PSL 2020: Final, KAR vs LAH – Karachi’s maiden title, A game of records for Babar Azam and more stats

Karachi Kings claimed their maiden title in the Pakistan Super League (PSL) following a comfortable 5-wicket win in the final against the Lahore Qalandars. Electing to bat first wasn’t the best of decisions made by Lahore whose openers struggled to get going on a slow pitch. The opening pair of Tamim Iqbal and Fakhar Zaman played out the first ten overs for only 68 runs as Qalandars finished with just 134/7.

Babar Azam anchored the chase with an unbeaten 63 off 49 with help of a 61-run stand in 8.2 overs for the 3rd wicket with Chadwick Walton. Despite the late wickets, Karachi got over the line with eight balls to spare.

Here are all the statistical highlights from Karachi Kings’ 5-wicket victory during KAR vs LAH final:

Maiden title for Karachi and Babar:

1 – Karachi Kings won the Pakistan Super League (PSL) title for the first time and in that process, became the first PSL team to win a final at the home ground.

This was also the first-ever final in the T20 format featuring Babar Azam who ended the wait for his maiden T20 title with an unbeaten fifty.

Babar steps up big time for Karachi:

2 – Babar Azam, during KAR vs LAH, became only the 2nd player to win the man of the match awards in consecutive playoff matches during a PSL edition. Luke Ronchi achieved this feat in the 2018 edition while representing the Islamabad United.

Kamran Akmal (in CPL 2015), Usman Khawaja (in BBL 2015-16), Daniel Christian (in BBL 2018-19) and Andre Russell in (BPL 2019-20) are the other players to have won the man of the match awards in successive playoff/knockout games during a franchise-based T20 tournament. Chris Gayle had two awards in the playoff phase of BPL 2017-18 but across three matches.

63* – Babar’s unbeaten 63 during KAR vs LAH is now the 3rd highest individual score in PSL to not include a six. The top two such scores were recorded by Babar himself who made an unbeaten 70 against Peshawar Zalmi earlier this year and scored a 50-ball 68 against Islamabad United in 2019.

Babar bags PSL records under his belt:

473 – Babar Azam ends PSL 2020 with a tall of 473 runs which are the most number of runs scored by any player in a single edition of PSL. Babar thus broke the record held by Luke Ronchi with 435 runs in 2018 for Islamabad United.

163 – Babar has hit a total of 163 fours in the PSL history thus far which are the most by any player in this league. Babar went past the tally of 158 fours hit by the Peshawar Zalmi’s Kamran Akmal.

The Karachi opener struck a total of 55 fours in the PSL 2020 itself which are the most number of fours hit by any player in a PSL edition going past Luke Ronchi’s 51 fours during the 2018 edition.

Shaheen ends wicketless against Karachi:

11.4 – Shaheen Shah Afridi bowled a total of 11.4 overs against Karachi Kings in PSL 2020 but failed to pick even one wicket. These are the 2nd most number of balls bowled in a PSL season by any bowler without picking a wicket against an opponent.

Sohail Tanvir bowled 16 overs across four matches against Peshawar Zalmi during the 2019 edition. Shaheen (104 runs vs Karachi, 2020) and Tanvir (135 runs vs Peshawar, 2019) are the only bowlers to conceded 100+ runs against an opponent without claiming a wicket during a PSL edition.

Babar continues his good form:

4 – Babar Azam now has scored a fifty in each of his last four innings in the T20 format; a streak that began in the T20I series against Zimbabwe. Babar is only the 3rd player from Pakistan with fifty-plus scores in four or more consecutive T20 innings after Kamran Akmal (5 in 2017) and Khurram Manzoor (4 in 2018).

328 – Babar has 328 runs in 9 PSL matches against Lahore Qalandars with help of 3 fifties; the most number of runs by any player against Qalandars in the PSL. Babar scored 170 of those runs across three outings in PSL 2020 itself with help of two fifties.