List of PSL Winners Of Each Season

As the 8th edition of the PSL is around the corner, we decided to rewind the 7 years of PSL history. The Pakistan Super League has worked like magic for the cricketers and fans in Pakistan. As a result of the PSL, International cricket has now returned to the country.

Also, the league has given Pakistan many talented cricketers over the years. The 7 seasons of the tournament have resulted in 6 different champions. Islamabad United has won the league twice, while all other teams have won it once.

Let’s see who were the PSL winners of each season from 2016 to 2022.

PSL 2016 Winner

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The inaugural edition of the Pakistan Super League was played in the United Arab Emirates. Dubai, Abu Dhabi, and Sharjah were the 3 venues used in that season. 5 teams participated in the tournament, and it was played in the month of February. Every team played 8 games before the playoffs.

Peshawar Zalmi and Quetta Gladiators were the two top teams in the league stages, with 12 points each. The Zalmi topped the tables due to a better run rate. Islamabad were in the third spot with 8 points. The last two positions were occupied by the Lahore Qalandars and the Karachi Kings. Both the teams had a miserable campaign and could get just 2 wins in 8 games. Both were at 4 points, but the Kings got through to the playoffs due to a better run rate. Mohammed Amir bagged the first hat trick of the PSL against the Qalandars.

The first qualifier was played between Quetta and Peshawar. The former team defended just 133 runs to secure a sensational win by just 1 run. On the other hand, Islamabad United crushed Karachi Kings in the first eliminator. Then, Peshawar and Islamabad were up against each other in the second eliminator. A brilliant century from Sharjeel Khan propelled the United to a 50-run win.

The final was played between the Quetta Gladiators and Islamabad United. The Gladiators batted first and posted a strong total of 174. Ahmed Shehzad was the top scorer for Quetta with 64 runs, while Andre Russell got 3 wickets. Thanks to Dwayne Smith’s 73, Islamabad United chased down the total with 8 balls to spare. They won the final by 6 wickets and became the champions of the debut PSL season.

PSL 2017 Winner

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The second season of the Pakistan Super League was also played in the UAE. This tournament also had 5 teams in it and the same format as well. Like the previous edition, Peshawar Zalmi and Quetta Gladiators were at the first and second position again, respectively, this time with 9 points each.

Karachi Kings and Islamabad United were also tied on points, with 8 points for each side. Due to a better run rate, Karachi got the 3rd position. Lahore Qalandars finished last yet again with just 3 wins and 6 points in 8 matches.

An unfortunate event took place during the league stages. A spot-fixing controversy emerged as Sharjeel Khan, and Khalid Lateef were sent back to Pakistan. Sharjeel was accused of playing 2 dot balls on purpose in the first match of the season. While Khalid allegedly got bat grips from the bookies. Both were handed a 5-year ban. Khalid Lateef was also accused of asking 4 other players for spot-fixing. Those cricketers were Mohammed Irfan, Shahzaib Hasan, Nasir Jamsheed, and Mohammed Nawaz. The first three were banned for a year while Nawaz was handed a 2-months ban.

Anyhow, the cricket went on, and the playoff stage started. The first qualifier was the recap of the previous year as the Gladiators edged Zalmi in another final-ball thriller. The winning margin was the same yet again as Quetta progressed to the final after a 1-run win. In the first eliminator, Karachi Kings defended just 126 runs to eliminate Islamabad United. Then, Peshawar Zalmi defeated Karachi Kings to set up a final with Quetta Gladiators.

An interesting thing about the final is that it was played in Gaddafi Stadium, Lahore. The majority of the foreign players of Quetta made themselves unavailable for the final, while Peshawar played with their full strength. It affected Quetta’s performance drastically, and they suffered their second successive final loss. Peshawar Zalmi won by 58 runs to become the crowned champions of PSL 2017.

PSL 2018 Winner

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Another team, named Multan Sultans, was added to the PSL for the first time, and it took the total of teams to 6. Islamabad United topped the tables with 14 points, while Karachi Kings came second with 11 points. For the third consecutive time, Quetta Gladiators and Peshawar Zalmi tied on the points. Peshawar were once again better at the run rate, and they finished 3rd. Multan Sultans finished 5th in their debut season, while Lahore Qalandars were at the bottom again.

Karachi Kings were beaten comprehensively in the first qualifier by Islamabad United. Talking about the first eliminator, it was just another nail-biter between Quetta Gladiators and Peshawar Zalmi. This time around, the latter team needed 25 runs in the final over. Anwar Ali scored 22 in the first 5 balls against Liam Dawson. The last ball was dropped at the boundary, but the batters couldn’t complete the second run, and Quetta lost the game by one run.

Now, the champions of the first two seasons locked horns in the final of the third season. Peshawar batted first and scored just 148 runs in 20 overs. Shadab Khan bowled a brilliant spell of 3 for 25 in 4 overs. Thanks to Luke Ronchi’s 52 off just 26 balls, United chased the target with 19 balls left. Islamabad United won their 2nd title in just 3 PSL seasons.

PSL 2019 Winner

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This season was also played with 6 teams, and the same format was followed again. For the fourth time in a row, Peshawar Zalmi and Quetta Gladiators tied on the points table. Both Peshawar and Quetta finished on 14 points and finished 1st and 2nd, respectively, for the third time in four years. Islamabad United and Karachi Kings got 10 points each, with the former team coming 3rd. Multan Sultans and Lahore Qalandars were eliminated again in the league stages, and the Qalandars finished last for the 4th consecutive time.

Qualifier 1 saw another crunch game between Quetta and Peshawar. Quetta eked out a win by just 10 runs. On the other side, Islamabad eliminated Karachi for the third time in 4 years. Then, Peshawar defeated Islamabad to set up another final with Quetta. It was the second consecutive final for Zalmi and also the second final between the two teams.

The Gladiators bowled exceptionally well to restrict Zalmi to just 138 in 20 overs. Mohammed Hasnain picked 3 important wickets for Quetta. The Gladiators chased down the target with ease, thanks to 58* from Ahmad Shehzad. Quetta Gladiators avenged the 2017 final and finally won the PSL after two final defeats.

PSL 2020 Winner

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Season 5 was scheduled to be played completely in Pakistan. It was the first time that the league was played entirely in Pakistan. Multan Sultans topped the table for the first time with 14 points. Karachi Kings and Lahore Qalandars were second and third with 11 and 10 points, respectively.

It was the first time that Lahore didn’t finish last and qualify for the playoffs. Peshawar Zalmi and Quetta Gladiators tied on the points table for the 4th time, this time with 9 points each. Peshawar Zalmi qualified for the playoffs due to a better run rate. It was the first time that Islamabad United and Quetta Gladiators didn’t make it to the final 4.

Unfortunately, the league was postponed due to the emergence of COVID-19. The tournament was resumed in November, and the playoff stage started with an absolute thriller. Karachi Kings were chasing 141, and Babar Azam played a superb innings of 63. When he was dismissed, the Kings required only 25 runs in 21 balls. From there, it came down to 11 off the last over.

Imad Waseem hit a four on the first ball, but the next four balls brought just 2 runs. With 5 runs needed from the final ball, Imad played an amazing flick to tie the match. The Kings asked the Sultans to chase 14 in the super over. Mohammed Amir defended it brilliantly, and Karachi were in the final for the first time.

Then, Lahore beat Peshawar and Multan, and a final was set up between the arch-rivals. Lahore Qalandars batted first in the final and posted 134 runs on the board. It was a tricky wicket, but Babar Azam’s flawless 63* on 49 made it look easy. Karachi Kings became the champions for the first time.

PSL 2021 Winner

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PSL 6 started in Pakistan, but it was postponed after COVID came back during the league stages. The remaining games were later played in Abu Dhabi. Islamabad United topped the table with 16 points. Multan Sultans, Peshawar Zalmi, and Karachi Kings were all tied at 10 points. They got the 2nd, 3rd, and 4th position in the respective order according to their net run rates.

Multan Sultans beat Islamabad United with ease in the first qualifier, and Peshawar Zalmi toppled Karachi Kings in a close game. Then, Peshawar Zalmi hammered Islamabad United to qualify for the final. The Sultans were too good for the Zalmi in the final, and they secured a comfortable win by 47 runs. It was Zalmi’s 3rd defeat in 4 finals as Multan Sultan lifted the trophy.

PSL 2022 Winner

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It was the 7th edition of the Pakistan Super League, and it was played following all the COVID protocols. Multan Sultans dominated the league stages by winning 9 out of 10 matches. Lahore Qalandars finished 2nd for the first time with 12 points.

Peshawar Zalmi also had 12 points, but an inferior run rate made them finish 3rd. Islamabad United and Quetta Gladiators had 8 points each, but the United qualified thanks to a better run rate. Karachi Kings had a terrible campaign as they lost 9 out of 10 games and didn’t qualify for the playoffs for the first time in 7 seasons.

Multan won the first qualifier with ease and qualified for the final second time in 2 years. Then, Islamabad United defeated Peshawar Zalmi in the first eliminator. Next up, Lahore beat Islamabad by just 6 runs to face Multan in the final.

Multan Sultans were looking like the stronger side, having won 10 out of 11 matches in the season. But the Qalandars handed them a 42-run loss in the final. The Lahore Qalandars finally lifted the trophy after a long wait of 7 years.