In a thrilling final match of the Pakistan Super League, Lahore Qalandars defended their title and lifted the trophy for the second consecutive year after beating Multan Sultans by one run at Gaddafi Stadium in Lahore on March 18, 2023.
The Qalandars set a challenging target of 201 runs for the Sultans to chase, and the Multan team put up a strong fight, but eventually fell just short of the victory. The match was filled with several ups and downs, but in the end, the Qalandars held their nerves and emerged victorious.
David Wiese provided an early breakthrough for Lahore Qalandars by dismissing opener Usman Khan in the fourth over of the innings. Despite the early setback, the Multans managed to maintain the required run-rate as Rilee Rossouw and Mohammad Rizwan put together an impressive partnership of 64 runs in 42 balls.
Rossouw’s dismissal by Rashid Khan brought a much-needed breakthrough for the Qalandars, and they quickly followed it up with the wicket of Rizwan. Shaheen Shah Afridi, who had a tough start to the innings, came back strongly in his second spell and picked up the crucial wicket of Kieron Pollard. Shaheen Shah Afridi also picked up three wickets in his final over to put his team in a strong position.
However, Haris Rauf conceded 22 runs in the penultimate over, which ensured a thrilling finish to the match. Zaman Khan held his nerve in the final over to help the Qalandars clinch the victory.
Earlier, the Lahore Qalandars had set a target of 201 runs in their allotted 20 overs. After a quick start, opener Mirza Baig was dismissed by Ihsanullah, but Fakhar Zaman and Abdullah Shafique put together a partnership of 57 runs in 38 balls for the second wicket. However, Multan Sultans soon turned the game around with four quick wickets, with leg-spinner Usama Mir claiming three of them.
Captain Shaheen Shah Afridi then took the attack to Multan’s bowlers and scored a quick-fire 44 runs in 15 balls, which included two fours and five sixes. Shafique also played aggressively towards the end and scored 65 runs in 40 balls, including eight fours and two sixes. Usama Mir was the pick of the bowlers for Multan Sultans with figures of 3-24 in three overs.
With this victory, Lahore Qalandars became the first team to successfully defend their PSL title. Mohammad Rizwan, who scored 34 runs in the final, emerged as the top-scorer of the season.
