The final match of the inaugural edition of the Pakistan Junior League (PJL) will take place today, October 21, at Gaddafi Stadium in Lahore, with the Gwadar Sharks taking on the Bahawalpur Royals.
Sharks defeated Royals by eight wickets in the first playoff qualifier after winning four of their five group stage games. Earlier in the tournament, the Royals won by the same margin in their group-stage match.
The Royals, who finished second in the group stage with three wins, defeated Mardan Warriors by nine wickets in Qualifier 2 of the play-off stage, owing to the opening batsman, Basit Ali, who hit 91 runs off 55 balls.
In the 2nd Qualifier, Mardan Warriors batted first and scored only 132/9 in the allotted 20 overs, with the opening batter, Shahzaib Khan, scoring 32 off 36, and Mohammad Farooq and Daud Nazar scoring 24 and 23, respectively.
Arham Nawab, Obaid Shahid, and Mohammad Zeeshan bowled brilliantly, each getting two wickets and restricting the Royals throughout their innings, while Sajjad Ali took one wicket and gave 23 runs in three overs.
The Royals had a strong start in the second innings, taking an early wicket of Shawaiz Irfan, but the opening batter, Basit Ali, and middle-order batter, Tayyab Arif, both scored 91 and 32 respectively, to lead their team to a 9-wicket victory.
The final encounter of the inaugural edition of the PJL will commence at 6:00 PM Pakistan Standard Time. The Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) has announced free entry to the stadium for the fans to enjoy the high-octane clash between the two sides.
