A thrilling finish.

IT was a Pakistan Super League final that had everything: thrills and spills, enthralling drama and a tantalisingly close finish. A game that went to the wire was won by a solitary run by Lahore Qalandars who created history by becoming the first repeat champions of the glitzy T20 tournament. Their skipper, Shaheen Shah Afridi, shone with bat and ball, before running out Khushdil Shah on the last ball of the contest. Shaheen and the Qalandars fulfilled their mission of successfully defending their crown, overcoming the Sultans in the final for the second year running. They were the best team once again; winning seven out of 10 matches in the league stage to finish on top. Second-placed Sultans, the 2021 champions, recorded a crushing win in the qualifier but the Qalandars bounced back to win the second eliminator against Peshawar Zalmi and book their spot in the final. The Sultans seemed in control until the last five overs of each innings, with Shaheen tilting the game in his side's favour. He first smashed a quick-fire 44 and then took three wickets in the 18th over. Back came the Sultans, though, fighting till the end and losing by the narrowest of margins, just like the opening game of the season against the Qalandars.

The season opened with PCB's interim...