Quetta Gladiators opt to bat first against Lahore Qalandars

Lahore Qalandars clinched their third HBL PSL title in dramatic fashion, chasing down 202 in the final over to beat Quetta Gladiators in a high-octane final in Lahore on Sunday. The architect of the win was Sri Lanka’s Kusal Perera, whose nerveless, explosive hitting at the death turned the tide after the match had tilted firmly in Gladiators’ favour.

Hasan Nawaz’s 76 and Faheem Ashraf’s late onslaught helped Gladiators post 201/9 in the trophy match, but Perera’s 62 off 31 and Sikandar Raza’s 22 off 7 powered Qalandars to a nail-biting win with one ball to spare at a full house in Lahore’s Qaddafi Stadium.

Chasing a daunting 202, Qalandars got off to a blazing start with their openers smashing 39 runs in the first three overs, including 23 off a single Faheem Ashraf over. But the introduction of spin brought Quetta back into the game as Abrar Ahmed struck with his second delivery, removing Fakhar Zaman.

Mohammad Naeem was given a life on 30 when Usman Tariq dropped a straightforward chance off Mohammad Amir. The opener capitalised, putting together a 46-run stand with Abdullah Shafique before falling to Ashraf for a 27-ball 46 that featured six towering sixes.

Shafique kept the momentum going with a fluent 41, taking the score to 115, but his dismissal — courtesy of Tariq — triggered a slowdown.

With Bhanuka Rajapaksa struggling at one end, scoring 14 off 16 balls, the required rate climbed steeply. At one point, Lahore needed 57 off the final 20 deliveries, and Quetta looked to have the upper hand.

But Perera had other plans. Unleashing his experience and power, he launched into Quetta’s bowlers, including a crucial assault on Mohammad Amir in the 19th over. Sikandar Raza supported him from the other end as Lahore capitalised on some sloppy fielding and wayward bowling in the death overs.

The Qalandars completed the chase in the final over, sparking celebrations as they lifted the trophy for the third time in PSL history.

The duo put on a blistering 59-run partnership off just 19 deliveries to steer their team to a famous title victory. Perera played an exceptional yet controlled innings, scoring 62 off 31 balls with five boundaries and four sixes. Meanwhile, Raza launched a brisk counter-attack, smashing 22 runs off just seven balls, including two sixes and two boundaries.

Barring Abrar Ahmed, it was a forgettable outing for the Gladiators’ bowlers. Faheem Ashraf bore the brunt, conceding 49 runs in just 3.4 overs, while the rest of the attack fared little better, with most going at over ten an over.

Earlier, after winning the toss and bat first, Hasan Nawaz’s explosive knock of 76 helped Quetta Gladiators post a formidable total of 201.

The Gladiators didn’t get the start they had hoped for, as skipper Saud Shakeel was dismissed in unfortunate fashion behind the stumps—paying the price for the absence of DRS in the final, with replays suggesting the ball had not touched his bat before reaching Kusal Perera’s gloves.

Matters worsened in the next over when the in-form Salman Mirza claimed the prized wicket of New Zealand’s Finn Allen, leaving Quetta struggling at 21/2.

However, Rilee Rossouw and the young Hasan Nawaz stabilized the innings, guiding the team through the powerplay without further loss and taking the score to 58.

Rossouw, who had earlier scored a century in the tournament, looked in good touch again. But Sikandar Raza—who arrived from England just 10 minutes before the toss—struck with the second ball of his spell, dismissing the South African for 22.

Dramatic scenes unfolded in the 12th over when a nasty collision in the deep between Mohammad Naeem and Asif Ali, while attempting to stop a boundary, forced Asif to leave the field. He was eventually ruled out of the match, with Mohammad Akhlaq coming in as a concussion substitute

Nawaz, hailed as one of the standout young players of this PSL season, anchored the innings impressively. He built a 67-run partnership with Sri Lanka’s Avishka Fernando to keep the scoreboard ticking. Fernando eventually fell for 29, but Nawaz continued to dominate, bringing up his fourth half-century of the tournament.

He then added crucial runs with another Sri Lankan, Dinesh Chandimal, taking the score to 171. However, a sudden collapse followed as Quetta lost four wickets—including both Nawaz and Chandimal—for just two runs.

Nawaz’s excellent innings ended at 76 off 43 deliveries, featuring eight boundaries and four sixes. Chandimal chipped in with a handy 22 off 13 balls.

With the Gladiators reeling at 173/8, in-form all-rounder Faheem Ashraf provided a late blitz, smashing 28 off just 8 balls—including 23 runs in the penultimate over—to lift the total to a competitive 201/9.

For Lahore Qalandars, captain Shaheen Shah Afridi once again led the bowling attack with 3/24, while Haris Rauf and Salman Mirza claimed two wickets each.

Lahore Qalandars: Shaheen Afridi (Captain), Fakhar Zaman, Muhammad Naeem, Abdullah Shafique, Kusal Perera (wk), Bhanuka Rajapaksa, Asif Ali, Sikandar Raza, Rishad Hossain, Salman Mirza, Haris Rauf

Quetta Gladiators: Saud Shakeel (Captain), Finn Allen, Hassan Nawaz, Dinesh Chandimal (wk), Avishka Fernando, Rilee Rossouw, Mohammad Amir, Khurram Shahzad, Faheem Ashraf, Usman Tariq, Abrar Ahmed.