Sialkot Stallions played Wayamba Elevens at the iconic Lord's Cricket Ground for the first quarter-final in what ended up being, the closest game of the season.
Leading up to this game Wayamba was undefeated. They played two games and won both of them, finishing at the top of their respective pool in the pool stage.
One of their two victories was against former champions Victorian Bushrangers. That win was considered an upset given Victorian Bushrangers' on-paper strength.
Sialkot Stallions on the other hand had a poor start to their season. They lost the opening match of the season to hometown heroes - Sussex Sharks at The Oval.
They bounced back against Carlton Cricket Club and ensured their place in the knockouts against Wayamba. Going into this game, Wayamba were the favorites.
Sialkot Stallions won the toss and elected to bat first on an even surface. What came next was an all-out assault from opener Imran Nazir, right from the word go!
His partner at the other end - Shakeel Ansar got off to a flying start himself but a sharp yorker from Thisara Perera ended his innings before it properly began.
Shahid Yousuf was Sialkot Stallions' number three batter. His flurry lasted for all of five deliveries before he was dismissed by Farveez Maharoof in the eight over.
Imran Nazir was still going at a rapid pace by this point but a semi-constant fall of wickets halted his scoring rate slightly. He needed support from the other end.
Enter Shoaib Malik, Sialkot Stallions' captain. The two added 106 runs for the third-wicket, taking Sialkot Stallions' score from 66/2 to 172/3 by the twentieth over.
In the midst of this, both these batsmen achieved their fifties. Wayamba Elevens' bowlers seemed to have no answers for the assault these two launched on them.
With a 173-run target on the board, Wayamba Elevens lost Mahela Udawatte on the very first ball of the innings. Rana Naved-Ul-Hasan made inroads early on.
Mohammad Asif and Abdul Razzaq, two of Pakistani nationals capitalized on Rana Naved-Ul-Hasan's early breakthrough and built even more pressure on Wayamba.
Asif dismissed Mahela Jayawardene in the second over for a cheap digit, and Razzaq claimed Kusal Perera's wicket in the third over to reduce Wayamba to 19/3.
Sameera de Zoysa and Jehan Mubarak launched a counterattack to save Wayamba from an immediate elimination, but the former was dismissed soon after by Asif.
Jehan Mubarak and Jeevan Kulatunga were the last recognized batsmen left, and both of them were at the crease. A premature wicket here would've been the end.
The two carried Wayamba through most of the innings, even if it meant slowing down the scoring rate. If they could get to the last overs, they could accelerate.
And they pretty much succeeded. They brought their team back into the game after being down and out. With 5.0 overs left, Wayamba Elevens needed 61 runs.
Albeit difficult, it was still possible. Sialkot Stallions let a perfect start with the ball go to waste by not attacking Mubarak and Kulatunga when they were new.
Fortunately for them, Abdur Rehman dismissed Jehan Mubarak bringing Wayamba in the doldrums again. Kulatunga and Thisara Perera were Wayamba's last hope.
An exceptional penultimate over from Mohammad Asif saw Stallions grip the game firmer. He conceded 15 runs from it, but also got the big wicket of Kulatunga.
With 17 runs required from the last over and an experienced bowler in Rana Naved-Ul-Hasan bowling, the likelihood of winning seemed really bleak for Wayamba.
Giving just a single and taking another wicket in the first three balls proved that further. A six on the next ball however, brought hope back to Wayamba's dugout.
10 runs were needed off 2 deliveries, Isuru Udana tried to the best of his abilities but could only manage 3 runs. Even a six at this point would only make it a tie.
7 needed off the last ball. A six would make it a tie. Perera at the striker's end. Naved-Ul-Hasan bowls a yorker and he's chipped it straight back to the bowler!
And with that, Sialkot Stallions snatch a 6-run victory to qualify for the semi-finals for the first time in five appearances they've made in the Champions League.