Hyderabad Kingsmen reached the PSL 11 final after Hunain Shah defended six runs in the last over, beating Islamabad United by two runs at the Gaddafi Stadium in Lahore.
The three times champions united needed six off the last over to win the PSL 11 eliminator, but Hunain Shah conceded only three, ending their campaign on 184 for seven.
The newly added franchise had posted 186 for five in their twenty overs, powered by a stunning 61 off 30 balls from wicketkeeper-batter Usman Khan at the top of the order.
The final over that cricket will not forget
The Shadab Khan-led side was just six runs away from reaching the final in the last over, with Chris Green and Faheem Ashraf at the crease and all the momentum firmly behind the batting side.
Hunain Shah, bowling with only four fielders outside the ring due to an over-rate penalty, delivered six near-perfect yorkers to seal the most dramatic of victories in the history of PSL.
| Ball | Outcome | Description |
|---|---|---|
| 19.1 | Dot | Full outside off, Green drives back to bowler |
| 19.2 | 1 run | Green drives to long-on — one run |
| 19.3 | Dot | Yorker outside off, Faheem Ashraf misses square drive |
| 19.4 | Wicket | Faheem Ashraf caught at long-off by Hassan Khan — 19 (11) |
| 19.5 | 1 run | Imad Wasim square-drives to backward point — one run |
| 19.6 | 1 leg bye | Green misses hoick, ball rolls to backward square |
All-rounder Faheem Ashraf, who had struck a six and accumulated 19 off 11 balls, was caught at long-off by Hassan Khan off a full delivery from Hunain Shah.
The penultimate over, bowled by fast bowler Mohammad Ali, had conceded 22 runs, leaving Islamabad needing only six off the last six deliveries to reach the PSL 11 final.
Where this over stands in PSL history
Only twice before in PSL history has a bowler successfully defended five runs in the final over, placing Hunain Shah’s six-run defence among the tournament’s rarest moments.
| Bowler | Runs Defended | Match Type |
|---|---|---|
| Mohammad Sami | 5 | Group match |
| Usman Shinwari | 5 | Group match |
| Hunain Shah | 6* | Eliminator |
The right-arm fast bowler took one wicket and conceded three runs in the over, which came in an eliminator match, giving his performance additional weight in the historical record.
Hunain Shah finished the match with figures of four overs for 37 runs and two wickets, earning the Player of the Match award at Gaddafi Stadium in Lahore.
Hyderabad’s Usman Khan sets the platform
Usman Khan scored 61 off 30 balls to rescue Hyderabad Kingsmen from 85 for four in the twelfth over, forming a 101-run stand with Kusal Perera off just fifty deliveries.
Perera contributed 37 off 21 balls before falling to Faheem Ashraf in the final over of the Hyderabad innings, as the side posted 186 for five in all.
Captain Marnus Labuschagne made 39 off 32 before Imad Wasim dismissed both Labuschagne and Glenn Maxwell in quick succession in the eleventh over, threatening Hyderabad’s middle-order stability.
Saim Ayub provided a brisk 38 off 27 at the top of the order, hitting seven fours, before Chris Green removed him at long-on in the ninth over.
Islamabad’s chase falls two runs short
Devon Conway top-scored for Islamabad with 30 off 25 before falling leg-before to Saim Ayub in the eighth over, reversing the momentum that had built during the powerplay.
Shadab Khan made 22 off 24 and was caught at deep mid-wicket in the tenth over off Hassan Khan, leaving Islamabad at 68 for three at the halfway stage.
Mark Chapman hit 43 off 26 balls with five fours and two sixes but was caught at backward point by Kusal Perera off Hunain Shah in the eighteenth over.
Faheem Ashraf and Chris Green then put on a match-turning stand, with 22 runs coming off the nineteenth over bowled by Mohammad Ali, bringing six off one over.
