TLDR:
• Lahore Qalandars lift third PSL title
• Sikandar Raza seals dramatic chase
• Quetta’s 200+ total falls short
(The Thursday Times) — On a charged evening at Gaddafi Stadium, Lahore Qalandars edged out Quetta Gladiators in a tense, high-scoring final to clinch their third Pakistan Super League title, chasing down a daunting target in the very last over with flair and firepower. It was a contest marked by explosive batting, high-pressure bowling, and a late blitz that rewrote expectations.
فاتح پی ایس ایل فائنل لاہور قلندرز pic.twitter.com/GyVQvDJRPd
— The Thursday Times (@thursday_times) May 25, 2025
A final with fireworks from both sides
The PSL 10 final, set under the lights in Lahore, featured two sides with very different energies. Quetta Gladiators, led by Saud Shakeel, entered the field with purpose, opting to bat first after winning the toss. What followed was a power-hitting display as they posted a mammoth total. Hasan Nawaz anchored the innings with a belligerent knock, hammering boundaries with ease. His seventy-plus came off under fifty balls, backed by crucial cameos from Avishka Fernando and Faheem Ashraf, who finished the innings with a flurry of sixes in the final overs, propelling the score beyond the two-hundred mark.
Quetta’s intent was clear: post big, press hard, and choke the chase. But Lahore had other plans.
Lahore’s attack holds despite the onslaught
Lahore Qalandars’ bowling, under the captaincy of Shaheen Shah Afridi, showed grit despite the run-fest. Shaheen led by example, picking up key wickets and keeping his economy in check, even as the ball disappeared to all parts of the ground. Haris Rauf and Salman Mirza chipped in with wickets, though both leaked runs under pressure. Sikandar Raza and Rashad Hossain managed to pull things back briefly in the middle overs, each picking up a scalp while absorbing Quetta’s aggressive middle-order surge.
The target was massive. The task, uphill. But Lahore’s batting order wasn’t just ready — it was itching.
Pereira’s class and Naeem’s muscle
Kusal Perera, the Sri Lankan southpaw, was at his composed best, threading boundaries and towering sixes with deceptive ease. His innings was unbeaten and full of intent — a run-a-ball base spiked with clean striking. Alongside him, opener Mohammad Naeem set the tempo early, his six-laced cameo dismantling Quetta’s pace attack in the Powerplay.
Abdullah Shafique provided stability through the middle, pacing his innings maturely before falling just short of the finish line. But the story of the match belonged to a man who had only just landed in the country.
Sikandar Raza returns, and finishes
Having flown in straight from a Test match in England, Zimbabwe-born all-rounder Sikandar Raza brought with him momentum, adrenaline, and a sense of drama. Arriving just in time for the final, he walked in during crunch time and turned the tide with a seven-ball blitz that included two sixes and two fours. The match, which had looked destined for a final-ball thriller, was sealed with surgical precision in the penultimate over.
His unbeaten twenty-plus knocked the wind out of Quetta’s hopes and handed Lahore a historic third title — their first having come just two years ago.
Quetta’s collapse under pressure
Despite a strong start, Quetta’s bowlers failed to contain Lahore’s chase. Usman Tariq, Abrar Ahmed, and Faheem Ashraf managed one wicket each, but their lines wavered at key moments. Muhammad Amir and Khurram Shehzad failed to make breakthroughs, allowing Lahore’s momentum to snowball across the innings. It was not a complete capitulation, but it lacked the ruthless edge required to close out a high-stakes final.