Islamabad United lift HBL PSL 9

KARACHI:

Islamabad United held their nerves to defeat in-form Multan Sultans by two wickets in a last-ball thriller to win the HBL PSL 9 for a third time at the National Bank Stadium in Karachi in the wee hours of Tuesday.

It was Multan Sultans’ third finals defeat on the trot. They posted a subpar total of 159/9. The Islamabad United finished the match with 160 -- thanks to Imad Wasim’s composed knock at the death that helped carry the team to victory on the very last ball.

Earlier, Imad Wasim took five for 23 to prevent Multan Sultans from a relatively big score. The all-rounder is the first player to claim a five-wicket haul in a PSL final. Usman scored 57 off 40 and Iftikhar showed his brilliance with undefeated 32 off 20 balls.

While chasing, Guptil hit 50 off 32 and Azam made 30 off 22 for Islamabad United. Khushdil took 2/21. With this triumph, United secured their third PSL title, after victories in 2016 and 2018. Their consistent success established them as the most accomplished team in the tournament's history.

The Islamabad United players waved the Palestine flags after winning the finals. The players did a victory lap around the ground with flags on their back in order to show solidarity with Palestine.