Sufiyan Muqim, well clear of everybody else on the wickets chart, can derail any batting line-up in his current form, while Iftikhar Ahmed has proved a surprise success with the ball this year. In Ali Raza, Zalmi have perhaps the most valuable emerging player, and certainly the quickest. Oh, and Bangladesh fast bowler Nahid Rana is back for the final after being given dispensation by the BCB.

But Kingsmen, how do you analyse this side? They have Hunain Shah, the scripter of so many of their great moments. That inswinging yorker against Rawalpindiz that secured qualification, those five more in the final over against Islamabad United to seal one of the great PSL wins. They have Usman Khan, no torque and all muscle, like a Bentley stripped for parts and repurposed as a crude battering ram, a cricketing specimen that just isn’t meant to be successful, and has somehow found its ecological niche over the past fortnight.

They have Marnus Labuschagne,  a captain who had never put on a T20 armband before, yet lost himself in the magic of Friday night, charging across the field before emotion overcame him. Someone who has, over the past month, come to understand what cricket in Pakistan is all about, and thrown himself into it with the zeal of a convert.

Momentum and destiny, all appears to lie with the Kingsmen. They have now won seven of their last eight, and found multiple matchwinners in that time. They may not have the completeness of Zalmi, but they will perhaps sense that adversity hasn’t touched their opposition in the way it has tested them. If they can turn this into a game of nerves, Kingsmen have the experience to come through in a way Zalmi might not.

Most importantly, though, a PSL season largely lost to empty stadiums offered a reminder on Friday of how much match-going crowds add to the value of a contest. Most of this season may not have been a classic, but with spectators now watching on, the league is quickly making up for lost time.

Babar Azam is the leading run-scorer of the tournament, one run away from becoming the leading run-scorer in any PSL season. Having endured the roughest patch of his career, something appears to have finally clicked for his T20 game. Across this season, he has become a complete T20 batter rather than the staid accumulator he was for much of his career. Mendis’ form may have helped, but Babar’s form has only grown. In front of an adoring crowd that will, in large part, have come to see him, the Zalmi captain has the chance to secure a legacy-building win that may yet give his international career a second wind.

He may not be in the touch Kingsmen wish, but few would barrack against Glenn Maxwell in the biggest games. So far, Maxwell has played little more than a bit-part role, primarily with the ball, where he has offered genuine value. However, when Kingsmen battled to stay alive in their final group game, he offered a well-timed reminder of how high his ceiling remains in a 37-ball onslaught that fetched 70, and gave his side the cushion to get the huge net run rate win they needed. Pakistani cricket loves a wildcard, and in Maxwell, Kingsmen have the ultimate ace they can play on Sunday.

Rana has arrived in Pakistan and will take his place in the starting XI. That could squeeze Khurram Shahzad out. No other changes are expected.

Peshawar Zalmi (probable) Mohammad Haris (wk), Babar Azam (capt), Kusal Mendis, Michael Bracewell, Abdul Samad, Aaron Hardie, Iftikhar Ahmed, Farhan Yousaf, Nahid Rana,  Sufyan Moqim, Mohammad Basit

Kingsmen will go in with an unchanged side.

Hyderabad Kingsmen (probable): Maaz Sadaqat,  Marnus Labuschagne (capt),  Saim Ayub, Usman Khan (wk),  Glenn Maxwell,  Kusal Perera, Irfan Khan, Hassan Khan, Hunain Shah, Mohammad Ali, Akif Javed

[Cricinfo]