks one of the largest Islamic financing deals in Pakistan’s infrastructure sector.
Engro, which has major interests in energy, fertilizers, food and petrochemicals, said the acquisition would allow it to scale shared telecom infrastructure, under which a single tower can host multiple mobile network operators, lowering costs and reducing duplication as Pakistan prepares for next-generation digital services.
“My congratulations to the Dawood family and Engro, the Islamic bankers and conventional banks through their Islamic windows on being able to put together a deal of this size,” State Bank of Pakistan Governor Jameel Ahmed said at a ceremony marking the transaction, referring to the company and its chairman. “This is a great achievement which has been supported by the banks.”
The deal was supported by a group of local banks, including United Bank Limited and Meezan Bank, Engro said, highlighting the increasing role of Islamic financing in funding long-term investment in Pakistan.
Islamic banking, which operates without interest and is based on profit-and-loss sharing structures, accounts for more than a fifth of Pakistan’s banking assets, and authorities have said they aim to transition the financial system toward Shariah compliance over the coming years.
The acquisition of Deodar, which was originally carved out of mobile operator Jazz, also aligns with government efforts to digitize the economy by expanding broadband access and supporting digital payments, e-commerce and online public services, though progress has remained uneven due to infrastructure and regulatory challenges.
