Iftikhar Ahmed created history during the 2026 Pakistan Super League (PSL) match between Peshawar Zalmi and Hyderabad Kingsmen at the National Stadium in Karachi on Wednesday (April 8). Babar Azam brought the veteran all-rounder into the attack in the powerplay, and his spell changed the course of the game. The 35-year-old bowled two overs and took four wickets within the first six overs of the match as the Hyderabad-based team was left reeling at 34-4.
Iftikhar dismissed Maaz Sadaqat in the third over of the game before getting the big wickets of Saim Ayub, Usman Khan, and Sharjeel Khan in the fifth over. Later, a 38-ball 55 by Kusal Perera helped the Marnus Labuschagne-led finish with a respectable total of 145 on the board before being bowled. Iftikhar bowled four overs on the trot and completed his spell with figures of 4-21 in four overs.
Iftikhar Ahmed Creates History
Iftikhar as become only the second spinner in the PSL’s history to take four wickets in the powerplay. The only other player to achieve the feat was Samit Patel in 2020, when he took as many wickets for Lahore Qalandars against Quetta Gladiators at the Gaddafi Stadium in Lahore. In fact, this rare feat has been achieved by only eight spinners in the history of T20 cricket around the world. It has only happened once in the Indian Premier League (IPL), and the last instance came 14 years ago.
No spinner has managed to take five wickets in the powerplay of a T20 innings yet, which means Iftikhar now shares a joint world record with eight players. Indian cricket legend Ravichandran Ashwin was the first player to achieve the rare feat in international cricket.
Most Wickets By A Spinner In PSL History
| player | Wickets | team | Opponent | Venue | Year |
| Ajit Chandila | 4 | Rajasthan Royals | Pune Warriors | Jaipur | 2012 |
| R Ashwin | 4 | India | Sri Lanka | visakhapatnam | 2016 |
| Samit Patel | 4 | Lahore Qalandars | Quetta Gladiators | Lahore | 2020 |
| Mohammad Nabi | 4 | St Kitts & Nevis Patriot | St Lucia Zouks | Port of Spain | 2020 |
| Mujeeb Ur Rahman | 4 | afghanistan | Scotland | Sharjah | 2021 |
| Nasum Ahmed | 4 | Bangladesh | afghanistan | Mirpur | 2022 |
| Mosaddek Hossain | 4 | Bangladesh | Zimbabwe | Harare | 2022 |
| Iftikhar Ahmed | 4 | Peshawar Zalmi | Hyderabad Kingsmen | Karachi | 2026 |
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Iftikhar is not just the first Pakistan spinner to achieve the feat in PSL but any form of T20 cricket around the world. Before him, no spinner from the country had managed to take four wickets in the powerplay in either international, domestic, or franchise-based cricket leagues in the world.
Iftikhar’s tally of four wickets is also the joint-most in PSL history alongside Samit and pacers Umaid Asif, Sheldon Cottrell, and Khurram Shehzad.
