Shoaib Akhtar congratulates Lahore for victory over Multan in PSL

The tournament witnessed some breathtaking catches, heartbeat-raising run-chases, magnificent cricketing shots and bowling spells that capture the nature of modern-day T20 cricket, and several records were broken. Some individuals from the present and future of the format lit up the tournament.

While Men in Blue and their fans could get flashbacks of the Ahmedabad heartbreak against Australia, which stopped India's dominant 10-match win streak courtesy tactical masterclass of skipper Pat Cummins and a brutal hammering by Travis Head, the baggage of negativity will come down and everyone will find some comfort in team's most recent wins against New Zealand and the fact their country is on a winning run across the men's, women's and age-group cricket. The baggage will feel a little lighter.

During a run-chase of 170 runs, Kiwi openers Tim Seifert (58 in 33 balls, with seven fours and two sixes) and Allen (100* in 33 balls, with 10 fours and eight sixes) made a light work of the total, chasing it down in just 12.5 overs, with Seifert overtaking Gayle's 47-ball ton against England in T20 World Cup 2016 and Australian all-rounder Glenn Maxwell's 40-ball ton against Netherlands in 2023 ICC Cricket World Cup to slam the fastest World Cup century across T20I and ODI formats.

The first semi-final between South Africa and New Zealand will take place on Wednesday, March 4, at Kolkata's iconic Eden Gardens. According to the ICC, Richard Illingworth and Alex Wharf have been appointed as the on-field umpires for the match. Illingworth brings with him experience from South Africa's semi-final clash against Afghanistan in the previous T20 World Cup, while Wharf officiated in New Zealand's group-stage win over the same opposition this year.

Speaking on the team's success, Mo Bobat said, "I think first and foremost it's important to give credit to the players. In our roles, you're only as good as your players. So if we're a championship-winning team, it's because we've got championship-winning players. So I'd probably always start there. They deserve the most amount of credit.