Thrilling final sees Lahore successfully defend PSL title
An overall presentation from Shaheen Afridi featured an exhilarating high-scoring last at the Gaddafi Arena as Lahore Qalandars fixed a one-run triumph to turn into the PSL champions for the second progressive time, conquering Multan Rulers in the last once more. Shaheen's 15-ball 44 not out, alongside Abdullah Shafique's 40-ball 65, was instrumental in the Qalandars getting done with 200/6. Rilee Rossouw's 50 years and valuable commitments from the other players got the Kings close yet the Qalandars held their nerve in a game that ebbed and streamed, with Shaheen sacking a four-wicket pull.
The Rulers got off the blocks rapidly in the pursuit as Usman Khan and Mohammad Rizwan set the vibe with a whirlwind of limits. Usman struck four fours preceding his visit was finished by David Wiese in the fourth finished. The blast of shots didn't stop, however, as Rizwan and Rossouw fueled the Rulers past 50 in the fifth over and they arrived at 72 when the powerplay reached a conclusion. The following three overs yielded 29 as the Rulers fueled beyond 100, with Rossouw getting to a 30-ball fifty.
Rashid Khan, in the mean time, was keeping it tight from his end and in the end had Rossouw bowled. The Afghanistan legspinner had Wiese's magnificent catch to thank for the wicket of Rizwan as he finished his spell with figures of 2 for 26. Tim David then struck two or three fours as the situation came to 60 off the last five overs. Kieron Pollard likewise hit a four off Shaheen Afridi yet fell not long after however the Rulers figured out how to go beyond 150 of every 16 overs, with an intriguing completion on the cards to cover off a high-scoring last.
Albeit the expected rate was north of 12 and rising, David and Khushdil Shah guaranteed it didn't go crazy as they struck opportune limits. However, Shaheen struck a critical blow in the eighteenth over as he got the wicket of David because of one more fine catch from Wiese. Khushdil hit a four in the equivalent over yet Shaheen added two additional wickets to his count by having Anwar Ali bowled and Usama Mir got at leaving the Rulers requiring 35 off the last two overs. The enormous over that the Rulers were expecting came in the nineteenth as Haris Rauf went for 22. Khushdil began with a six in the over before Abbas Afridi struck a six and two fours to leave the Rulers requiring 13 off the last finished.
Just two runs fell off the initial three conveyances bowled by Zaman Khan, trailed by two byes as it boiled down to eight off the last two balls. Khushdil hit a four off the fifth ball yet could deal with a couple off the last ball, which was a yorker from Zaman, as the Qalandars won in a strained completion.
Prior, the Qalandars got off to an energetic beginning subsequent to picking to bat. New off a game dominating fifty in the subsequent Eliminator, Mirza Tahir Baig assumed the assailant's part this time as he hustled away 30 in a 38-run opening stand with Fakhar Zaman before Ihsanullah finished his visit. Fakhar, who was on 7 off 12, got pace as he struck several limits to help the Qalandars past fifty in the seventh over. Abdullah Shafique then, at that point, got into the demonstration by pulling Abbas Afridi for a six and furthermore played a gorgeous shot over cover for a four off Pollard. Fakhar likewise cleared the wall off Ihsanullah and Shafique struck a four in the equivalent over as the Qalandars moved to 82/1 at the midway phase of their innings.
Fakhar kept on gathering fours on the way to 50 years stand with Shafique before the previous tumbled to Mir endeavoring a draw in the twelfth over. Sam Billings hit a six off Mir yet the bowler struck back by excusing the Britain player and Ahsan Bhatti off progressive conveyances, while Khushdil Shah guaranteed Sikandar Raza had a short stay at the wrinkle as the Qalandars lost four wickets for 16 races to slip to 112/5 in the fifteenth over.
An all out nearby 150-160 would have a sensible objective for the Qalandars at that stage yet captain Shaheen had different thoughts as he crushed two fours and five sixes, and put on a 66-run stand with Shafique that fell off just 27 conveyances as the Qalandars amassed 85 runs off the last five overs. The passing overs accuse began of a 14-run over from Mir, which was then trailed by 24 runs yielded by Ihsanullah in the seventeenth. The over included two sixes and a four for Shaheen as well as five wides. Shafique, who was dropped on 0 by Pollard, struck two fours off Abbas to raise a 35-ball fifty and afterward hit a six and two fours off Anwar. Despite the fact that he was excused, Shaheen finished the over with a six as 22 fell off the penultimate over. The Qalandars chief scored a limit and a most extreme off Abbas in the last over to assist his side get done with a twist.
Brief scores: Lahore Qalandars 200/6 in 20 overs (Abdullah Shafique 65, Shaheen Afridi 44*; Usama Mir 3-24) beat Multan Sultans 199/8 in 20 overs (Rilee Rossouw 52, Mohammad Rizwan 34; Shaheen Afridi 4-51) by 1 run.