How the PSL 2020 final would have played out, had coronavirus not happened

How the PSL 2020 final would have played out, had coronavirus not happened

By Zohaib Ahmed Majeed
March 22, 2020

Imagine the last 10 days have not happened. Imagine coronavirus isn’t wreaking havoc. Imagine we don’t even know what COVID-19 is. What would have happened to our beloved PSL? It would have blossomed like few things ever have in the country, with its culmination being tonight, with the final in Lahore, at Gaddafi, in front of a capacity crowd, with millions watching on TV.

Insert sad emoji. Insert teary-eyed emoji. Insert crying-our-eyes-out emoji.

The darned pandemic has taken from us the life we know and the game we love, but it can never take away our imagination.

On March 22, at 10:15pm, the exact time when the PSL 2020 final was to finish and its match report to be written, we let our imagination get to work. We try and figure out how the tournament would have ended, had corona not ended it.

Qualifier on March 17  

This would have been between league leaders Multan Sultans and second-placed Karachi Kings. During the round robin stages, Multan had the edge, having beaten Karachi comprehensively at their home while their return fixture was washed out due to rain. But had it not (not our first what-if situation tonight), Karachi would have returned the favour.

Truth be told, the Kings were coming into their own as the tournament headed towards its business-end. Their openers were clicking at the right time. On the other hand, the Sultans were a bit lucky in the second half of the tournament as they managed to maintain their top position despite winning just once in their last five matches. They also were arguably (just a hunch not certain) the most aged side, meaning that fatigue could have been a factor.

Hypothetical result: Karachi win, qualify for final.

Eliminator 1 on March 18

Third-placed Lahore Qalandars would have been paired with fourth-placed Peshawar Zalmi in this one. The two sides had split their round robin matches, with Zalmi triumphing in the rain-shortened 12-over-a-side match the first time, and then the Qalandars winning the other one courtesy Fakhar Zaman proving useful for a change.

Lahore were the form team of the tournament in the second half, having won four of their last five. Zalmi, meanwhile, were struggling to find consistency, having won just twice in their last five, and one of those wins came courtesy DLS and was a tad undeserved.

With Zaman, Chris Lynn, Sohail Akhtar and Ben Dunk all finding runs, an ailing and jaded Zalmi side, needing an overhaul, would have found hard to beat Lahore in Lahore.

Hypothetical result: Lahore win, qualify for Eliminator 2

Eliminator 2 - Multan vs Lahore

In their two prior meetings, Lahore got annihilated in first before annihilating Multan in the second. That second meeting became famous for Lynn’s 55-ball 113.

Lahore, by now, have come too far but they are still Lahore. With their first-ever PSL final within their grasp, they melt under the bright lights of Gaddafi. The Qalandars of old reappear, and as the number eight batsman Shaheen Shah Afridi trudges towards his bewildered captain Akhtar in the first innings, the scoreboard reads 65-6.

Hypothetical result: A horrific defeat breaks the home fans’ hearts as Multan makes the final.

The Final - Multan vs Karachi

Despite seeing Multan beat Lahore, the locals at Gaddafi still support their beloved team’s slayers in the final against Karachi because:

  • (a) of regional affinity with Multan
  • (b) they know Lahore lost of their own mistakes
  • (c) of their rivalry with Karachi (enemy of enemy = friend)

In the lead up to the final, the Kings display all of their usual braggadocio, boasting how they would blow Multan out of water and acting as if the trophy is already theirs.

In the final, they win the toss, bat first, put up a massive 191-run target for Multan to chase. At innings break, the proverbial champagne has been put on ice and confetti is ready. A certain network has even typed out tickers saying "Karachi Kings nay maidan mar lia."

Multan had other ideas.

First Zeeshan Ashraf makes a case for a national call-up, then Moeen Ali and Shan Masood do their thing. But the real damage is done by Rilee Rossouw, who goes berserk Ben Dunk style. Some call him Dunk with hair. 

The seemingly gargantuan target is achieved in the 19th over for the loss of a mere 5 wickets. Shahid Afridi hits the winning runs and becomes a champion at 45. Or 40 whatever.

That’s all folks! Back to curling up and crying.

PSL 2020: End-of-tournament awards so we don't go cuckoo corona

Comments