Peshawar Zalmi secures the PSL 11 championship by defeating Hyderabad Kingsmen.
Peshawar Zalmi triumphed against Hyderabad Kingsmen to secure the championship of the 11th edition of the Pakistan Super League.
Peshawar Zalmi adeptly pursued the target of 130 runs established by Hyderabad Kingsmen, accomplishing the chase in the 15th over while losing five wickets.
Aaron Hardie scored an unbroken 56 runs for Zalmi, while Abdul Samad added a vital 48 runs, significantly contributing to the triumph. Farhan Yousuf finished with an unbeaten score of 4 runs.
Previously, Zalmi batsmen Kushal Mendis (9), Mohammad Haris (6), and Michael Bracewell (4) were dismissed for minimal runs, while captain Babar Azam did not score.
Zalmi had a meticulous bowling performance, limiting Hyderabad Kingsmen to 129 runs in 18 overs during the Pakistan Super League Season 11 final at Gaddafi Stadium in Lahore on Sunday.
Choosing to bat second, Zalmi captain Babar Azam validated his decision as early wickets and astute fielding hindered the debutants’ ability to gain momentum.
The Kingsmen’s innings did not fully recuperate from a shaky beginning. Left-handed opener Maaz Sadaqat was dismissed in the second over for 11 runs, caught off the bowling of Mohammad Basit with only 16 runs scored. The initial setback prompted Saim Ayub to join captain Marnus Labuschagne at the crease, and the duo momentarily stabilised the innings with a rapid 35-run partnership off 19 balls.
Labuschagne exhibited fluidity during his brief innings, scoring 20 runs off 12 balls, including three boundaries and a six, before being dismissed by Aaron Hardie in the fifth over. His expulsion impeded Kingsmen’s initial advancement and let Zalmi’s bowlers to exert continuous pressure.
Ayub maintained his role in the innings, contributing 20 runs for the third wicket alongside wicketkeeper-batter Usman Khan, who scored eight runs before being dismissed lbw by Sufiyan Muqeem in the seventh over. The breakthrough precipitated a significant collapse, as Kingsmen lost three wickets inside eight deliveries, including two run-outs, sinking to 73 for six after eight overs.
The middle-order collapsed swiftly under duress. Glenn Maxwell was dismissed for one run, while Kusal Perera got out for a first-ball duck to Nahid Rana. Another run-out resulted in Hassan Khan’s dismissal, placing the Kingsmen in significant jeopardy during the powerplay period.
In his attempt to reconstruct the innings, Ayub received fleeting assistance from Hunain Shah as the duo accumulated 17 runs for the seventh wicket. Hunain scored 12 runs off seven balls before being dismissed by Hardie in the 10th over, greatly undermining the Kingsmen’s prospects for a late rally.
Ayub employed a prudent strategy as wickets consistently diminished around him. He achieved a calculated half-century, concluding as the leading scorer with 54 runs from 50 balls, comprising five fours and two sixes. His innings maintained the framework but lacked the necessary impetus to elevate the total above a competitive threshold.
The innings concluded in the 18th over when Hardie returned to dismiss Ayub and subsequently Akif Javed, who made five runs. Mohammad Ali concluded his innings unbeaten on nine as the Kingsmen were dismissed for 129, with seven extras included in the score.
Hardie exhibited an exceptional bowling effort, concluding with statistics of four wickets for 27 runs in his four overs. Rana delivered significant assistance by securing two wickets, while Muqeem and Basit both captured one, thereby sustaining steady pressure throughout the innings.
Zalmi’s fielding performance was pivotal, with two direct run-outs that exacerbated the Kingsmen’s difficulties throughout the middle overs. The methodical bowling, along with astute fielding, prevented Hyderabad from recuperating from their collapse.
PLAYING Elevens
Peshawar Zalmi: Babar Azam (captain), Mohammad Haris, Kusal Mendis (wicketkeeper), Farhan Yousuf, Michael Bracewell, Aaron Hardie, Iftikhar Ahmed, Abdul Samad, Nahid Rana, Sufiyan Muqeem, Mohammad Basit.
Hyderabad Kingsmen: Maaz Sadaqat, Marnus Labuschagne (captain), Saim Ayub, Usman Khan (wicketkeeper), Kusal Perera, Glenn Maxwell, Irfan Niazi, Hassan Khan, Hunain Shah, Mohammad Ali, Akif Javed.