Islamabad United defeated Multan Sultans by two wickets.
The curtains fell on the ninth season of the Pakistan Super League (PSL) with Islamabad United emerging victorious against Multan Sultans at the National Bank Stadium in Karachi.
This is United’s third PSL title while Sultans suffered three straight losses in the final.
Now that the PSL 9 is in the history books, here’s a look at the summary, award winners and more.
Here’s the full list of award winners:
Player of the Match: Imad Wasim
Player of the Tournament: Shadab Khan
Emerging Player of the Tournament: Irfan Khan Niazi
Best Batter of the Tournament: Usman Khan
Best Bowler of the Tournament: Usama Mir
Best Fielder of the Tournament: Irfan Khan Niazi
Super all-rounder of the Tournament: Saim Ayub
Wicketkeeper of the Tournament: Azam Khan
Fazal Mahmood Cap for Most Wickets: Usama Mir
Hanif Mohammad Cap for Most Runs: Babar Azam
Spirit of Cricket Award: Peshawar Zalmi
Best Umpire of the Tournament: Asif Yaqoob
Recall that Islamabad United, under the leadership of Shadab Khan, secured their third PSL championship after triumphing in 2016 and 2018, solidifying their status as the most accomplished team in the tournament’s annals.
Islamabad faced a challenging start, losing three wickets within the initial powerplay overs, leaving them at 55-3. However, the seasoned batsman Martin Guptill and the dynamic Azam Khan then joined forces, constructing a pivotal 47-run alliance. This partnership not only steadied Islamabad’s innings but also propelled them back into a commanding position in the match.
Nevertheless, Guptill’s innings came to an end when he was run out for a well-made 50 off 32 deliveries due to a minor miscommunication with Azam, resulting in Islamabad’s score standing at 102-4 after 12.5 overs.
Further down the batting order, following Azam’s departure, Imad Wasim, who had previously shone in the eliminator matches, and Naseem Shah both made significant contributions, adding 19 and 17 runs to Islamabad’s total, respectively.
In the opening innings, the Sultans narrowly dodged a major setback when Islamabad’s pace bowler Naseem Shah dismissed their captain, Mohammad Rizwan, in the very first over. However, Rizwan, aged 31, was granted a reprieve as the 20-year-old Shah had overstepped the crease, resulting in a no-ball call.
Nonetheless, the Sultans’ hopes were quickly dampened when Imad Wasim claimed the wickets of the in-form Yasir Khan and David Willey in the second over, leaving them with little breathing space.
Following the loss of two early wickets, Multan opted for a composed approach, with Rizwan and Usman Khan forging a vital 53-run partnership. The momentum seemed to favor the Sultans, but their captain was dismissed in the 10th over after contributing 26 runs, which included three boundaries.
It appeared that Multan might struggle to surpass the 130-run milestone as they found themselves nine wickets down for 127 runs with just three overs remaining. However, Iftikhar remained composed and anchored the innings till the end, guiding Rizwan’s team to a challenging total.
