Shaheen Shah Afridi’s Lahore Qalandars clinched their third HBL PSL title in four years by defeating Quetta Gladiators by six wickets in a thrilling last-over finish at Gaddafi Stadium, Lahore, on Sunday night before a packed crowd.

By PakPassion Staff (May 26th, 2025)

Chasing a challenging target of 202, Qalandars achieved their second-highest successful chase with just one ball to spare, becoming only the second team after Islamabad United to win three PSL titles in the tournament’s 10-year history. Their successful pursuit of 202 runs also set a new record for the highest target chased in a T20 final.

Kusal Perera led the charge for Lahore with a blazing unbeaten 62, partnering with Zimbabwean all-rounder Sikandar Raza to put together an unbeaten 59-run stand off 19 balls for the fifth wicket. When the duo joined forces, Qalandars required 57 runs from 20 balls. Raza made an immediate impact, hitting a six and a four off Mohammad Amir in the 17th over.

Perera continued the assault in the next over, smashing two sixes off Khurram Shahzad as Qalandars scored 16 runs. Facing a required run rate of over 15, the penultimate over yielded 18 runs, including two fours and a six off Amir by Perera, leaving 13 runs needed from the final over.

In the last over, Faheem Ashraf conceded only five runs in the first three balls before Raza struck a sensational six over deep cover-point followed by a four to seal the victory and the title for Lahore.

Perera, who accumulated 170 runs in four games this season, backed up his two half-centuries in the Eliminator with a match-winning unbeaten fifty in the final, featuring five fours and four sixes from 31 balls.

Earlier in the innings, Perera had built crucial partnerships of 30 runs each with Abdullah Shafique (41 off 28 balls, including four fours and one six) and Bhanuka Rajapaksa (14 off 16 balls, with one four and one six) to keep the innings steady after Lahore lost two early wickets for 85 runs in the ninth over.

Mohammad Naeem gave Lahore a flying start, smashing six sixes and a four in his 27-ball 46, including a 39-run opening stand with Fakhar Zaman (11 off 10 balls, two fours) and a steady 46-run second-wicket partnership with Abdullah Shafique. Naeem’s aggressive hitting included four sixes across five balls during the Powerplay, helping Lahore accumulate 56 runs in the first six overs. At the halfway mark, Qalandars were 97-2 and went on to score the remaining 105 runs in the last 9.5 overs.

Quetta Gladiators had posted their third-highest total of the tournament despite early setbacks, losing two wickets for 21 runs. Hasan Nawaz, the tournament’s best batter and top scorer for Quetta, fought hard with a composed 76 off 43 balls, helping his team recover. Hasan and Rilee Rossouw added a quick 37 runs off 19 balls after the early losses, taking the team to 57-2 at the end of the Powerplay.

Sikandar Raza then dismissed Rossouw, bringing Avishka Fernando (29 off 22 balls, five fours) to the crease. Fernando and Hasan added a 67-run partnership for the fourth wicket, hitting nine fours and two sixes between them, putting pressure on Lahore’s bowling attack.

Dinesh Chandimal contributed with a brisk 46-run partnership alongside Hasan, hitting two sixes before being dismissed in the 18th over for 22 runs off 13 balls.

In the death overs, Shaheen Afridi and Haris Rauf slowed down Quetta’s scoring, taking two wickets each while conceding only eight runs in a combined over, reducing the Gladiators to 178-8 in the 19th over.

In the final over, Faheem Ashraf hit Salman Mirza for three towering sixes and a four, scoring 23 runs before being dismissed on the last ball for 28 runs off eight balls.

For Lahore, skipper Shaheen Shah Afridi, who finished as the tournament’s leading wicket-taker with 19 wickets, recorded impressive bowling figures of 4 overs, 24 runs, and 3 wickets. Salman Mirza and Haris Rauf each took two wickets, sealing a memorable victory for the Qalandars.