Islamabad United have defeated Karachi Kings by five wickets in the Eliminator one of the Habib Bank Limited (HBL) Pakistan Super League (PSL) season four on Thursday.

Chasing 161, the defending champions completed the target with three balls to spare. They will now face Peshawar Zalmi in the Eliminator two on Friday.

After a disastrous start, United bounced back strongly with partnership between Alex Hales and Cameron Delport. They put on a 44-run stand for the second wicket to set the tone of the United innings.

When things were getting out of hands for the Kings, Umer Khan played a key role and brought them back in the game. He claimed two crucial wickets in his four-over spell and only conceded 16 runs.

However, Husain Talat played a responsible innings of 32 runs and kept United alive in the game. Asif Ali (24) provided finishing touches to the innings.

Usman Khan Shinwari, who was star of the show against Quetta Gladiators, was too expensive even by his standards. He conceded 42 runs in his three overs.

Earlier, thanks to tight bowling, the defending champions restricted Karachi Kings to 161 on loss of nine wickets. Despite getting off to a flyer, the Kings lost their way towards the end of the innings.

The home side lost eight wicket in span of 60 runs in last 10 overs.

After winning the toss, Colin Munro and Babar Azam put on 52-run opening partnership. Kiwi international departed after scoring 32 of 11 deliveries while Azam scored 42 for the home side.

Liam Livingstone got the start but he failed to convert it into a big innings. He scored 30. Following the departure of Colin Ingram (23), the batting line of the Kings collapsed and bundled out for 161 for nine in their 20 overs.

Mohammad Musa claimed four wickets while Faheem Ashraf bagged three wickets for United.

For his responsible innings, Hales bagged the award for the player of the match.