Multan Sultans won the first PSL title

Explosive half-centuries from Sohaib Maqsood (65) and Riley Rossouw (50) and superb leg spin bowling from Imran Tahir (3/33) helped Multan Sultans beat Peshawar Zalmi by 47 runs in the final of the PSL (Pakistan Super League). Won the first PSL trophy.

Multan Sultans put up a brilliant all-round performance in the final. Batting first, the team made a huge total of 204 runs for four wickets in 20 overs. In reply, Peshawar Zalmi’s team, chasing the target, could only manage 159 runs for nine wickets in 20 overs.

Both Multan Sultans openers Mohammad Rizwan and Shan Masood gave the team a strong start with a crucial partnership of 68 runs off 52 balls for the first wicket, which was later taken advantage of by Sohaib Maqsood and Riley Rossouw. Maqsood and Rossouw carried on the innings fearlessly after the first wicket fell in Masood on 68 and the second wicket as Rizwan on 83. Both shared a partnership of more than 100 runs and helped the team to reach the score of 200. While Maqsood scored 65 runs off 35 balls with the help of six fours and three sixes, Rossouw scored a half-century off 21 balls with the help of five fours and three sixes.

Along with the batting of both the teams, there was a difference of sky in the bowling as well. Only Samin Gul and Mohammad Imran were successful in the bowling for Peshawar Zalmi. Both took two wickets each, while all other bowlers were successful from Multan Sultans except Shahnawaz Dhani. Imran Tahir took three wickets, Imran Khan and Blessing Mujarbani took two and Sohail Tanwari took one wicket.

Shoaib Malik scored 48 runs for Peshawar Zalmi. He hit three fours and three sixes in his explosive innings of 48 off 28 balls. Apart from him, wicketkeeper Kamran Akmal scored 36, Rovman Powell scored 23 and Sherfane Rutherford scored 18 runs. Sohaib Maqsood was adjudged Player of the Match and Player of the Tournament respectively for scoring 65 runs in the match and scoring 428 runs in the tournament.