Kusal Perera stars as Lahore Qalandars win third Pakistan Super League title

A blistering unbeaten 62 from Sri Lankan wicketkeeper-batter Kusal Janith Perera and a quickfire 46 by Mohammad Naeem led Lahore Qalandars to a thrilling six-wicket victory over Quetta Gladiators in high-scoring Pakistan Super League (PSL) season 10 final.

This marks Lahore Qalandars’ third PSL title in just four years, having previously secured back-to-back championships in 2022 and 2023.

Chasing a daunting target of 202 runs, Lahore reached the target with just one ball to spare, finishing at 204 for 4 in 19.5 overs, with Perera playing a match-winning knock off just 31 balls, including five fours and four sixes. Sikandar Raza gave the final push with a rapid 22 off 7 deliveries.

Earlier, Quetta Gladiators posted 201 for 9 in their 20 overs, anchored by a sensational 76 off 43 balls from young opener Hasan Nawaz, who smashed 8 fours and 4 sixes. Brief but impactful cameos from Avishka Fernando (29), Dinesh Chandimal (22), and Faheem Ashraf (28 off just 8 balls) boosted the total.

Shaheen Shah Afridi led Lahore’s bowling attack with a fiery spell, picking up 3 wickets for just 24 runs, while Salman Mirza and Haris Rauf chipped in with two wickets apiece.

In response, Lahore Qalandars lost Fakhar Zaman early but recovered well through Naeem and Abdullah Shafique (41 off 28). The real momentum shift came with Perera’s power hitting, taking the game away from Quetta in the final overs.

Quetta’s bowlers struggled to contain the flow of runs, with Faheem Ashraf and Mohammad Amir picking up a wicket each but conceding heavily. Abrar Ahmed was the pick of the bowlers, conceding only 27 runs in his 4 overs and taking one wicket.

--Agencies