PSL 2025: Lahore Qalandars beat Quetta Gladiators in thrilling final to claim third PSL title in four years
by Devesh Jaganath | by Cydias Aujard
Nawaz leads Gladiators to defendable target in PSL final
Season 10 of the Pakistan Super League has now come to an end, and it truly was an exhilarating end to a tournament that was earlier marred by controversy and forced into a week-long delay due to off-field events.
The Quetta Gladiators had entered the Playoffs as the out-and-out favourites according to all the best online betting sites, having ended the group stage in first place with 15 points, three points clear of Islamabad United and the Karachi Kings in second and third, respectively.
The Lahore Qalandars rallied late in the group stage, notching up three wins and a no-result in their final five games to clinch the final Playoff berth. They produced a stunning effort in the Playoffs, ousting the Karachi Kings on Thursday by six wickets chasing 190/8.
Quetta came into the final with all the momentum after making light work of Islamabad, and things fell in place after winning the toss on Sunday and opting to bat first on a batsman-friendly Gaddafi Stadium pitch.
The Gladiators got off to a poor start, with skipper Saud Shakeel dismissed in the third over for just four runs, and he was followed back to the pavilion just three balls later by his opening partner Finn Allen, who made 12 runs in 11 deliveries.
However, Hassan Nawaz strode to the crease and produced one of the knocks of the tournament, blasting an incredible 76 runs in 43 deliveries, including eight fours and four sixes, at a blistering 176.74 strike rate.
Avishka Fernando and Dinesh Chandimal also made important contributions to support Nawaz, while Faheem Ashraf launched a powerful, quickfire 28 off a mere eight deliveries batting at number eight to help his side to a very defendable 201/9 in their 20-over allotment.
Perera, Raza produce dramatic innings to secure title for Lahore
In the second innings, Abrar Ahmed made an early breakthrough for Quetta, claiming the prized wicket of the dangerous Fakhar Zaman in the third over, but Muhammad Naeem and Abdullah Shafique steadied the ship with 46 and 41 runs respectively.
The match looked to be slipping from Lahore's grasp in the second half of their innings. At 15 overs, the Qalandars called a strategic timeout with their score on 131/3 at a run rate of 8.73, but requiring 14.2 per over.
However, that also proved to be the turning point of the match, as Sri Lankan international Kusal Perera and Pakistani-born Zimbabwean all-rounder Sikandar Raza teamed up to deliver an unbelievable final five overs, scoring 73 runs to lead their team to victory.
Perera was undoubtedly the standout performer with the bat and finished with 62 runs off just 31 deliveries at a strike rate of 200.00, while Raza smashed the winning runs, ending on 22 runs off seven balls at a strike rate of 314.29.
The match ended with incredible scenes at the Gaddafi Stadium, where the home crowd saw their underdog team claim their third title in four years, making them the joint-most successful side in PSL history alongside Islamabad United.
With the 2025 PSL now complete, our focus switches across the border to the Indian Premier League, which will enter the Playoff stage in the upcoming week.
