Perera, Raza seal thrilling win as Lahore Qalandars clinch third PSL title in four years

A late blitz from Kusal Perera (62 not out) and Sikandar Raza (22 not out) gifted Lahore Qalandars their third title in four years when they conquered Quetta Gladiators by six wickets in the thrilling final of HBL PSL X at the Gaddafi Stadium, Lahore, on Sunday night.

Set a 202-run target, Qalandars needed 31 from the last two overs. Mohammad Amir conceded 18 runs in the penultimate over when he was hammered by Perera for a six and a four. Qalandars then required 13 from the final over bowled by Faheem Ashraf, and eight off the final three balls. Raza, who had just joined the side before the final after national duty, struck Faheem for a six and a four off successive deliveries to take his team home in thrilling fashion.

Perera, who brought up his second successive fifty off 28 balls, smashed four sixes and five fours in his superb 31-ball 62*.

Raza hammered two sixes and two fours in his seven-ball 22*.

The duo added 59 runs off just 19 balls in an unbroken fifth-wicket stand.

Lahore Qalandars had also won titles in 2022 and 2023. This was the third time Gladiators lost a final, having previously fallen short in 2016 and 2017. They won their only title in 2019.

Chasing a challenging 202, Lahore had a solid start of 39 off 20 balls.

Leggie Abrar Ahmed gave Gladiators a breakthrough in his first over when he trapped Fakhar Zaman lbw as the left-hander missed a slog sweep. Fakhar struck two fours in his 10-ball 11.

Mohammad Naeem and Abdullah Shafique then attempted to build the innings, with Naeem going for big hits before being caught at deep square-leg by Avishka Fernando off Faheem Ashraf for a 27-ball 46. Naeem, dropped by Usman Tariq off Mohammad Amir on 20, smashed six towering sixes and a four in another fine knock.

Perera then joined Abdullah Shafique, and although it was expected the duo would steer Lahore into a strong position, Abdullah fell in the 13th over, top-edging Usman Tariq to Abrar at first slip. Abdullah scored 41 off 28 balls with one six and four fours, leaving Qalandars at 115-3.

Perera and Bhanuka Rajapaksa batted cautiously and added 30 off 25 balls under pressure. Mohammad Amir then removed Rajapaksa, who made 14 off 16 balls with one six and a four.

Perera and Raza then finished the job in dramatic style with one ball to spare.

Among Gladiators’ bowlers, Mohammad Amir took 1-41, Faheem Ashraf 1-49 in 3.5 overs, Abrar 1-47 in four, and Usman Tariq 1-38 in four overs.

Usman Tariq was taken off the field in the 16th over after pulling a muscle.

Earlier, Hasan Nawaz once again did a terrific job with a responsible 76, while Faheem Ashraf smashed a rapid eight-ball 28 to guide Quetta to a fighting total of 201-9.

Hasan walked in at 21-2 in the fourth over and held firm, mixing defence and attack well. He brought up his third fifty of the season off 21 balls and smashed four sixes and eight fours in his 43-ball knock. He was eventually caught in the deep by Sikandar Raza off Shaheen Afridi.

Hasan was involved in several key stands. He added 37 off 19 balls with Rilee Rossouw, who made a brisk 22 off 11 balls with one six and four fours, before falling to Raza on his first delivery.

Hasan then shared 67 off 39 balls with Avishka Fernando, who hit 29 off 22 balls with five fours.

He later added 46 with Dinesh Chandimal, who scored 22 off 13 with two sixes, before both were dismissed by Shaheen in the 18th over to leave Quetta at 172-6.

Hasan also took on Bangladeshi spinner Rishad Hossain, smashing him for a six and two fours in the tenth over, which went for 16 runs.

Faheem Ashraf provided a fiery finish with 28 off 8 balls, hammering three sixes and two fours. He struck Salman Mirza for three sixes and a four in the final over, which yielded 23 runs.

Earlier, after opting to bat, Quetta lost skipper Saud Shakeel (4) in the third over, caught behind off Shaheen Afridi. The ball pitched outside leg stump, and Saud was unhappy with the decision. He vented his frustration by kicking the boundary cushion and throwing his helmet at the dugout. DRS was not in use.

Left-arm pacer Salman Mirza then removed Finn Allen (12), who hit two fours in his 11-ball stay.

Shaheen Afridi bowled superbly, finishing with 3-24 in his four overs.

Salman Mirza took 2-51 in four, while Haris Rauf picked up 2-41 in his spell.

Rilee Rossouw hit Haris for a six and a four, while Hasan Nawaz also struck him for a boundary in an over that cost 16.

Sikandar Raza, who joined the team just before the final, claimed 1-43 in four overs.

Meanwhile, Lahore Qalandars used a concussion substitute after Asif Ali collided with Mohammad Naeem during the 12th over. Mohammad Akhlaq replaced him for the rest of the innings.