Finally Multan Sultans won their maiden HBL PSL title, beating Peshawar Zalmi in the final by 47 runs in Abu Dhabi. Overall, it was Peshawar Zalmi’s fourth and the third in the last four seasons that they lost in the final. Multan Sultans for the first time qualified for the final and lifted the trophy.In the early stage of the league in Karachi, Multan were fifth after losing four of their first five matches. But they bounced back in Abu Dhabi and won four of the last five matches to finish second, after Islamabad United.

On the other hand, Peshawar lost four of their first six games, but then they clicked at the right time and won three of their last four games. They defeated Karachi Kings and Islamabad United in the Eliminators and confirmed their place in the final.

Hot favourite Islamabad United got eliminated despite outstanding performances in group stage matches. United were favourites for their third PSL title, but first they lost to Multan Sultans in the Qualifier and then lost to Peshawar Zalmi in the second Eliminator.

Islamabad were the most improved side of the sixth PSL as they were on the bottom in the 2020 edition with only three wins in 10 matches. But this year they won eight out of 10 matches.

The defending champions Karachi King were knocked out from the T20 league after a five-wicket defeat against Peshawar Zalmi in the first Eliminator.

Once again Lahore Qalandars remained unfortunate as they failed to qualify for the playoffs.

In the first four PSL editions, they finished last. In the fifth, Lahore made the playoffs for the first time.

This year, Qalandars looked in great form as they won five of their first six games in Karachi and became one of the favourites for the title. But when the league resumed in Abu Dhabi they lost the momentum and lost all four matches and finished fifth.

In six PSL editions, Lahore Qalandars have played 59 matches, won 22 and lost 35 with the lowest winning percentage of 38.98.

PSL fourth edition winners Quetta Gladiators finished at the bottom as they won only two out of 10 matches. Skipper Sarfraz Ahmed remained their top scorer with 321 runs, including three fifties, at an average of 45.85. But other batsmen failed to provide the required support to him.

Quetta openers failed to provide solid starts and the middle order was also not consistent.

Quetta’s bowling also looked toothless and failed to restrict the opponents, especially in the death overs.

Karachi Kings opening batsman Babar Azam remained the most successful batsman with 554 runs in 11 matches, averaging 69.25, including seven fifties.

Multan Sultan’s skipper Muhammad Rizwan was behind him with 500 runs at an average of 45.45 with four half-centuries.

Sohaib Maqsood played an important role for Sultans’ maiden title triumph. Sohaib finished the league as the third highest run-scorer with 428 runs with five fifties, averaging 47.55. But the most important factor was his strike rate of 156.77.

Luck also favoured Sohaib as he got selected for the upcoming tours of England and the West Indies after Peshawar Zalmi’s batsman Haider Ali was suspended for violating the tournament’s health protocols by meeting people from outside the bio-secure bubble.

Veteran Shoaib Malik proved that he is still one of the best players in the shortest format of the game. Malik scored 354 runs at an average of 35.40, including two fifties. His strike rate was 149.35.

But some young talented batsmen failed to show their skills in the league. Zalmi’s Haider Ali managed only 166 runs in 9 matches, averaging 20.75.

Gladiators’s hard hitter Azam Khan, already selected for England and the West Indies T20 series, managed only 174 runs in 10 matches at an average of just 17.40. He failed to score a fifty in the league. His highest score was 47.

Lahore Qalanders skipper Sohail Akhtar never led from the front as he managed only 149 runs in 10 matches without scoring any fifty. His average was just 14.90.

Hussain Talat of Islamabad (131), Sultans’ Khushdil Shah (165), Saim Ayub of Quetta (114) and Imam-ul-Haq of Zalmi (96) also failed to impress selectors.

On the bowling side, young Shahnawaz Dahani of Multan proved his talent. He failed in the final, but he was the most successful bowler of the league with 20 wickets, averaging 17. Surprisingly, he didn’t get selected for England and West Indies T20 series.

In Karachi, Dahani was not as successful as he was in Abu Dhabi. His strike rate was 11.6 balls per wicket in Karachi which improved to 10 in Abu Dhabi. It was the fourth best among all players who have taken 20 wickets in a single season across all leagues. His best performance came against Lahore Qalandars when he took four wickets for just five runs in three overs.

Peshawar captain Wahab Riaz was behind him with 18 scalps, averaging 23.44. He proved that he is still is one of the best bowlers for the T20 format.

Mohammad Amir of Karachi Kings failed to contribute for his team. He took only five wickets in 11 matches.

There was no spinner among top four wicket-takers. Multan Sultans’ Imran Tahir remained the best spinner of the league with 13 wickets, averaging 13.07. Afghan spinner Rashid Khan took 11 wickets, at an average of 15.90. Shadab Khan and Imad Wasim took nine and seven wickets, respectively.

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