Perera and Bhanuka Rajapaksa kept scoreboard ticking but found it tough to accelerate as Quetta bowlers tightened their grip in final clash at Gaddafi Stadium in Lahore on Sunday night
LAHORE: (UrduPoint/Pakistan Point News-May 26th, 2025) Lahore Qalandars claimed their third Pakistan Super League (PSL) title in dramatic fashion, defeating Quetta Gladiators by five wickets in the final held at Gaddafi Stadium on Sunday.
Chasing a daunting target of 202, Lahore got off to a confident start, thanks to openers Mohammad Naeem and Fakhar Zaman, who set the tone with a 39-run partnership. However, Fakhar’s stay was short-lived, as he was dismissed by spinner Abrar Ahmed after scoring 11 runs off 10 balls, including two boundaries.
Abdullah Shafique joined Naeem at the crease and the two kept the momentum going with an aggressive stand. Naeem looked in superb touch and raced toward his half-century before being caught off the bowling of Faheem Ashraf. He departed for 47 off just 27 balls, an innings highlighted by one four and six towering sixes, leaving Lahore at 85/2 in the 9th over.
Shafique continued the charge with Kusal Perera, adding 30 more runs to the total. Shafique was eventually removed by Usman Tariq after scoring 41 from 28 deliveries, which included four boundaries and a six, taking the score to 115/3 in 12.3 overs.
Perera and Bhanuka Rajapaksa kept the scoreboard ticking but found it tough to accelerate as the Quetta bowlers tightened their grip. The increasing pressure saw Rajapaksa fall to Mohammad Amir for 14 off 16 balls, with Lahore needing 57 from the final 20 deliveries.
Sikandar Raza then stepped in and shifted the momentum, smashing consecutive boundaries off Amir and easing the growing tension. At the other end, Perera brought up a crucial fifty from just 28 balls, keeping Lahore in the hunt.
With 13 runs required in the final over, Raza took charge and sealed the match with a four and a six, completing a remarkable chase with just one ball to spare.
Earlier, Gladiators suffered an early setback when Saud Shakeel was dismissed for just 4 runs by Shaheen Afridi with the total at 17. Soon after, Finn Allen was sent back to the pavilion by Salman Mirza after scoring 12.
Rilee Rossouw added 22 runs before falling to Sikandar Raza, leaving the Gladiators at 58 for 3. By the end of the fifth over, Quetta had posted 49 runs for the loss of two wickets, maintaining an aggressive start despite early dismissals.
Playing XIs:
Quetta Gladiators: Saud Shakeel (captain), Finn Allen, Rilee Rossouw, Hassan Nawaz, Fernando, Dinesh Chandimal, Faheem Ashraf, Mohammad Wasim, Mohammad Amir, Usman Tariq, and Abrar Ahmed.
Lahore Qalandars: Fakhar Zaman, Mohammad Naeem, Abdullah Shafique, Thisara Perera, Bhanuka Rajapaksa, Asif Ali, Shaheen Afridi (captain), Shakib Al Hasan, Rashid Hussain, Haris Rauf, Salman Mirza, Jahandad Khan, Zaman Khan, Mohammad Ikhlaq, Daryl Mitchell, Mohammad Azab, and Asif Afridi.
