Hyderabad Kingsmen captain Marnus Labuschagne delivered a strong vote of confidence in out-of-form batter Saim Ayub after his side’s commanding eight-wicket victory over Multan Sultans in the PSL 2026 Eliminator 1 at Gaddafi Stadium on Wednesday.
While the win itself was built on a ruthless bowling performance and a stunning chase driven by Maaz Sadaqat and Usman Khan, Labuschagne made it a point to address Saim’s difficult run in the tournament, drawing on a comparison that will resonate with Kingsmen fans.
“Saim is no longer just a young kid, he’s an experienced player who can attack, defend and read the game,” said Labuschagne at the post-match presentation.
“I told him to keep trusting his ability because it will click. In a tournament like this, players don’t lose their ability, they lose confidence. We saw it with Usman Khan who struggled for eight games before winning us a match. If Saim wins us the final no one will care about the earlier slump. That’s what great teams do.”
The reference to Usman Khan carries weight. The wicketkeeper-batter endured a lean run through much of the group stage before exploding with an unbeaten 64 off 35 balls in the Eliminator, sharing a match-winning stand with Sadaqat to seal the chase with 28 balls to spare.
Labuschagne was equally effusive about his fast-bowling unit, which restricted a Multan side to 159/9 despite a valiant unbeaten 69 from Shan Masood.
“It is just great when you have guys in whom you can put your faith,” he said. “In T20 cricket, you are always going to have a bad over and be put under pressure. But it doesn’t matter because you can just trust them and communicate, and they trust that process,” he said.
The victory was Kingsmen’s third in a row and came on the back of a tournament run that nearly fell apart before it began. The debutant franchise lost their first four games before finding form in the back half of the season. Labuschagne acknowledged the emotional rollercoaster candidly, admitting that an earlier high-scoring win over Multan may have cost them focus going into their next fixture, when they were bowled out for just 80 against Islamabad United.
“We actually addressed it today because I felt when we won that amazing game against Multan, we were so high. We probably just expected to go and do the same thing in the next game. That is obviously the reason we bowled out for 80,” he said.
“We had another high with that amazing game against Rawalpindiz. It was really important for us to treat this game individually and with the respect that it deserved,” he added.
Kingsmen now faces Islamabad United in Eliminator 2 at the same venue on Friday, with a place in the May 3 final against Peshawar Zalmi at stake. Labuschagne signed off with a reflection on just how far his side has come.
“I am so proud of the guys from where we were not winning a game over the first four games and then finding our feet in the back half of the tournament and really making a push,” he stated.
