Pakistan Super League final: Islamabad United defeats Multan Sultans in final game to win third title

• By Callum Matthews
• ` Sport

March 18, 2024, 8:05 p.m. GMT

Updated 10 minutes ago

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Usman Khan hit two half-centuries and two centuries in seven innings for Multan Sultans

Pakistan Super League Final, Karachi

Multan Sultans 159-9 (20 overs): Usman 57 (40); Imad 5-23, Shadab 3-32

Islamabad United 163-8 (20 overs): Guptill 50 (32), Azam 30 (22)

Islamabad United won by two wickets

Islamabad United defeated Multan Sultans in a last-ball thriller to win the Pakistan Super League and become the first team to win three titles.

Martin Guptill, chasing 160, scored 50 to put Islamabad under control but he was dismissed to give hope to Multan in Karachi.

Islamabad needed eight off the last over and Naseem Shah hit a four to go three off four balls.

Naseem was eliminated on the penultimate ball, leaving his brother Hunain to score the winner.

Multan scored 159-9 with Usman Khan scoring 57 and spinner Imad Wasim taking 5-23.

With their third title, Islamabad is one ahead of Lahore Qalandars, while Multan have now lost three finals in a row since their only triumph in 2021.

Former England World Cup-winning spinner Alex Hartley was part of Multan's coaching team alongside former Ireland international Cath Dalton.

Islamabad has the courage to make history

Islamabad, whose last title was won in 2018, were excellent in the field and restricted a Multan batting side that topped the group stage.

They thought they had Multan captain and Pakistan star Muhammad Rizwan in the first over but he survived due to a no-ball call.

However, at the other end, Imad scored twice and that meant Multan had to build patiently through Rizwan and Usman.

Shadab Khan, Islamabad's captain and leg-spinner, removed Rizwan before he and Imad put Multan under pressure to restrict them to 127-9.

Iftikhar Ahmed smashed an unbeaten 32 off 20 balls, taking Multan to a respectable tally and giving them hope.

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Martin Guptill scored 140 runs in three knockout matches for Islamabad United

Islamabad slipped to 55-3 and the required run rate rose but Guptill and Azam Khan did their best to put their side in control.

The confusion between the two led to Guptill, who scored his second half-century in three innings, being run out, allowing Multan to build pressure.

Three wickets followed in successive overs, leaving Islamabad needing 31 wickets in the final three overs.

Naseem hit Iftikhar for two boundaries and Imad took Chris Jordan for two more to put Islamabad within touching distance.

Another boundary off the second ball of the final over from Naseem brought Islamabad closer, but there was another twist when the young man was caught behind trying to pull Mohammad Ali.

That left Hunain needing a single off the last ball and he pushed himself to the point boundary to trigger jubilant scenes from the men in red.

This means Islamabad won five games in a row to end their season and clinch their third title.

Multan have now lost consecutive non-finals after a one-run loss to Lahore in 2023.