The 2018 Pakistan Super League (also known as PSL 3
or for sponsorship reasons, HBL PSL 2018) was the third season of the
Pakistan Super League
The Pakistan Super League (PSL) is a professional Twenty20 cricket league contested during February and March of every year by six teams representing six cities of Pakistan. The league was founded on 9 September 2015 with five teams by the P ...
, a franchise
Twenty20
Twenty20 (T20) is a shortened game format of cricket. At the professional level, it was introduced by the England and Wales Cricket Board (ECB) in 2003 for the inter-county competition. In a Twenty20 game, the two teams have a single inn ...
cricket
Cricket is a bat-and-ball game played between two teams of eleven players on a field at the centre of which is a pitch with a wicket at each end, each comprising two bails balanced on three stumps. The batting side scores runs by st ...
league which was established by the
Pakistan Cricket Board in 2015. It featured six teams, which was the first expansion of the league since its formation in 2015. The group stage took place in the
United Arab Emirates
The United Arab Emirates (UAE; ar, اَلْإِمَارَات الْعَرَبِيَة الْمُتَحِدَة ), or simply the Emirates ( ar, الِْإمَارَات ), is a country in Western Asia (Middle East, The Middle East). It is ...
, with two playoff matches played in
Lahore
Lahore ( ; pnb, ; ur, ) is the second List of cities in Pakistan by population, most populous city in Pakistan after Karachi and 26th List of largest cities, most populous city in the world, with a population of over 13 million. It is th ...
and the final at the
National Stadium, Karachi
The National Stadium (Urdu: نیشنل سٹیڈیم), also referred to as National Bank Cricket Arena for sponsorship reasons, is a cricket stadium in Karachi, Pakistan, owned by the Pakistan Cricket Board. It is the home ground of Karachi Kin ...
. The tickets for the final were sold out quickly, within fifteen hours.
In the final match, the inaugural champions
Islamabad United
Islamabad United ( ur, ) is a Pakistani professional Twenty20 franchise cricket team that competes in the Pakistan Super League (PSL). It was the inaugural champion of the Pakistan Super League. The team is based in Islamabad, the capital ci ...
defeated the defending champions
Peshawar Zalmi by three wickets in Karachi to win the title for a second time.
Luke Ronchi
Luke Ronchi ( ; born 23 April 1981) is a New Zealand-Australian cricket coach and a former cricketer. He represented both the Australia national cricket team and New Zealand national cricket team in international cricket. Ronchi is the only pla ...
of Islamabad United was named the Man of the Match of the Final,
as well as the player of the tournament and also the leading run scorer, scoring 435 runs in the tournament.
Faheem Ashraf
Faheem Ashraf ( ur, ; born 16 January 1994) is a Pakistani international cricketer who represents the national side and plays first-class cricket for Habib Bank Limited. In August 2018, he was one of thirty-three players to be awarded a central ...
of
Islamabad United
Islamabad United ( ur, ) is a Pakistani professional Twenty20 franchise cricket team that competes in the Pakistan Super League (PSL). It was the inaugural champion of the Pakistan Super League. The team is based in Islamabad, the capital ci ...
was awarded the best bowler award;
as both he and
Wahab Riaz of Peshawar Zalmi took 18 wickets to lead the wicket-takers list.
Background
After the success of holding the
previous tournament's final at the
Gaddafi Stadium, the PCB decided to play eight games of PSL 3 in Pakistan. In addition the PCB chairman
Najam Sethi
Najam Aziz Sethi (Urdu, pa, ; born 20 May 1948) is a Pakistani journalist, businessman and cricket administrator, currently serving as the chairman of Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB). He also is the founder of ''The Friday Times'' and ''Vanguar ...
confirmed there would be a sixth team being added in the 2018 edition, with the idea having previously been rejected in 2017. There was much interest in what the sixth team would be, with the PCB shortlisting Hyderabad, Dera Murad Jamali, FATA, Faisalabad and Multan. In the end, the winning party was
Multan
Multan (; ) is a city in Punjab, Pakistan, on the bank of the Chenab River. Multan is Pakistan's seventh largest city as per the 2017 census, and the major cultural, religious and economic centre of southern Punjab.
Multan is one of the ol ...
with
Schön Properties
Schön Properties is a Dubai-based real estate developer. The company generated a gross development value of over USD $ 2 billion. It was founded in 1971 in Singapore by the Schon family, which originated in Pakistan. The company has been involv ...
paying $5.2 million a year.
Ceremonies
Opening ceremony
In the opening ceremony, which was hosted in
Dubai
Dubai (, ; ar, wikt:دبي, دبي, translit=Dubayy, , ) is the List of cities in the United Arab Emirates#Major cities, most populous city in the United Arab Emirates (UAE) and the capital of the Emirate of Dubai, the most populated of the 7 ...
, American pop singer
Jason Derulo
Jason Joel Desrouleaux (born September 21, 1989), known professionally as Jason Derulo (; formerly stylized as Derülo), is an American singer and songwriter. featured alongside Pakistani singers including
Abida Parveen
Abida Parveen ( Urdu, sd, ; born 20 February 1954) is a Pakistani singer, composer and musician of Sufi music. She is also a painter and entrepreneur. Parveen is one of the highest paid singers in Pakistan. Her singing and music has earned ...
,
Ali Zafar
Ali Zafar ( pa, ; born 18 May 1980) is a Pakistani singer-songwriter, model, actor, producer, screenwriter and painter. Zafar started out on Pakistani television before becoming a popular musician. He later also established a career in Bol ...
and
Shehzad Roy
Shehzad Roy (born 16 February 1977) is a Pakistani singer-songwriter, guitarist, activist, social worker and humanitarian. He started his singing career in 1995 and has recorded six albums since. He has recorded many hit songs such as "Saali," ...
.
Hareem Farooq
Hareem Farooq ( ur, ; born 26 May 1992) is a Pakistani theatre, film and television actress and a film producer, known for her work in the serial ''Diyar-e-Dil'' and ''Pawnay 14 August''. She co-produced ''Janaan'' followed by her 2018 film '' ...
and
Bilal Ashraf
Bilal Ashraf ( ur, ; born 10 October 1979) is a Pakistani film actor, producer and visual effects director. After studying visual effects from the Franklin Marshall College, he started his career as a visual effects director and then pursued his ...
hosted the ceremony. The ceremony also featured the Pakistani Sachal Orchestra and a firework display, with a teaser of Zafar's first Pakistani film ''
Teefa in Trouble
''Teefa in Trouble'' ( ur, ) is a 2018 Pakistani romantic action comedy film. The film is the directorial debut of Ahsan Rahim, who is known for directing music videos and television commercials with several Pakistani artists under his Tadpol ...
'' also being shown.
Closing ceremony
The Closing ceremony took place at
National Stadium, Karachi
The National Stadium (Urdu: نیشنل سٹیڈیم), also referred to as National Bank Cricket Arena for sponsorship reasons, is a cricket stadium in Karachi, Pakistan, owned by the Pakistan Cricket Board. It is the home ground of Karachi Kin ...
, on 25 March ahead of the final. The ceremony was hosted by Bilal Ashraf, with Pakistani singers Ali Zafar, Shehzad Roy,
Strings,
Aima Baig
Aima Noor-ul Ain Baig (, ; born 10 March 1995) is a Pakistani singer. She started her career in 2014 when she uploaded her songs onto SoundCloud, through which she was approached by different people. She is known for her appearances on Dunya N ...
and
Farhan Saeed
Farhan Saeed Butt is a Pakistani singer-songwriter, actor, music video director, and entrepreneur. Saeed is the former lead vocalist of the Pakistani band Jal and owns the restaurant ''Cafe Rock'' in Lahore. He sings in Urdu and Punjabi.
Pers ...
performing live in front of 33,000 people in the stadium.
Teams and squads
The 2018 PSL featured six team franchises, with five teams that appeared in previous seasons; and a new team based in
Multan
Multan (; ) is a city in Punjab, Pakistan, on the bank of the Chenab River. Multan is Pakistan's seventh largest city as per the 2017 census, and the major cultural, religious and economic centre of southern Punjab.
Multan is one of the ol ...
.
The player draft for the 2018 season was held in
Lahore
Lahore ( ; pnb, ; ur, ) is the second List of cities in Pakistan by population, most populous city in Pakistan after Karachi and 26th List of largest cities, most populous city in the world, with a population of over 13 million. It is th ...
on 12 November 2017. 501 players, including both Pakistani and international players, were divided into five different categories. Each franchise was allowed to pick a maximum of seven foreign players in their squads, which could have a maximum of 21 members.
Officials
The panel of officials for the tournament consisted of eight umpires and two match referees.
Aleem Dar,
Ranmore Martinesz and
Tim Robinson stood in matches during the tournament.
Pakistani umpires
Ahmed Shahab,
Shozab Raza
Shozab Raza (Urdu: شوزيب رضا) is Pakistani cricket umpire.
Career
Raza made his debut as an umpire in 2012 when he supervised a One Day International (ODI) match played between Pakistan and Afghanistan at Sharjah Cricket Association ...
,
Rashid Riaz,
Khalid Mehmood and
Asif Yaqoob were also part of the panel as well. The match referees panel consisted of former
Sri Lanka
Sri Lanka (, ; si, ශ්රී ලංකා, Śrī Laṅkā, translit-std=ISO (); ta, இலங்கை, Ilaṅkai, translit-std=ISO ()), formerly known as Ceylon and officially the Democratic Socialist Republic of Sri Lanka, is an ...
n
ICC match referee
Roshan Mahanama and Pakistani match referee Mohammad Anees.
Venues
Like the 2016 and 2017 seasons, most of the matches of 2018 season were played in the
UAE. However, the playoffs and final took place in Pakistan; they were played in
Lahore
Lahore ( ; pnb, ; ur, ) is the second List of cities in Pakistan by population, most populous city in Pakistan after Karachi and 26th List of largest cities, most populous city in the world, with a population of over 13 million. It is th ...
and
Karachi
Karachi (; ur, ; ; ) is the most populous city in Pakistan and 12th most populous city in the world, with a population of over 20 million. It is situated at the southern tip of the country along the Arabian Sea coast. It is the former c ...
.
Each foreign cricketer who played matches in the country was paid an extra for each of these matches.
The
International Cricket Council
The International Cricket Council (ICC) is the world governing body of cricket. Headquartered in Dubai, United Arab Emirates, its members are 108 national associations, with 12 Full Members and 96 Associate Members. Founded in 1909 as the '' ...
security team visited
National Stadium, Karachi
The National Stadium (Urdu: نیشنل سٹیڈیم), also referred to as National Bank Cricket Arena for sponsorship reasons, is a cricket stadium in Karachi, Pakistan, owned by the Pakistan Cricket Board. It is the home ground of Karachi Kin ...
, on 23 October, to ensure its condition. The chairman of the
PCB Najam Sethi
Najam Aziz Sethi (Urdu, pa, ; born 20 May 1948) is a Pakistani journalist, businessman and cricket administrator, currently serving as the chairman of Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB). He also is the founder of ''The Friday Times'' and ''Vanguar ...
was quoted on 22 November saying "that the renovation of stadium will be completed in February 2018, to host the PSL Final." The tickets for the final were sold out within 3 hours.
Promotion in media
The league was promoted on social media by the
hashtag
A hashtag is a metadata tag that is prefaced by the hash (also known as pound or octothorpe) sign, ''#''. On social media, hashtags are used on microblogging and photo-sharing services such as Twitter or Instagram as a form of user-generated ...
#HBLPSL 2018, due to its three-year contract (2016–18) with
HBL Pakistan for title sponsorship.
Also, the six teams are promoted by #AbKhel6Ka. It was also promoted by #
DilSeJaanLagaDe, the hashtag for the league's official anthem by
Ali Zafar
Ali Zafar ( pa, ; born 18 May 1980) is a Pakistani singer-songwriter, model, actor, producer, screenwriter and painter. Zafar started out on Pakistani television before becoming a popular musician. He later also established a career in Bol ...
.
Season standings
Points table
Notes:
* C = Champions;
* R = Runner-up;
* (x) = Position at the end of the tournament;
League stage
The league stage of the tournament ran from 22 February to 16 March 2018.
Summary
Week 1
The month long tournament began on 22 February between the defending champions,
Peshawar Zalmi and the new team the
Multan Sultans. Peshawar batted first and, despite losing a wicket in the second over, went on to score 151/6 with
Mohammed Hafeez top-scoring with 59 runs. The Sultans chased the score down, losing just 3 wickets, giving them a 7 wicket win, and winning on their PSL debut. The first double-header of the group stage saw wins for Karachi and Multan by 19 and 43 runs respectively. The Multan win brought up an interesting stat which was that both of the first two
PSL hat tricks took place in
Dubai
Dubai (, ; ar, wikt:دبي, دبي, translit=Dubayy, , ) is the List of cities in the United Arab Emirates#Major cities, most populous city in the United Arab Emirates (UAE) and the capital of the Emirate of Dubai, the most populated of the 7 ...
, on a Friday, under
Shoaib Malik
Shoaib Malik (Punjabi, ur, ; born 1 February 1982) is a Pakistani cricketer who plays for the Pakistan national cricket team and currently plays for Karachi Kings in the Pakistan Super League (PSL). He was the captain of the Pakistan national ...
's captaincy, against the
Lahore Qalandars
Lahore Qalandars ( ur, ; pnb, لہور قلندرز; abbreviated as LQ) is a Pakistani professional cricket franchise which plays in the Pakistan Super League, representing the city of Lahore. The home ground of the team is Gaddafi Stadium. ...
. The next four games were all one-sided; in the first the defending champions Peshawar restricted Islamabad to 149/9 from Islamabad's 20 overs, to get their first win of the tournament with
Umaid Asif
Umaid Asif (born 30 April 1984) is a Pakistani cricketer who plays for Peshawar Zalmi. He's a six feet five inches tall right arm medium-fast bowler. In April 2018, he was named in Federal Areas squad for the 2018 Pakistan Cup.
In August 2018, ...
taking a 4-fer (4 wicket haul) on debut for Zalmi. On the same day, the Quetta Gladiators quickly chased down 119 inside 14 overs against the Lahore Qalandars. In the sixth game, the Multan Sultans' winning run came to an end against Islamabad United. In the game, the Sultans were all out for 113 with United winning by 5 wickets. In the next game despite
Dwayne Smith
Dwayne Romel Smith (born 12 April 1983) is a former Barbadian international cricketer who has represented the West Indies in all three formats of the game. An all-rounder, he is known as an aggressive and powerful right-handed batsman, bowls m ...
's 71 not out, the Karachi Kings chased down 131 to beat Peshawar by 5 wickets. At Dubai, the
rivals
A rivalry is the state of two people or groups engaging in a lasting competitive relationship. Rivalry is the "against each other" spirit between two competing sides. The relationship itself may also be called "a rivalry", and each participant ...
Lahore and Karachi faced off, Lahore's poor form continued as they lost their third consecutive game in the tournament with Karachi winning by 27 runs and
Shahid Afridi
Sahibzada Mohammad Shahid Khan Afridi ( ur, شاہد افریدی, ps, شاهد افریدی; born 1 March 1977), known as Shahid Afridi, is a Pakistani former cricketer and captain of the Pakistan national cricket team. He is current ...
taking 3-19. In the final game of week 1, which was the first game of the tournament in
Sharjah
Sharjah (; ar, ٱلشَّارقَة ', Gulf Arabic: ''aš-Šārja'') is the third-most populous city in the United Arab Emirates, after Dubai and Abu Dhabi, forming part of the Dubai-Sharjah-Ajman metropolitan area.
Sharjah is the capital ...
, the Gladiators won comfortably by 6 wickets against Islamabad.
Week 2
The second week began dramatically, with Peshawar having a batting collapse to fall to 125/5 in their innings against the Quetta Gladiators in Sharjah. In next the Zalmi captain
Daren Sammy
Daren Julius Garvey Sammy (born 20 December 1983) is a Saint Lucian cricketer who played international cricket for the West Indies. He is a two time T20 World Cup winning captain. On making his One-Day International (ODI) debut against Banglad ...
, who was earlier taken off with an injury, came out and hit two sixes and a four to get Zalmi a win. After game 11 between Multan and Karachi in Sharjah was abandoned at the toss, the other game on the day was also hosted at Sharjah. The game between Lahore and Islamabad was the first in PSL history at that point, to finish with a
super over as both teams were tied on 121. In Lahore's over they finished with 15/1, while in Islamabad's over they got 19 winning the game with a last ball 6. The game after was more straightforward, with an
Imran Tahir hat-trick downing Quetta and giving Multan the win.
The game after made history as the first ever 10 wicket win in the PSL, as Peshawar Zalmi chased down 101 without losing a wicket. The next day, Islamabad United beat Karachi Kings by 8 wickets with help from a
Luke Ronchi
Luke Ronchi ( ; born 23 April 1981) is a New Zealand-Australian cricket coach and a former cricketer. He represented both the Australia national cricket team and New Zealand national cricket team in international cricket. Ronchi is the only pla ...
71. On the same day, a
Sohaib Maqsood
Sohaib Maqsood (Punjabi, ur, ; born 15 April 1987) is a Pakistani cricketer. Due to his aggressive batting style and his 6’2'’ stature he's often compared to former Pakistan captain and batsman and fellow Multan native Inzamam-ul-Haq. He ...
* carried the Multan Sultans' to another win against Peshawar Zalmi, this time by 19 runs. The day after
Umar Gul rolled back the years taking 6/24 for the Multan Sultans', but the effort was in vain as the then
Pakistan under 19 captain Hasan Khan hit a last over 6 to give Quetta a 2 wicket win. The last day of week 2 saw a double-header, with both games being played at
Dubai
Dubai (, ; ar, wikt:دبي, دبي, translit=Dubayy, , ) is the List of cities in the United Arab Emirates#Major cities, most populous city in the United Arab Emirates (UAE) and the capital of the Emirate of Dubai, the most populated of the 7 ...
. In the first game a
Luke Ronchi
Luke Ronchi ( ; born 23 April 1981) is a New Zealand-Australian cricket coach and a former cricketer. He represented both the Australia national cricket team and New Zealand national cricket team in international cricket. Ronchi is the only pla ...
77 helped Islamabad beat Lahore by 6 wickets, while in the second game Quetta beat Karachi by 67 runs. This was at the time the biggest win by runs in PSL history.
Week 3
Week 3 started with a Lahore win, as future Pakistan international
Shaheen Shah Afridi
Shaheen Shah Afridi (Urdu, Pashto: ; born 6 April 2000) is a Pakistani professional cricketer who plays as a fast bowler for the Pakistan national cricket team.
Early life and career
Afridi belongs to the Zakhakhel Afridi tribe of the Pashtuns. ...
took 5/4 in his 3.4 overs against the
Multan Sultans. In game 21 despite 3/30 and 33 not out from
Wahab Riaz,
Islamabad United
Islamabad United ( ur, ) is a Pakistani professional Twenty20 franchise cricket team that competes in the Pakistan Super League (PSL). It was the inaugural champion of the Pakistan Super League. The team is based in Islamabad, the capital ci ...
beat
Peshawar Zalmi by 26 runs taking Islamabad to the top of the table. The day after was a double header, with a
Joe Denly
Joseph Liam Denly (born 16 March 1986) is an English professional cricketer who plays for Kent County Cricket Club. He is a right-handed batsman and occasional leg break bowler who plays as a top-order batsman. Denly played age group cricket ...
78 from 55 balls helping the
Karachi Kings
Karachi Kings ( ur, ; sd, ڪراچي ڪنگز) (abbreviated as KK) is a Pakistani professional franchise Twenty20 cricket team that competes in the Pakistan Super League (PSL). The team is based in Karachi, the provincial capital of Sindh ...
to a comfortable win over Multan by 63 runs. The second game of the day involved Peshawar and Quetta, with a
Sarfaraz Ahmed
Sarfaraz Ahmed ( ur, ; born 22 May 1987) is a Pakistani professional cricketer, a wicketkeeper-batsman, who plays for the Pakistani national cricket team. He was the former captain of the Pakistan side in all formats. He leads Quetta Gladiato ...
45
* guiding Quetta home with 6 wickets to spare and eliminating Lahore in the process. A
super over was needed again to separate Lahore and Karachi with them both being tied 163 after both of their
20 overs, in the end though
Sunil Narine
Sunil Philip Narine (born 26 May 1988) is a Trinidadian cricketer who plays internationally for the West Indies. He made his One Day International (ODI) debut in December 2011 and Test match debut in June 2012. Primarily an off-spin bowler, h ...
held his nerve to give Lahore their second win of the season. A crucial encounter followed 2 days later, with Islamabad and Multan facing off at
Sharjah Cricket Stadium
The Sharjah Cricket Stadium ( ar, ملعب الشارقة للكريكيت) is in Sharjah in the United Arab Emirates. It holds the record for the most ODIs hosted in a venue with 240 ODIs up to December 2019. It was originally constructed in t ...
. In the end though despite 73 of 47 from
Kieron Pollard, Islamabad won by 33 runs meaning that they and Quetta both advanced to the playoffs. In game 26, Lahore continued their winning run against Quetta thanks to 94 of 50 from
Fakhar Zaman. The next day, Peshawar beat Karachi helped by 75 by
Kamran Akmal
Kamran Akmal (Urdu, pa, ; born 13 January 1982) is a Pakistani former cricketer, who played for Pakistan as a right-handed batsman & wicketkeeper. He started his international career in November 2002 with a Test match at Harare Sports Club. ...
and 3/17 from
Liam Dawson keeping Peshawar in the tournament. Islamabad continued their winning run in game 28, ensuring that they finished at the top of the table by beating Quetta by 6 wickets.
Week 4
Week 4 only consisted of two games as the tournament moved from the League stage to the knockouts, in the penultimate game the
Lahore Qalandars
Lahore Qalandars ( ur, ; pnb, لہور قلندرز; abbreviated as LQ) is a Pakistani professional cricket franchise which plays in the Pakistan Super League, representing the city of Lahore. The home ground of the team is Gaddafi Stadium. ...
scored 172 in their innings against Peshawar. In response
Kamran Akmal
Kamran Akmal (Urdu, pa, ; born 13 January 1982) is a Pakistani former cricketer, who played for Pakistan as a right-handed batsman & wicketkeeper. He started his international career in November 2002 with a Test match at Harare Sports Club. ...
scored his 2nd century in the PSL becoming the first player to score two centuries in the history of the tournament, and guiding Peshawar into the playoffs with a win. While in the final game taking place on the same day
Islamabad United
Islamabad United ( ur, ) is a Pakistani professional Twenty20 franchise cricket team that competes in the Pakistan Super League (PSL). It was the inaugural champion of the Pakistan Super League. The team is based in Islamabad, the capital ci ...
collapsed to 121, allowing the
Karachi Kings
Karachi Kings ( ur, ; sd, ڪراچي ڪنگز) (abbreviated as KK) is a Pakistani professional franchise Twenty20 cricket team that competes in the Pakistan Super League (PSL). The team is based in Karachi, the provincial capital of Sindh ...
to claim a playoff spot and eliminate the
Multan Sultans in the process.
Table of results
League progression
Fixtures
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Playoffs
Preliminary
Qualifier 1
The qualifiers meant the top two teams on the table, Karachi and Islamabad, would face off.
Karachi Kings won the toss and chose to bat first. One of the openers
Khurram Manzoor
Khurram Manzoor ( Urdu: خرم منظور, born 10 June 1986) is a Pakistani international cricketer. He is a right-hand opening batsman who also bowls off-spin and he made his first-class cricket debut in the 2003–04 season before representi ...
, got out early while the other
Joe Denly
Joseph Liam Denly (born 16 March 1986) is an English professional cricketer who plays for Kent County Cricket Club. He is a right-handed batsman and occasional leg break bowler who plays as a top-order batsman. Denly played age group cricket ...
got his half century before getting out hit-wicket. Their number 3 batsman
Babar Azam
Mohammad Babar Azam (Urdu, pa, ; born 15 October 1994), is a Pakistani international cricketer and captain of the Pakistan national cricket team in all formats. Regarded as one of the finest batters in contemporary world cricket, he is the o ...
also got out cheaply as he got out second ball for a silver duck. Next came in Karachi's captain
Eoin Morgan
Eoin (, or ) is an Irish name. The Scottish Gaelic equivalent is () and both are closely related to the Welsh . It is also cognate with the Irish . In the Irish language, it is the name used for all Biblical figures known as ''John'' in Engl ...
who made 21 before being sent back to the pavalion. The top-scorer of the kings innings was
Colin Ingram
Colin Alexander Ingram (born 3 July 1985) is a South African cricketer who currently plays for Glamorgan. He represented South Africa in One Day (ODI) and Twenty20 Internationals (T20I) between 2010 and 2013, scoring a century on his ODI deb ...
with an unbeaten 61 helping Karachi get to 150. The pick of the bowlers was the former
Pakistan
Pakistan ( ur, ), officially the Islamic Republic of Pakistan ( ur, , label=none), is a country in South Asia. It is the world's List of countries and dependencies by population, fifth-most populous country, with a population of almost 24 ...
international Mohammad Sami with 2-20. In response the game never looked in doubt as a quickfire 94 not out from
Luke Ronchi
Luke Ronchi ( ; born 23 April 1981) is a New Zealand-Australian cricket coach and a former cricketer. He represented both the Australia national cricket team and New Zealand national cricket team in international cricket. Ronchi is the only pla ...
sent Islamabad to the final. Ronchi was well supported by the other opener
Sahibzada Farhan
Sahibzada Farhan ( ps, ; born 6 March 1996) is a Pakistani cricketer. He has played for several domestic teams since 2016 and in June 2018, he was called up to the national team for the first time. In August 2018, he was one of thirty-three play ...
who made 29 with
Samit Patel hitting the winning runs, to get the fastest victory in terms of balls remaining ever in the PSL at the time.
Eliminator
The eliminator put the teams in 3rd and 4th against each other, with these being
Peshawar Zalmi and
Quetta Gladiators
Quetta Gladiators ( Urdu, Balochi: ; Pashto: کویټه ګلیډیټرز) is a Pakistani professional Twenty20 cricket franchise that competes in the Pakistan Super League (PSL). They play most home games at the 27,000-capacity Gaddafi Stad ...
.
The two teams previously played against each other in the
year before's final. Quetta Gladiators won the toss and chose to field. The Gladiators dismissed the Zalmi openers quite cheaply with
Kamran Akmal
Kamran Akmal (Urdu, pa, ; born 13 January 1982) is a Pakistani former cricketer, who played for Pakistan as a right-handed batsman & wicketkeeper. He started his international career in November 2002 with a Test match at Harare Sports Club. ...
out for a duck.
Andre Fletcher
Andre Fletcher (born 28 November 1987) is a Grenadian cricketer who plays internationally for the West Indies. He is a right-handed batsman and often keeps wicket. He played domestic cricket for Windward Islands and Grenada. He was one of the f ...
came in but was soon sent back to the pavilion as well for a single run.
Liam Dawson and
Mohammed Hafeez steadied the ship for Zalmi with 62 and 25 respectively to help get Peshawar over 150.
Rahat Ali
Rahat Fateh Ali Khan (Punjabi, ; born 9 December 1974) is a Pakistani Singer, primarily of Qawwali, a form of Sufi devotional music. Khan is one of the biggest and highest paid singers in Pakistan. He is the nephew of Nusrat Fateh Ali ...
was the pick of the bowlers with 4-16.
In response both of Quetta's openers fluctuated and were both out cheaply. Afterwards twin 35's from the Gladiators captain
Sarfaraz Ahmed
Sarfaraz Ahmed ( ur, ; born 22 May 1987) is a Pakistani professional cricketer, a wicketkeeper-batsman, who plays for the Pakistani national cricket team. He was the former captain of the Pakistan side in all formats. He leads Quetta Gladiato ...
and
Mohammad Nawaz brought some stability to their innings. Going in to the final over it looked like the game was over for the gladiators who needed 25 off it . However
Anwar Ali scored 23 of the first five balls against
Liam Dawson meaning Quetta needed 3 off the last ball to win, then a dropped catch followed but
Mir Hamza
Mir Hamza (born 10 September 1992) is a Pakistani cricketer. He made his Test debut for the Pakistan cricket team in October 2018. He belongs to Khilji tribe.
Domestic career
In April 2018, Hamza was named in Baluchistan's squad for the 2018 Pa ...
was run out trying to get back for 2 and draw the game. This meant Peshawar Zalmi won by 1 run having previously lost twice to the Quetta by a run. All of Zalmi's bowlers took 2 wickets except Dawson with
Hasan Ali and
Sameen Gul both taking 2-21
Eliminator 2
The second eliminator put the loser of the qualifier the
Karachi Kings
Karachi Kings ( ur, ; sd, ڪراچي ڪنگز) (abbreviated as KK) is a Pakistani professional franchise Twenty20 cricket team that competes in the Pakistan Super League (PSL). The team is based in Karachi, the provincial capital of Sindh ...
against the winner of the first eliminator
Peshawar Zalmi.
"Eliminator 1 Scorecard The game got off to a late start due to rain which meant that both teams innings were reduced to 16 overs. Karachi Kings won the toss and decided to field first. Both of Zalmi's openers got off to a good start with
Andre Fletcher
Andre Fletcher (born 28 November 1987) is a Grenadian cricketer who plays internationally for the West Indies. He is a right-handed batsman and often keeps wicket. He played domestic cricket for Windward Islands and Grenada. He was one of the f ...
making 34 and Kamran Akmal smashing a quick half-century (50 of 17 balls). Zalmi's middle order supported Akmal helping him finish on 77 Zalmi on 170 with
Ravi Bopara taking the most wickets with 3-35.
In response one of Karachi's openers,
Joe Denly
Joseph Liam Denly (born 16 March 1986) is an English professional cricketer who plays for Kent County Cricket Club. He is a right-handed batsman and occasional leg break bowler who plays as a top-order batsman. Denly played age group cricket ...
scored 79 not out from 46 and he was well supported by
Babar Azam
Mohammad Babar Azam (Urdu, pa, ; born 15 October 1994), is a Pakistani international cricketer and captain of the Pakistan national cricket team in all formats. Regarded as one of the finest batters in contemporary world cricket, he is the o ...
who made 63 of 46 before getting out to
Hasan Ali in the end though Zalmi won by 13 runs and went through to the final. Sameen Gul was the pick of the bowlers conceding just 20.
Final
The final took place at
National Stadium, Karachi
The National Stadium (Urdu: نیشنل سٹیڈیم), also referred to as National Bank Cricket Arena for sponsorship reasons, is a cricket stadium in Karachi, Pakistan, owned by the Pakistan Cricket Board. It is the home ground of Karachi Kin ...
, after the semi finals which had taken place in
Lahore
Lahore ( ; pnb, ; ur, ) is the second List of cities in Pakistan by population, most populous city in Pakistan after Karachi and 26th List of largest cities, most populous city in the world, with a population of over 13 million. It is th ...
, with it being the first high-profile match in the stadium in 10 years. Peshawar won the toss an elected to bat, there innings started badly with Kamran Akmal and Andre Flecher getting out cheaply.
Mohammed Hafeez came in next but was soon back in the pavilion only scoring 8. Zalmi recovered with
Liam Dawson and
Chris Jordan both scoring thirties with Jordan scoring 36 and Dawson 33. After they both departed Zalmi's lower middle orde collapsed before a late onslaught from
Wahab Riaz got Zalmi close to 150. The pick of the bowlers was
Shahdab Khan with 3-25.
In response Islamabad got off to a good start with
Luke Ronchi
Luke Ronchi ( ; born 23 April 1981) is a New Zealand-Australian cricket coach and a former cricketer. He represented both the Australia national cricket team and New Zealand national cricket team in international cricket. Ronchi is the only pla ...
and
Sahibzada Farhan
Sahibzada Farhan ( ps, ; born 6 March 1996) is a Pakistani cricketer. He has played for several domestic teams since 2016 and in June 2018, he was called up to the national team for the first time. In August 2018, he was one of thirty-three play ...
scoring big. Ronchi got his half-century before getting out on 52, while Farhan scored 44 before losing his wicket. With Islamabad near their target a middle order collapse followed with 5 batsman only contributing 20 runs.
However, in the end 3 sixes in a row from
Asif Ali got united over the line and gave them their second PSL title.
Awards and statistics
Most runs
*
Luke Ronchi
Luke Ronchi ( ; born 23 April 1981) is a New Zealand-Australian cricket coach and a former cricketer. He represented both the Australia national cricket team and New Zealand national cricket team in international cricket. Ronchi is the only pla ...
of
Islamabad United
Islamabad United ( ur, ) is a Pakistani professional Twenty20 franchise cricket team that competes in the Pakistan Super League (PSL). It was the inaugural champion of the Pakistan Super League. The team is based in Islamabad, the capital ci ...
received the Green Cap for scoring the most runs.
Most wickets
*
Faheem Ashraf
Faheem Ashraf ( ur, ; born 16 January 1994) is a Pakistani international cricketer who represents the national side and plays first-class cricket for Habib Bank Limited. In August 2018, he was one of thirty-three players to be awarded a central ...
of
Islamabad United
Islamabad United ( ur, ) is a Pakistani professional Twenty20 franchise cricket team that competes in the Pakistan Super League (PSL). It was the inaugural champion of the Pakistan Super League. The team is based in Islamabad, the capital ci ...
received the Maroon Cap as he took the most wickets.
See also
*
Multan Sultans in 2018
*
Peshawar Zalmi in 2018
Notes
References
External links
*
{{DEFAULTSORT:Pakistan Super League, 2018
2018 in Emirati cricket
Super League
The Super League (officially known as the Betfred Super League due to sponsorship from Betfred and legally known as Super League Europe), is the top-level of the British rugby league system. At present the league consists of twelve teams, of w ...
Super League
The Super League (officially known as the Betfred Super League due to sponsorship from Betfred and legally known as Super League Europe), is the top-level of the British rugby league system. At present the league consists of twelve teams, of w ...
2018 in Sindh
2010s in Dubai
2010s in Karachi
2010s in Lahore
Cricket in Karachi
Cricket in Lahore
February 2018 sports events in Pakistan
History of the Emirate of Sharjah
March 2018 sports events in Pakistan
Sport in Dubai
Sport in Sharjah (city)