[Watch] Hunain Shah's incredible last-ball boundary seals third title for Islamabad United in PSL 2024 finale

No.11 batter Hunain Shah hit an incredible boundary on the last ball to help Islamabad United clinch their third PSL title in the final of the 2024 edition against Multan Sultans in Karachi on Monday, March 18.

In a thriller that saw fortunes fluctuate repeatedly, Islamabad needed eight off the final over from Mohammad Ali with three wickets in hand. A boundary on the second ball by Naseem Shah looked to have sealed the deal until chaos ensued again.

With only a run required off two deliveries, Naseem got caught behind to leave the title hanging in the balance. However, with one needed off the last ball, an ice-cool Hunain played an elegant dab in the gap between the backward point and short third-man region to spark wild celebrations.

Here is a video of the thrilling last-ball climax:

Islamabad's triumph was a rare case of a side winning three knockout games in the playoffs. Despite finishing third on the points table, the Shadab Khan-led outfit defeated the Quetta Gladiators in Eliminator 1 and Peshawar Zalmi in Eliminator 2 to advance to the final.

Left-arm spinning all-rounder Imad Wasim was the Player of the Final for his 5/23 and 19*, while skipper Shadab was the Player of the Tournament.

It was Islamabad's third PSL title overall but only their first since the victory in 2018.

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"If the match goes to the last ball, you can't really point out any flaw" - Mohammad Rizwan

A disconsolate Multan Sultans skipper Mohammad Rizwan admitted several ups and downs throughout the final but felt a last-ball finish eradicated any glaring flaws in his team's performance.

The defeat was the third consecutive for Multan in the final, having suffered defeats to the Lahore Qalandars in 2022 and 2023.

Rizwan said at the post-match presentation:

"If the match goes to the last ball, you can't really point out any flaw. Credit to Imad for picking a fifer and scoring those crucial runs. There were a few ups and downs in batting. Congratulations to Islamabad and it was fun to play tonight in front of a packed house."

Despite the defeat in the final, Multan were the most consistent side of the competition, finishing on top of the points table with seven wins in 10 games.

However, the franchise is still looking to add to its lone PSL title in 2021 after falling short at the final hurdle again.