Peshawar Zalmi were crowned PSL 2026 champions as they routed Hyderabad Kingsmen by five wickets on the back of Aaron Hardie’s all-round performance. Hardie’s career-best figures of 4 for 27 skittled Kingsmen for 129, and his unbeaten 56 off 39 took Zalmi over the line after an early stutter threatened to derail the run chase. Zalmi have now become only the third team to win multiple PSL titles – their last triumph being in 2017 – after three-time winners Islamabad United and Lahore Qalandars.

It was a miraculous turnaround by Kingsmen that set their final with Zalmi as no team before them had ever reached the playoffs after losing their first four matches of the season. They had won seven of their last eight matches to reach this far, but having come in touching distance of the coveted trophy, their batters unravelled and registered the lowest first-innings total in a PSL final.

Babar Azam’s decision to insert Kingsmen was influenced by the green tinge on the pitch, but his bowlers did not need to rely much on the surface as Kingsmen threw their wickets one after another. Their entire middle order was wiped amid an awful collapse, during which they lost four wickets for only two runs in eight balls. Two of those wickets were run outs.

Kingsmen had a decent start and sat comfortably on 69 for 2 at the close of powerplay. Their innings, however, spiralled out of control three balls later when Sufiyan Muqeem had Usman Khan plumb in front. A mix-up between Saim Ayub and Irfan Khan resulted in the latter’s run out three balls later, and Glenn Maxwell was caught at mid-on the very next ball as he tried to slap a back-of-a-length delivery from Nahid Rana. The situation further aggravated for Kingsmen when Michael Bracwell’s direct hit accounted for Kusal Perera in the eighth over. The run out resulted in a brief delay and drama as Perera complained to the on-field umpires to have been obstructed by Rana, but the third umpire deemed it to be a legitimate wicket.

That Kingsmen had something to bowl with was because of Ayub, who scored his maiden half-century of the season. The left-hander made 54 off 50 after walking out to the middle in the second over. He got off to a flier, scoring 30 off 14. His 35-run stand for the second wicket with Marnus Labuschagne, who made 20 off 12, seemed promising before the Kingsmen captain became first of the four Hardie’s scalps.

Ayub unfurled his signature flick off Rana in the sixth over and drove him through the covers next ball as he stamped his authority over the opposition, but he had to rein in after the collapse. The longest that a partnership lasted in the innings was 24 balls, it was between Ayub and Hunain Shah for the eighth wicket. Hardie struck twice in the 18th over, accounting for Ayub at the start and Akif Javed towards the end to bag his first T20 four-for.

Mohammad Ali and Kingsmen celebrated passionately when he had Babar caught behind to go along with Mohammad Haris’ wicket in a dream first over. Hunain, the star of the second eliminator, got Kusal Mendis in the fourth over and Akif sent Bracewell packing soon after as Zalmi reeled at 40 for 4.

Hardie launched a counterattack, smashing Hunain for three boundaries, to close the 53-run powerplay. It was the start of a match-winning 115-run partnership with Abdul Samad, who made 48 off 34. The pair milked the bowlers and picked up boundaries occasionally in a magnificent rearguard effort, which took the game away from Kingsmen.

Towards the end, Samad seemed to be clobbering boundaries for fun. He clubbed Ali for a six and a four before he was caught at deep midwicket trying to seal the chase with a maximum with five runs to go. Victory was secured in the next over as Farhan Yousuf steered a bouncer from Hunain to the fine leg boundary.

Brief scores:
Peshawar Zalmi 130 for 5 in 15.2 overs (Aaron Hardie 56*, Abdul Samad 48; Mohammad Ali 3-38, Akif Javed 1-29, Hunain Shah 1-26 ) beat Hyderabad Kingsmen 129 in 18 overs (Marnus Labuschagne 20, Maaz Sadaqat 11, Saim Ayub 54, Hasan Khan 12; Mohamed Basit 1-22, Aaron  Hardie 4-27, Nahid Rana 2-22, Sufiyan Moqim 1-23)by five wickets

[Cricinfo]