In mid-March, however, the Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) indefinitely suspended the four remaining games of the 2020 season of the Pakistan Super League (PSL) due to the COVID-19 pandemic. Later in September, the PCB announced new dates for the remaining fixtures, with the final to be held on 17 November 2020 at the same venue.[2] In late October, it was announced that the venue had been shifted from Gaddafi Stadium in Lahore to the National Stadium in Karachi, due to poor air quality in Lahore.[9]
During the group stage of the 2020 Pakistan Super League each team played ten matches, two against each of the other sides contesting the competition. All matches were played in Pakistan.[10] The top four teams progressed to the playoff stage. Karachi Kings finished the group stage in second position with 11 points by winning five of their matches, losing four and one ending in a no result.[10]Lahore Qalandars finished the group stage in third position with 10 points by winning and losing five matches each.[10]
Karachi Kings reached the finals for the first time in PSL history after defeating Multan Sultans in the qualifier match that went into a Super Over.[11][12]
In Eliminator 1, Lahore Qalandars chased down 171 and winning the match by five wickets to knock out Peshawar Zalmi.[13] In Eliminator 2, Lahore Qalandars defeated Multan Sultans by 25 runs to progress to the final.[14]
Lahore Qalandars reached the playoffs[10] and the final for the first time in their history.[14]
The final was played on 17 November between the Karachi Kings and Lahore Qalandars at Karachi's National Stadium. The clash was described as "undoubtedly the biggest match in the league's history, pitting Pakistan's two major cities against one another".[15][16] It was the first time for both teams to have qualified for the PSL final.[17] The occasion was particularly special for Karachi, as they paid tribute to their Australian coach Dean Jones who died in September.[15] Lahore's trajectory was compared by Sky Sports to that of Leicester City in the 2015–16 Premier League, having struggled and finished last in all previous PSL editions, only to become potential champions in the 2020 season.[18]
Karachi had a stable start, until Sharjeel Khan was dismissed by Patel in the fourth over via a catch to Fakhar. Alex Hales was bowled by Dilbar Hussain in the seventh over, with the scoreboard reading 49 runs. Wicketkeeper-batsman Chadwick Walton formed a crucial 61-run partnership off 8.1 overs with opener and star performer Babar Azam, until he too was dismissed LBW by Dilbar in the 16th over.[4] Iftikhar and Sherfane Rutherford were caught and dismissed in consecutive deliveries at the start of the 18th over by Haris Rauf, with 124 runs added to the scoreboard and Karachi needing only 11 runs to win off 16 deliveries. Babar and captain Imad Wasim took Karachi over the line, with the latter hitting the winning stroke in the 19th over to take Karachi to a five-wicket victory with eight balls to spare, and the team's inaugural title.[4] Babar Azam was adjudged man of the match for his half century and standout performance, hitting 63 runs off 49 balls including seven boundaries, at a strike rate of 128.57.[4]
