HONG KONG, November 7: India edged past Pakistan by a narrow margin of two runs (DLS method) in a rain-affected thriller at the Hong Kong Sixes 2025 on Friday, held at the Mission Road Ground in Mong Kok.
Chasing 87 runs, Pakistan got off to a blistering start thanks to Khawaja Nafay, who flicked Abhimanyu Mithun for an early boundary and followed it up with back-to-back sixes, piling on 18 runs in the first over.
Stuart Binny’s introduction in the second over saw mixed fortunes. While Maaz Sadaqat launched him for a six, Binny responded instantly by dismissing the batter for just seven. Pakistan’s momentum dipped slightly as Nafay missed crucial deliveries, ending the second over at 25/1.
Shahbaz Nadeem came into the attack next, but Nafay continued his charge, hitting a four and a six to keep Pakistan’s hopes alive. By the end of three overs, Pakistan were comfortably placed at 41/1, needing just 46 runs from 18 balls.
However, rain soon halted play — and under the DLS (Duckworth-Lewis-Stern) method, India were declared winners for being ahead at the same stage of the innings.
Earlier, India’s innings began with fireworks. Robin Uthappa and Bharat Chipli set the tone with a 34-run partnership off just two overs, punishing Shahid Aziz and Abbas Afridi. Uthappa was the standout performer, hammering 28 runs off 12 balls, including two fours and three sixes.
After his dismissal to Mohammad Shahzad, who also removed Stuart Binny, India briefly stumbled but regained control through captain Dinesh Karthik. His late six and Chipli’s 24 off 13 balls pushed India to 86/4 in their allotted overs.
Despite Pakistan’s aggressive start, rain denied a grand finish — and India’s early momentum proved decisive, sealing their narrow win in one of the most exciting encounters of the tournament so far.
