Babar, Hardie take Peshawar Zalmi to PSL 11 final

A masterclass century by skipper Babar Azam and an all-round performance from Aaron Hardie led Peshawar Zalmi to the final of the PSL 11 as Zalmi beat Islamabad United by 70 runs in the qualifier at the NBP stadium Karachi on Tuesday night

LAHORE, (APP - UrduPoint / Pakistan Point News - 29th Apr, 2026) A masterclass century by skipper Babar Azam and an all-round performance from Aaron Hardie led Peshawar Zalmi to the final of the PSL 11 as Zalmi beat Islamabad United by 70 runs in the qualifier at the NBP stadium Karachi on Tuesday night.

Zalmi’s comprehensive triumph lands them in the PSL final for the first time in five seasons while Islamabad will have another crack at a final berth in Eliminator 2 at Gaddafi Stadium, Lahore on 1 May.

Needing 222 runs to reserve berth in PSL 11 final, after Captain Shadab Khan had opted to field first and overhaul the target they way United did against Multan Sultans to claim second spot on the points-table on Sunday night, Islamabad United got off to an ideal start with 58 runs in first five overs of the power-play before Devon Conway 20 (14) fell in the fifth over. Another partnership of 21 runs between Sameer Minhas and Mohsin Riaz 25 (20) was the other significant milestone before leading wicket-taker Sufiyan Muqeem got the better of Sameer Minhas 44 (23) courtesy an excellent catch by Abdul Samad.

The young United batter was caught off Hardie for a 23-ball 44 studded with seven fours and one six with the score reading 81-2 in the ninth over. A procession of wickets ensued with Islamabad crashing to 114-7 by the end of the 14th over.

The pressure of the score-board took its toll on the Islamabad United batting line-up as the middle-order capitulated under pressure except for Imad Wasim 22 (15) who offered some resistance towards the end to give Islamabad United a respectable total on the board as United could score 151-10 in 18.4 overs.

Hardie was the most successful bowler for the Zalmi as he bagged 3-24 off his four overs. Sufyan Muqeem and Mohammad Basit picked a brace while Bracewell and Khurram Shahzad shared one wicket each. Sufiyan Muqeem continued to maintain his supremacy as he has 21 wickets in the current edition of the PSL so far and retains the Fazal Mehmood cap.

Babar’s stunning ton, his second of the season and the 13th of his T20 career, was laced with 12 fours and four sixes. The star batter’s monumental 59-ball 103, which levelled him with Usman Khan for most HBL PSL centuries, set the tone for Zalmi’s batting dominance as they posted 221 for seven.

Nothing could be better than a Babar Azam century to entertain the fans who turned up for the first time to the stadium in the PSL 11. The whole of the PSL was held behind closed gates due to the austerity measures adopted by the Pakistan government to conserve energy in the aftermath of shortage of global oil supplies owing to the war in the region. But Babar Azam did not lack intent or weaponry to overwhelm the opposition – Islamabad United.

And nothing be more inspirational than the presence of a large crowd at a stadium to watch their heroes in action and Babar Azam acknowledged their presence with one of his best performances – a century in a qualifier to take Peshawar Zalmi to the final of the PSL 11 for the fifth time.

Babar Azam played a power-packed knock as he hit 12 boundaries and four 6s to reach the milestone for the fourth time in 108 PSL appearances. It is also his 13th hundred in T20s – only behind Chris Gayle’s 22.

Babar was ably supported by fellow opener Mohammad Haris in a breezy 72-run stand off 38 deliveries. Haris fell for a 16-ball 35 featuring five fours and two sixes off Shadab Khan after plundering 68 runs in the Powerplay, most any side has registered against Islamabad United in HBL PSL 11 so far.

The in-form Kusal Mendis then put on 84 runs for the second with Babar, never letting the United bowlers get the upper hand. The Zalmi skipper completed his half-century in 38 balls in the 12th over, before smoking Shadab for two sixes in a 19-run 14th over.

Mendis, however, was caught at midwicket by Sameer Minhas off Faheem Ashraf for a 26-ball 41 aided by five fours and a solitary six as the scoreboard read 156 for two in the 15th over.

Shadab dismissed Michael Bracewell (2) and Abdul Samad off successive deliveries in the next over but Babar wrested back the momentum with a flurry of boundaries.

The 31-year-old got to three-figure mark with a six off Richard Gleeson in the 18th over amid thunderous applause. Babar’s dismissal in the 18th over did little to hamper Zalmi’s progress as Aaron Hardie's 10-ball 20 featuring two fours and one six carried them past 220.

Shadab finished with three for 42 from his four overs whereas Gleeson took two for 45.

Babar's century lifted him past teammate Mendis to the top of the HBL PSL 11 run-scoring charts, taking over the Hanif Mohammad Cap. He now has 588 runs in 10 matches at an average of 84, including two hundreds and three half-centuries, with 60 fours and 15 sixes.

He equals Fakhar Zaman's record of 588 runs for the most in a single HBL PSL season, set for Lahore Qalandars in the 2022 edition across 13 matches at an average of 45.23.

Babar, Player of the Match POTM, also became the first batter to amass 500-plus runs in a single HBL PSL edition on four occasions — 2021, 2023, 2024 and the current edition. His two centuries in HBL PSL 11 equaled Usman Khan feat of most centuries in a single edition, set for Multan Sultans in 2024.

The next playoff fixture, Eliminator 1, will be played between Multan Sultans and Hyderabad Kingsmen at the Gaddafi Stadium on Wednesday, 29 April. The winner will face Islamabad United in Eliminator 2 on Friday.

Scores in brief:

Qualifier – Peshawar Zalmi beat Islamabad United by 70 runs at National Bank Stadium, Karachi

Peshawar Zalmi 221-7, 20 overs (Babar Azam 103, Kusal Mendis 41, Mohammad Haris 35, Aaron Hardie 20; Shadab Khan 3-42, Richard Gleeson 2-45)

Islamabad United 151 all out, 18.4 overs (Sameer Minhas 44, Mohsin Riaz 25, Imad Wasim 22, Devon Conway 20; Aaron Hardie 3-24, Mohammad Basit 2-19, Sufyan Muqeem 2-25).