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And so, that is that. A long, manic tournament and the curtains come down on the Pakistan Super League 2023. It was quite a spectacle with entertainment aplenty leaving us gobsmacked with the limits of T20 cricket tested to the hilt. We need to catch a breather now to absorb it all but it was a sheer pleasure bringing the coverage of this tournament and the final to you here on Sportskeeda. On behalf of the entire team here, we thank you so much for joining us all the way through. Plenty of cricket lined up though in the coming days so do remember to return to this very platform for our coverage of the same. For the moment though, this is the duo of Bala and Sooryanarayanan taking your leave. Have a happy Sunday and we'll see you around soon. Good night and take care!
Shaheen goes up to receive the trophy with his Qalandars teammates and support staff in the background. He holds it aloft as the entire team roars in delight. Lahore Qalandars have gone back-to-back - the first team to do so in PSL history. And under the most dramatic circumstances as well! They continue to roar in delight and ecstasy. This is only getting started though - these celebrations will go long and hard into the night.
And here's the victorious skipper Shaheen Shah Afridi: First of all, thanks to the Almighty. Credit to Aaqib bhai, Sameen bhai and Atif bhai. It's their hard work. We tried to keep the whole team together like a family. It was quite tough initially - they had momentum first before it swung in our favor. We tried our best to execute our plans and we did it. Aggression comes to me naturally as a fast-bowler. As a batter, I felt I had to go up and sustain the momentum for our side. This final is for all those Pakistanis who get happiness from the tournament. Thank you to all the forces in Lahore and everyone who has supported us.
And now it's time for the champions to collect their medals - one after another, the players and support staff from the Lahore Qalandars walk up to the dais to receive their medals. The best team in the league phase and they've become the first team to defend their PSL crown successfully. They had to play three matches in the space of four days to win the whole thing thereafter but they've managed to hold their nerve and create a legacy of some kind! Skipper Shaheen Shah Afridi collects the cheque. He'll just wait a bit before taking the trophy too.
Mohammad Rizwan (captain, Multan Sultans): When its final, there will be that pressure. But with the way the ball was coming on to the bat, we thought we can chase it down. At the end, it did not come off. Otherwise, we could have had that trophy. It's a difficult tournament, every team is strong. Our players have been exceptional and our management has supported us well, credit to all of them. The fast bowlers were all exceptional throughout the tournament. It all made a difference for us. We have all the individual awards, but we would have traded all of that for the trophy. Qalandars deserve the trophy with the way the played.
Mohammad Rizwan comes up to receive the runners-up cheque and trophy on behalf of the Multan Sultans. So close, yet so far again but what a campaign they've had. Plenty to be proud about!
Ihsanullah is back on stage for the biggie - he is declared the Player of the Tournament for his 22 scalps throughout the competition.Let's hear what he has to say: (On becoming the first bowler to win the award). Thanks to the Almighty. I have gained a lot of experience from this tournament. The overseas players, Rizwan bhai, all the senior players have supported me. I want to dedicate this award to my father. He has supported me a lot.
Rizwan keeps collecting awards. He takes the best batter of the tournament award home.
Watch out for this lad in time to come folks - Ihsanullah of Multan Sultans wins the award for the best bowler of the tournament. He is special!
Fielder of the Tournament...of course it's Kieron Pollard. That ageless, fine wine! Mohammad Rizwan bags another award - he's declared the best wicket-keeper of the tournament.
Imad Wasim, the skipper of Karachi Kings, takes home the best all-rounder of the tournament award. He tallied 404 runs and snared 9 wickets to stand tall in an otherwise disappointing tournament for his side.
Peshawar Zalmi take home the Spirit of Cricket award. Alex Wharf of England wins the award for the best umpire of the tournament.
Abbas Afridi also wins the Emerging Player of the Tournament award. Watch out for this lad in time to come, folks!
Mohammad Rizwan, the Multan Sultans skipper, wins the Hanif Mohammad Cap for tallying 550 runs and finishing at the top of the charts for the season.
Abbas Afridi wins the Fazal Mahmood Cap as he ends the campaign as the leading wicket-taker with 23 wickets.
Lahore Qalandars skipper Shaheen Shah Afridi is the Player of the Match for his all-round exploits.
Presentation time. The match officials collect their mementos to start with. This is followed by Najam Sethi, the Chairman of the Pakistan Cricket Board, addressing the gathering and extending his gratitude to all the stakeholders involved in making the tournament a grand success.
Stick around as we bring you news from the presentation shortly!
Abdullah Shafique: Thanks to the Almighty first up. The credit goes to the team management, captain and all the players. We have worked very hard for this. There was pressure to defend the title but at the back of our mind, we felt that the way our captain has been holding our hands and taking the team forward, it felt good. I feel very lucky to be a part of this team. You've seen quite a lot of it now (Shaheen's captaincy).
Sikandar Raza: That's why you play the sports. To be able to do it with Qalandars, it's been amazing. Honesly, we thought the wicket wasn't a 200 one. The way they batted, to get to 200 was amazing. With the required rate up around 11 runs an over, we always knew that couple of overs can bring us back into the game. Runs in a final is huge pressure. So many guys have stood up the whole tournament. 8 differe players have won man of the match. Credit to them, amazing performance in the final. We faced some criticism for changing the batting order and bowling order. But it was all for this day. All players had some runs or wickets under their belt.
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