The 2021 Pakistan Super League (also known as PSL 6 or for sponsorship reasons HBL PSL 2021) was the sixth 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 Paki ...
, 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 innin ...
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 striki ...
league established by the
Pakistan Cricket Board
The Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) is a sports governing body for cricket in Pakistan responsible for controlling and organising all tours and matches undertaken by the Pakistan national cricket team. A member of the International Cricket Coun ...
(PCB) in 2015. It was initially scheduled to be the second season held entirely in Pakistan in February and March 2021, after the previous seasons were held elsewhere due to the security situation there.
On 4 March 2021, the PCB suspended the tournament with 14 of the scheduled 30 group matches having been played after multiple cases of
COVID-19
Coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) is a contagious disease caused by a virus, the severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2). The first known case was COVID-19 pandemic in Hubei, identified in Wuhan, China, in December ...
were recorded. In March, the PCB proposed to reschedule the remaining fixtures for June 2021 with all matches to be held in
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 cap ...
, however, on 4 May, all the teams asked the PCB to move to the United Arab Emirates (UAE) because of a surge in
COVID-19 cases in Pakistan.
On 20 May 2021, approval was granted to play the remaining matches of the PSL 6 in
Abu Dhabi
Abu Dhabi (, ; ar, أَبُو ظَبْيٍ ' ) is the capital and second-most populous city (after Dubai) of the United Arab Emirates. It is also the capital of the Emirate of Abu Dhabi and the centre of the Abu Dhabi Metropolitan Area.
...
and the tournament restarted on 9 June. On 24 June 2021,
Multan Sultans
Multan Sultans (Urdu: ) is a Pakistani professional Twenty20 franchise cricket team representing the city of Multan in southern Pakistan in the Pakistan Super League (PSL). The team was founded in 2017 as an additional sixth team added to the P ...
beat
Peshawar Zalmi
Peshawar Zalmi ( ur, ; ps, پېښور زلمي; literally meaning "Peshawar's youth") is a Pakistani franchise T20 cricket team which plays in the Pakistan Super League and represents Peshawar, the capital city of the Khyber Pakhtunkhwa pro ...
in the final, by 47 runs to win their first title.
Background
The PSL was set up in 2015 and began in 2016 — meaning this was the sixth edition of the tournament. This was the third year of
Habib Bank Limited
Habib Bank Limited ( ur, ) abbreviated as HBL, is a Pakistani multinational bank based in Habib Bank Plaza, Karachi, Pakistan.
Founded in 1939 by the Habib Family, HBL became Pakistan's first commercial bank. In 1951 it opened its first inter ...
's (HBL) sponsorship deal with the tournament. This was supposed to be the second season held entirely in Pakistan, owing to the security situation there in previous seasons which caused it to be held in the UAE. After the previous edition was postponed because of COVID-19 pandemic, the tournament was expected to be held behind closed doors. However, the
Pakistani government
The Government of Pakistan ( ur, , translit=hakúmat-e pákistán) abbreviated as GoP, is a federal government established by the Constitution of Pakistan as a constituted governing authority of the four provinces, two autonomous territories, ...
gave approval to host the tournament at 20% capacity. An extra 10% could also have been allowed in after the group stage, but was not when the tournament moved to the UAE.
Speaking about crowds, PCB chairman
Ehsan Mani
Ehsan Mani (Urdu: ; born 23 March 1945) is a Pakistani chartered accountant who is the former president of International Cricket Council (ICC) and former Chairman of Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB).
Early life
Mani was born in Rawalpindi Pakistan in ...
said that he hoped if they could maintain tight protocols during the tournament, they could increase capacity later in the year for future tours of Pakistan.
It was rumored that starting from this edition, the PSL would have a dedicated window in the
ICC Future Tours Programme
The ICC Future Tours Programme (or FTP for short) is a schedule of international cricket tours which structure the programme of cricket for International Cricket Council full members, with an objective of each team playing each other at least once ...
.
Squads
On 9 January 2021, the PCB announced the retained players' list. The players draft took place on 10 January in
Lahore
Lahore ( ; pnb, ; ur, ) is the second most populous city in Pakistan after Karachi and 26th most populous city in the world, with a population of over 13 million. It is the capital of the province of Punjab where it is the largest city. ...
. On 15 February,
Mohammad Rizwan replaced
Shan Masood
Shan Masood (Urdu, Punjabi: شان مسعود; born 14 October 1989) is a Pakistani international cricketer. He plays for Yorkshire County Cricket Club, and the Multan Sultans in domestic cricket. He is a left-handed batter and an occasional r ...
as the captain of the
Multan Sultans
Multan Sultans (Urdu: ) is a Pakistani professional Twenty20 franchise cricket team representing the city of Multan in southern Pakistan in the Pakistan Super League (PSL). The team was founded in 2017 as an additional sixth team added to the P ...
.
Later, a replacement draft was held, in which additional players were picked up to replace players unavailable due to COVID-19 pandemic, which also forced the rescheduling of the tournament. On 27 April,
Colin Munro
Colin Munro (born 11 March 1987) is a South-African born New Zealand international cricketer, who plays limited overs formats of the game. He was a member of the New Zealand Under 19 side and is currently a member of the Auckland cricket team. ...
rejoined
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 cit ...
for the remaining matches. The final squads were confirmed by 22 May, when 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. ...
re-signed
Rashid Khan
Rashid Khan Arman ( ps, ; born 20 September 1998) is an Afghan international cricketer and a former captain of the national team. In franchise leagues, he plays for Gujarat Titans in the Indian Premier League (IPL), Adelaide Strikers in Austra ...
after his replacement
Shakib Al Hasan
Shakib Al Hasan (Bengali: সাকিব আল হাসান; born 24 March 1987) is a Bangladeshi cricketer and current captain of the Bangladesh national cricket team in Tests and T20Is. He plays for Barishal in domestic cricket as an all- ...
pulled out of the PSL.
Venues
In June 2020, the PCB announced they planned to add
Arbab Niaz Stadium
Arbab Niaz Stadium ( ur, ارباب نیاز سٹیڈیم), formerly known as Shahi Bagh Stadium ( ur, شاہی باغ سٹیڈیم), is a cricket stadium in Peshawar, Pakistan and home ground of Peshawar Zalmi. It is owned by Khyber Pakhtunkh ...
,
Peshawar
Peshawar (; ps, پېښور ; hnd, ; ; ur, ) is the sixth most populous city in Pakistan, with a population of over 2.3 million. It is situated in the north-west of the country, close to the International border with Afghanistan. It is ...
, as a fifth venue in this edition of the PSL. However, delays in the stadium's construction made it difficult to host the tournament's matches. The PCB planned to hold a few matches in
Faisalabad
Faisalabad (; Punjabi/ ur, , ; ), formerly known as Lyallpur ( Punjabi, Urdu: لائل پور), named after the founder of the city, but was renamed in 1977 in honour of late King Faisal of Saudi Arabia. It is the 3rd largest city of Pak ...
and
Hyderabad
Hyderabad ( ; , ) is the capital and largest city of the Indian state of Telangana and the ''de jure'' capital of Andhra Pradesh. It occupies on the Deccan Plateau along the banks of the Musi River (India), Musi River, in the northern part ...
, as well. In addition, the
Hayatabad Stadium was announced as a possible venue for some matches. In September 2020, the PCB confirmed that both the Arbab Niaz Stadium in Peshawar and
Bugti Stadium
The Bugti Stadium, formerly known as the Racecourse Ground, is a cricket ground in Quetta, Pakistan, owned by the Pakistan Cricket Board.
History
The first recorded match on the ground was on 29 October 1954. Until 1989, the Bugti Stadium ...
in Quetta, could not host this season's matches. However, it was later decided that the tournament would be held only at Karachi and Lahore. After the tournament was moved to the UAE, the remaining matches took place at the
Sheikh Zayed Cricket Stadium
The Sheikh Zayed Cricket Stadium ( ar, ملعب زايد للكريكت) is a cricket ground located in Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates. The stadium cost $23 million to build and was opened in May 2004, with its inaugural first-class match bein ...
.
The stadiums were initially allowed to hold only 20% capacity per match; 7,500 in Karachi and 5,500 in Lahore; in view of COVID-19 pandemic in Pakistan. Tickets were available only online via Pakistan's online ticketing platform Bookme.pk, from 11 February.
Match officials
Umpires
*
Faisal Afridi
*
Aleem Dar
Aleem Dar PP ( Punjabi, ur, ; born 6 June 1968) is a Pakistani cricket umpire and former cricketer. He is a member of the Elite Panel of ICC Umpires. He won the David Shepherd Trophy three years in a row from 2009 to 2011, after being nomina ...
*
Michael Gough
Francis Michael Gough ( ; 23 November 1916 – 17 March 2011) was a British character actor who made more than 150 film and television appearances. He is known for his roles in the Hammer Horror Films from 1958, with his first role as Sir Arthu ...
*
Zameer Haider
Zameer Haider ( ur, ضميرحيدر; born 30 September 1962, Lahore) is a Pakistani former international cricket umpire, belonging to Pakistan. He also played First-class cricket during the 1980s. Occasionally wicket-keeper, Haider was a right-h ...
*
Richard Illingworth
Richard Keith Illingworth (born 23 August 1963) is an English former cricketer, who is currently an umpire. The bulk of his domestic cricketing career occurred with Worcestershire, although he had a spell with Derbyshire, and overseas with Nata ...
* Imran Javed
*
Ahsan Raza
Ahsan Raza (born 29 May 1974 in Lahore, Pakistan) is a Pakistani cricket umpire and former cricketer. In November 2020, in the second Twenty20 International (T20I) between Pakistan and Zimbabwe, he stood in his 50th T20I match as an on-field um ...
*
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
Rashid Riaz (born 27 February 1976) is a Pakistani cricket umpire and former first-class cricketer. He is now an umpire and has stood in matches in the 2015–16 Quaid-e-Azam Trophy. He stood in his first Twenty20 International (T20I) match betwe ...
*
Asif Yaqoob
Asif Yaqoob (born 11 November 1973) is a Pakistani cricket umpire. He has officiated in Pakistan Super League. He stood in his first Twenty20 International (T20I) match, between Pakistan and Australia on 26 October 2018. He stood in his first ...
Referees
* Iftikhar Ahmed
* Mohammed Anees
*
Muhammad Javed
*
Roshan Mahanama
Deshabandu Roshan Siriwardene Mahanama ( si, රොෂාන් මහානාම; born 31 May 1966) is a former Sri Lankan cricketer and a former ICC match referee. He was a key member for 1996 Cricket World Cup winning team for Sri Lanka. ...
*
Ali Naqvi
Promotion in the media
Anthems
The league was promoted on social media with the hashtags #MatchDikhao, #HBLPSL6 and the hashtag of the official anthem #GrooveMera by
Naseebo Lal
''Nasibo'' (also spelled as ''Naseebo'') is a 1994 Indian Punjabi-language film, directed by Manmohan Singh, starring Raj Babbar, Kavita Kamal (Kimi Verma), Preeti Sapru, Amitoj Maan and others. Gurdas Maan gave a special appearance.
Plot
...
,
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 Ne ...
and Young Stunners.
For the first time, five more tracks were released on the cricket album called ''HBL PSL Taranay''.
Opening ceremony
The ceremony was telecast as a virtual opening programme after being recorded in
Istanbul
Istanbul ( , ; tr, İstanbul ), formerly known as Constantinople ( grc-gre, Κωνσταντινούπολις; la, Constantinopolis), is the List of largest cities and towns in Turkey, largest city in Turkey, serving as the country's economic, ...
,
Turkey
Turkey ( tr, Türkiye ), officially the Republic of Türkiye ( tr, Türkiye Cumhuriyeti, links=no ), is a list of transcontinental countries, transcontinental country located mainly on the Anatolia, Anatolian Peninsula in Western Asia, with ...
, instead of having a live ceremony at the stadium because of the pandemic. The artists' line up included
Atif Aslam
Atif Aslam is a Pakistani playback singer, songwriter, composer, and actor. He has recorded many songs in both Pakistan and India, and is known for his vocal belting technique.
Aslam predominantly sings in Urdu, but has also sung in Hindi, ...
and the performers of the official anthem.
COVID-19 pandemic impact
The day before the tournament was due to start,
Wahab Riaz
Wahab Riaz (Urdu, pa, ; born 28 June 1985) is a Pakistani cricketer. He is a left-arm fast bowler and a right-handed batsman. He frequently bowls at speeds of around 90 mph (144.8 km/h) and has reached . His all round performance i ...
and
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 Bangla ...
, both of Peshawar Zalmi, were put in isolation after they met with team owner
Javed Afridi
Muhammad Javed Afridi (Urdu, ps, محمد جاويد افريدی ; born 14 August 1985) is a Pakistani business executive and entrepreneur.
Business Interests
He is best known as the CEO of Haier Pakistan and owner of MG Motors Pakistan. ...
, who was not part of the bubble. However, after they both received results of a negative COVID test, they were allowed to rejoin the side.
On 1 March,
Fawad Ahmed
Fawad Ahmed ( ps, ; born 5 February 1982) is a Pakistan-born Australian cricketer. He was granted Australian citizenship in July 2013. In August and September 2013, he played for the Australian cricket team in both a T20I and an ODI series aga ...
of Islamabad United was reported to have tested positive for COVID-19, which led to the postponement of their match against Quetta Gladiators by one day.
On 4 March, it was reported that three more players had tested positive, including
Tom Banton
Thomas Banton (born 11 November 1998) is an English cricketer. He made his international debut for the England cricket team in November 2019.
Domestic and franchise career
Banton made his Twenty20 cricket debut for Somerset in the 2017 NatWest ...
and a support staff member.
Later that day, it was announced that the tournament had been suspended after seven new cases were reported.
Dr Sohail Saleem, Head of the Medical Panel, submitted his resignation to chairman Ehsan Mani following increasing criticism over the abrupt postponement of the tournament.
After the postponement, the PCB formed a two-member fact-finding committee to investigate the causes behind the bio-secure bubble breaches.
The PCB announced on 11 March that they were looking to reschedule the remaining fixtures for June 2021. A week later, they proposed the tournament would either start on either 2 or 6 June, finishing on 20 June with all matches to take place in Karachi.
On 11 April, the PCB announced the tournament's revised schedule with the competition due to restart on 1 June. On 4 May 2021, all the teams asked the PCB to move the remaining matches to the UAE because of an increase of COVID-19 in Pakistan.
The Emirates Cricket Board (ECB) gave green light to the Pakistan Cricket Board for holding the remaining matches of the PSL 2021 in Abu Dhabi on 18 May. However, it was also reported that the Abu Dhabi government put forward a condition that all the participants needed to be vaccinated against COVID-19. Following this, the PCB and the team owners held a virtual meeting on 19 May to review all potential scenarios and unanimously agreed to wait until the close of business on 20 May (UAE time) regarding clarifications on certain requested exemptions before a final decision on the hosting of the remaining matches was made. In May 2021, the Pakistan Super League finally secured all exemptions and approvals required to conduct the remainder of the 2021 season in Abu Dhabi.
Another bubble breach took place after the resumption of the tournament, this time the day before the final.
Haider Ali and
Umaid Asif, both of Peshawar Zalmi, admitted that they had met people from outside their bubble and were suspended from competing in the final.
League stage
Format
Points table
Summary
League progression
Fixtures
The PCB confirmed the fixtures for the tournament on 8 January 2021. The tournament was initially scheduled to take place in February and March.
Pakistan
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United Arab Emirates
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Summary
Week 1
In the opening game of PSL 2021, the Karachi Kings beat the Quetta Gladiators by 7 wickets. For Karachi,
Joe Clarke scored 46 off 23 to help register their first win of the season. While in game two, Rashid Khan made his debut for the Lahore Qalandars, helping them to a 4 wicket win over Peshawar Zalmi. In game three,
Lewis Gregory
Lewis Gregory (born 24 May 1992) is an English cricketer who plays for Somerset County Cricket Club. A right-handed batsman and right-arm Seam bowling, seam bowler, Gregory made his senior cricket debut in 2010, representing Somerset against th ...
proved his worth to Islamabad United against the Multan Sultans. He scored 49 runs off 31 balls to give his team a 3 wicket win. The next day, Lahore were looking to continue their winning start against Quetta. They did this with half centuries from
Mohammad Hafeez
Mohammad Hafeez ( Punjabi and ur, ; born 17 October 1980) is a former Pakistani international cricketer. Hafeez was a versatile batsman who could bat anywhere in the top 6 and formed part of the bowling attack. He played as a spin bowling a ...
and
Fakhar Zaman propelling them to a 9 wicket win.
Tom Kohler-Cadmore
Tom Kohler-Cadmore (born 19 August 1994) is an English professional cricketer who plays for Yorkshire. He is a right-handed batsman who also bowls right-arm off spin.
Biography
Having come through the Yorkshire age-group system, Kohler-Cadmore ...
helped himself to 53 to register Peshawar's first win of the season against Multan.
James Vince
James Michael Vince (born 14 March 1991) is an English cricketer who is the captain for Hampshire County Cricket Club and plays for the England cricket team. Vince was part of the England squad that won the 2019 Cricket World Cup. He is a right ...
earlier scored 84 to propel Multan to 194, but Cadmore and
Imam-ul-Haq
Imam-ul-Haq ( ur, ; born 22 December 1995) is a Pakistani international cricketer. On his One Day International (ODI) debut against Sri Lanka, he became the second batsman for Pakistan, and thirteenth overall, to score a century on debut. In A ...
, who scored 48, gave Zalmi a 6 wicket win. In game six,
Sharjeel Khan
Sharjeel Khan ( ur, شرجیل خان; born 14 August 1989)
cricinfo. Retrieved 28 November 2010 is a Paki ...
's 105 was not enough as Islamabad successfully chased down 197 to beat Karachi by 5 wickets.
The next day, Multan got their first win of the season. Their captain Mohammad Rizwan led from the front scoring 76 to give Multan a 7 wicket win. On the same day, Peshawar chased down over 190 for the second time in a row to beat Quetta by 3 wickets.
Week 2
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 ...
excelled in game nine, leading Karachi to a 7 wicket win over Multan. On the same day, Wahab Riaz took 4/17 to lead Peshawar to a 6 wicket win over Islamabad.
In game 11, Lahore beat Karachi by 6 wickets despite Sharjeel Khan scoring 64. Islamabad United chased down 156 with 3 overs to spare in game twelve. This was largely down to
Paul Stirling
Paul Robert Stirling (born 3 September 1990) is an Irish cricketer. Stirling is the opening batsman for the Ireland cricket team and an occasional right arm off break bowler. He is one of the top 10 run scorers in T20 internationals. He was one ...
, who scored a half-century in the 6 wicket win. Babar Azam's 77 helped Karachi to a 6 wicket win over Peshawar in game 13. He was helped by
Mohammad Nabi
Mohammad Nabi Eisakhil ( ps, ; born 1 January 1985) is an Afghan cricketer and former captain of the Afghanistan national cricket team. Nabi is an attacking batting all-rounder, playing as a right-handed batsman and off b ...
, who also scored a half-century to take them back to the top of the table. The last game before the tournament was suspended featured Quetta getting their first win of the season against Multan by 22 runs. This was the first time in the competition the team batting first won.
Week 3
The first game after the tournament resumed was between Islamabad and Lahore. James Faulkner took 3/32 on his debut to help Lahore to a 5 wicket win. Babar Azam's unbeaten 85 was in vain in game 16, as Multan beat Karachi by 12 runs. On the same day, Rashid Khan took 5 wickets in the match, as Lahore beat Peshawar by 10 runs. Islamabad's openers recorded the highest ever powerplay score in the PSL in game 18, they scored 97/0 as they helped United to a 10 wicket win over Quetta.
David Miller kept Peshawar in contention for a playoff place in game 19. He scored 73 as Peshawar defeated Quetta by 61 runs. In game 20,
Asif Ali counterattacked Lahore, giving Islamabad a 28 run win. Islamabad were 20-5 before Ali's innings of 75, which allowed them to post 152. Mohammad Rizwan led from the front in game 21, he scored an unbeaten 82 as Multan beat Peshawar by 8 wickets. In game 22, Colin Munro scored 88 to help Islamabad to an 8 wicket win over Karachi.
Week 4
![2018](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/e/ef/2018.01.05.17.43.25-Usman_Khawaja_%26_Steve_Smith_%2838876757994%29_%28Khawaja_cropped%29.jpg)
Quetta Gladiators got a rare win in game 23, as
Khurram Shazad took 3 wickets in an 18 run victory against Lahore.
Hazratullah Zazai
Hazratullah Zazai ( ps, حضرت الله ځاځی; born 23 March 1998) is an Afghan cricketer. He made his international debut for the Afghanistan cricket team in December 2016. In February 2019, he scored the highest individual score by an Afg ...
scored the joint fastest half-century in game 24, after Peshawar's bowlers restricted Karachi to 108 before Zalmi chased it down with 6 wickets to spare. Quetta were eliminated in game 25 at the hands of Multan. Quetta were bowled out for 73 which gave the Sultans a 110 run win. Records were broken in game 26, as an
Usman Khawaja
Usman Tariq Khawaja ( ur, ; born 18 December 1986) is an Australian cricketer who represents Australia and Queensland. Khawaja made his first-class cricket debut for New South Wales in 2008 and played his first international match for Australi ...
century propelled Islamabad to 247, the highest ever PSL score. In response, Peshawar scored 236 in the highest scoring PSL game ever.
On the same day, in the second
Karachi-Lahore derby of the season, the Kings beat the Qalandars by 7 runs to keep their playoff hopes alive. Lahore were in action the next day in game 28 losing by 80 runs to Multan, who, as a result, qualified for the playoffs; this was largely down to
Shahnawaz Dahani
Shahnawaz Dahani (, ur, شاہنواز دہانی; born 5 August 1998) is a Pakistani cricketer who made his international debut for the Pakistan national cricket team in November 2021. He made his Twenty20 debut on 23 February 2021 in the 2021, ...
, who took 4/5. Karachi needed a win in game 29 to qualify for the playoffs and knock out Lahore. They did this as a result of
Danish Aziz
Danish Aziz (born 20 November 1995) is a Pakistani cricketer. He made his international debut for the Pakistan cricket team in April 2021.
Early life
Born in Karachi into a Memon family, his father and siblings supported his interest in cricke ...
's innings of 45 off 13, which enabled them to beat Quetta by 14 runs. Both teams were through in the last game of the group stage as Islamabad beat Multan by 4 wickets.
Playoffs
Qualifier
Multan won the toss in the Qualifier and chose to bat.
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. ...
top scored for the Sultans, making 59 from 41; Maqsood was well-supported by
Johnson Charles
Johnson Charles (born 14 January 1989) is a St Lucian international cricketer who plays for the West Indies. As a wicketkeeper-batsman, Charles started his ODI career against Australia in March 2012. His first T20I came against England in Septemb ...
, who made 41.
Khushdil Shah
Khushdil Shah (Urdu, ps, خوشدل شاہ; born 7 February 1995) is a Pakistani International cricketer who played for Federally Administered Tribal Areas. He played for Multan Sultan in the Pakistan Super League. He made his international deb ...
also supported Maqsood with an unbeaten 42, as Multan finished on 180/5. The pick of the bowlers for Islamabad was
Shadab Khan
Shadab Khan (Urdu, Punjabi: شاداب خان) is a Pakistani international cricketer who plays for and vice-captains the Pakistan cricket team in limited overs cricket. He captains Islamabad United in the Pakistan Super League (PSL), and Nort ...
, who took 2/5 from 4 overs. In response for Islamabad, Usman Khawaja scored 70 off 40 as no other United batsman got past 30. Islamabad were all out for 149, giving Multan a 31 run win. For Multan, the pick of the bowlers was
Sohail Tanvir
Sohail Tanvir ( ur, ; born 12 December 1984) is a Pakistani cricketer, who has gained considerable international repute for his unorthodox left arm bowling action and particularly for the success it has gained him in the Twenty20 format of the ...
, who took 3 wickets to send Multan into their first ever PSL final.
Eliminator
Eliminator 1
Peshawar won the toss in Eliminator 1 and chose to field. Karachi got off to a good start with Babar Azam making 53 before being dismissed. In the middle order Danish Aziz,
Chadwick Walton
Chadwick Antonio Kirkpatrick Walton (born 3 July 1985) is a West Indies cricketer from Jamaica. Nicknamed Rope, Walton is a right-hand batsman and wicket keeper who played a series of first class cricket matches for Combined Campuses and Colleg ...
and
Imad Wasim
Syed Imad Wasim Haider (in Punjabi and ur, ; born 18 December 1988), commonly known as Imad Wasim, is a Pakistani international cricketer. He is a left-handed all-rounder.
In August 2018, he was one of thirty-three players to be awarded a cen ...
came and went for Karachi, with none of them scoring more than 20. One player who did get going in the middle order was
Thisara Perera
Narangoda Liyanaarachchige Thisara Chirantha Perera ( si, තිසර පෙරේරා; born 3 April 1989), popularly as Thisara Perera, is a former Sri Lankan international cricketer who played all formats for the national team. He also capt ...
; he scored 37 off 18 to take the Kings to 175/7 from their 20 overs. The pick of the bowlers for Peshawar was
Mohammad Irfan
Mohammad Irfan ( Punjabi, ur, ) (born 6 June 1982) is a Pakistani cricketer who has represented Pakistan in Test, ODI and T20 cricket. Known for his height of 7'1" (216 cm), he is the tallest player to play first-class and internatio ...
, who took 2/21 from his 4 overs. In response for the Zalmi, Hazratullah Zazai, scored 77 off 38 to anchor Peshawar's chase. While at 4 was Shoaib Malik, who scored 30 to further reduce the target for Peshawar. In the end, after a final over, which contained two dropped catches,
Sherfane Rutherford's 17 helped to give Peshawar a 5 wicket win. For Karachi, the pick of the bowlers was Thisara Perera, who took 2/10 from his 2 overs. The result meant Peshawar were through to the second Eliminator, where they would face Islamabad United.
Eliminator 2
Peshawar won the toss and chose to field in Eliminator 2. Opening for United was Colin Munro, who made 44. With Islamabad 110-8 it looked like they would be all out, however a cameo from
Hasan Ali who scored 45 off 16 propelled them to 174. He was well supported by
Mohammad Wasim who made an unbeaten 17. For much of Islamabad's innings, Peshawar were fielding with 10 fielders after Mohammad Irfan went off injured and was not allowed a replacement. The pick of the bowlers for the Zalmi was Wahab Riaz, who took 2/35. In Peshawar's response, Hazratullah Zazai, who scored 66 off 44, and
Jonathan Wells, who scored 55 off 43, anchored Peshawar's innings bringing them closer to the target.
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 ...
applied the finishing touches for the Zalmi, scoring 32 off 10 as Peshawar wrapped up an 8 wicket win. For Islamabad the pick of the bowlers was Mohammad Wasim, who took 1/32 from his 3 overs. The result meant Peshawar were through to the final, their fourth overall.
Final
![RILEE ROSSOUW (15706681502)](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/1/16/RILEE_ROSSOUW_%2815706681502%29.jpg)
Peshawar won the toss and chose to bowl in the final. Shan Masood and Mohammad Rizwan opened the innings for the Sultans. Shan was dismissed first for 37 by
Mohammad Imran. At the other end, Multan's captain, Mohammad Rizwan, was caught behind for 30 as Mohammad Imran claimed a second wicket. Afterwards, came Sohaib Maqsood, who made an unbeaten 65. This later won Maqsood the player of the match award. Rilee Rossouw followed Maqsood and made 50 in 20 balls, before he top edged a ramp to Mohammad Irfan as
Sameen Gul
Sameen Gul Afridi (born 4 February 1999) is a Pakistani cricketer who plays for United Bank Limited. He made his first-class debut on 30 November 2015 in the 2015–16 Quaid-e-Azam Trophy. In December 2015 he was named in Pakistan's squad for t ...
claimed his first wicket of the match. The third wicket partnership between Maqsood and Rossouw was worth 98. Things got better for Sameen as he got out Johnson Charles Leg before wicket (
LBW) for a golden duck. While at six was Khushdil Shah, who scored an unbeaten 15 off 5 balls to increase Multan's score. In the end, Multan finished on 206/4; the pick of the bowlers for Peshawar was Sameen Gul, who finished with figures of 2/26. In response, Hazratullah Zazai was first to score 6 for Peshawar before being caught at point by Shan Masood. Zazai was soon followed by Kamran Akmal, as he was bowled by
Imran Khan
Imran Ahmed Khan Niazi ( ur}; born 5 October 1952) is a Pakistani politician and former Cricket captain who served as the 22nd Prime Minister of Pakistan from August 2018 to until April 2022, when he was ousted through a no-confidenc ...
for 36. Jonathan Wells was next, and he was run out for 6. Some stability was provided by Shoaib Malik and
Rovman Powell
Rovman Powell (born 23 July 1993) is a Jamaican cricketer who plays for the West Indies cricket team and current vice-captain in Limited overs cricket. In December 2018, he captained the West Indies for the first time in a One Day International ...
, when Powell was caught behind for 23, Peshawar were 124/4. Malik was then caught out for 48 off 28 by
Imran Tahir
Mohammad Imran Tahir ( pa, ; born 27 March 1979) is a South African former international cricketer. A spin bowler who predominantly bowls googlies and a right-handed batsman, Tahir played for South Africa in all three forms of cricket, but p ...
. Tahir then took a wicket himself as Sherfane Rutherford was dismissed for 18. Afterwards, Tahir claimed two more wickets as both Wahab Riaz and Mohammed Imran were bowled by him for golden ducks. Next to go was
Amad Butt
Amad Butt (born 10 May 1995) is a cricketer from Punjab, Pakistan.
Domestic career
He was the leading wicket-taker for Habib Bank Limited in the 2017–18 Quaid-e-Azam Trophy, with 39 dismissals in eight matches.
In April 2018, he was named i ...
, as he was caught by Mohammad Rizwan for 7. In the end, Peshawar finished on 159/9, which resulted in a 47 run victory for Multan, making them the champions of PSL 6.
Awards and statistics
The player of the tournament was Sohaib Maqsood of Multan Sultans.
His captain, Mohammad Rizwan, won the
Imtiaz Ahmed award for the best wicket-keeper, while Iftikhar Ahmed won the award for the best fielder.
Shahnawaz Dahani
Shahnawaz Dahani (, ur, شاہنواز دہانی; born 5 August 1998) is a Pakistani cricketer who made his international debut for the Pakistan national cricket team in November 2021. He made his Twenty20 debut on 23 February 2021 in the 2021, ...
of Multan took 20 wickets at an average of 17.00 to be the leading wicket-taker ahead of Wahab Riaz of Peshawar Zalmi with 18 wickets and win the
Fazal Mahmood
Fazal Mahmood PP, HI (18 February 1927 – 30 May 2005) was a Pakistani international cricketer. He played in 34 Test matches and took 139 wickets at a bowling average of 24.70. The first Pakistani to pass 100 wickets, he reached the landm ...
award.
The winner of the
Hanif Mohammad
Hanif Mohammad PP ( ur, , 21 December 1934 – 11 August 2016) was a Pakistani cricketer.
He played for the Pakistani cricket team in 55 Test matches between the 1952–53 season and the 1969–70 season. He averaged 43.98 scoring twelve ...
award for the leading run scorer was Babar Azam who scored 554 runs.
Most runs
*
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 ...
of
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, P ...
received the Green Cap.
Most wickets
*Shahnawaz Dahani of
Multan Sultans
Multan Sultans (Urdu: ) is a Pakistani professional Twenty20 franchise cricket team representing the city of Multan in southern Pakistan in the Pakistan Super League (PSL). The team was founded in 2017 as an additional sixth team added to the P ...
received the Maroon Cap.
References
External links
*
Series homeat
ESPNcricinfo
ESPN cricinfo (formerly known as Cricinfo or CricInfo) is a sports news website exclusively for the game of cricket. The site features news, articles, live coverage of cricket matches (including liveblogs and scorecards), and ''StatsGuru'', a ...
{{DEFAULTSORT:Pakistan Super League
Pakistn Super League, 2021