Islamabad United beat Multan Sultans to win record third PSL title

At the National Bank Stadium in Karachi on Monday, Islamabad United defeated Multan Sultans by two wickets to win the Pakistan Super League (PSL) season nine.  

After winning the PSL in 2016 and 2018, Islamabad United, under captaincy of Shadab Khan, made history by winning their third championship and became the most successful side in the history of the competition.  

When Hunain Shah entered the bat with one run needed off the last ball, the thrilling match was decided on that one ball. The young player struck the ball for four after deftly spotting the opening at point. 

After losing three wickets in the powerplay and trailing 55-3, veteran batsman Martin Guptill and prolific batsman Azam Khan combined to create a vital 47-run partnership that put Islamabad back in control. 

But due to a misunderstanding with Azam, Guptill was dismissed with 50 runs off of 32 balls, leaving his team behind 102-4 after 12.5 overs.  

As Azam made his way back to the pavilion, Imad Wasim the eliminators' hero and Naseem Shah made significant contributions down the order, scoring 19 and 17 runs, respectively. 

Earlier in the first innings, Islamabad's pacer Naseem Shah removed the Sultans' captain, Mohammad Rizwan, but the 31-year-old was given a second chance because the 20-year-old had crossed the line.  

But in the second over, David Willey and the in-form Yasir Khan were removed by Imad Wasim, leaving the Sultans with little room.  

After losing two wickets, Multan decided to play with composure as Rizwan and Usman Khan formed a crucial 53-run partnership. The game looked in the Sultans’ control but their skipper departed in the 10th over after posting 26 runs with three fours. 

The wickets kept falling after Rizwan’s dismissal but Usman stayed on the pitch and continued the charge against Islamabad pacers. He soon completed his half-century, butcouldn’t stay much on the crease after it as Shadab Khan removed him after scoring 57 runs on 40 balls. 

It looked like the Sultans would not be able to cross the 130-run mark as they had lost nine wickets for 127 runs with three more overs to go but Iftikhar stayed till the end and steered Rizwan’s men to a competitive total. 

Iftikhar proved his prowess in the last overs as the 33-year-old concluded his short cameo scoring 32 runs on 20 balls with the help of three fours and as many sixes. 

For Islamabad, Imad picked five wickets and became the first player ever to take a five-wicket haul in a PSL final. Other than the 35-year-old, skipper Shadab took three wickets while names like Naseem Shah, and Hunain Shah went wicketless.