Peshawar Zalmi Are PSL 2026 Champions, Beat Hyderabad Kingsmen by 5 Wickets in Lahore Final
Peshawar Zalmi are the champions of PSL 2026. They beat Hyderabad Kingsmen by 5 wickets with 28 balls to spare at Gaddafi Stadium, Lahore on May 3 in front of a record crowd of 32,461 fans, the highest attendance in HBL PSL history. Aaron Hardie scored an unbeaten 56 and Abdul Samad hit a brilliant 48 to rescue Zalmi from an early collapse and seal the title Babar Azam’s side had dominated the entire season.
Match Result Summary
| Detail | Info |
|---|---|
| Match | PSL 2026 Final |
| Date | May 3, 2026 |
| Venue | Gaddafi Stadium, Lahore |
| Toss | Peshawar Zalmi (elected to field) |
| Hyderabad Kingsmen | 129 all out (18 overs) |
| Peshawar Zalmi | 130/5 (15.2 overs) |
| Result | Peshawar Zalmi won by 5 wickets (28 balls remaining) |
| Attendance | 32,461 (highest ever in HBL PSL history) |
| Series Result | Peshawar Zalmi won PSL 2026 |
Hyderabad Kingsmen Innings: 129 All Out in 18 Overs
Kingsmen never found their footing. After a blistering start from Marnus Labuschagne and Maaz Sadaqat, the innings fell apart from the 5th over onwards. Labuschagne hit 20 off 12 balls before being caught behind off Aaron Hardie. Sadaqat went for 11 off 6 with a run rate that looked promising early, but wickets kept tumbling. At 72/6 in 7.5 overs, the innings was in serious trouble.
Saim Ayub fought hard. His 54 off 50 balls was the only innings of substance and kept Kingsmen in the game, but he ran out of partners. Nahid Rana bowled Hunain Shah with a 148 kph yorker that crashed through the stumps in one of the moments of the match, and Hardie finished it off by taking 4 wickets in his spell to bowl the Kingsmen out inside 18 overs.
Hyderabad Kingsmen Batting Scorecard
| Batter | Dismissal | R | B | 4s | 6s | SR |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Marnus Labuschagne (c) | c Haris b Hardie | 20 | 12 | 3 | 1 | 166.66 |
| Maaz Sadaqat | c Samad b Basit | 11 | 6 | 1 | 1 | 183.33 |
| Saim Ayub | c Iftikhar b Hardie | 54 | 50 | 5 | 2 | 108.00 |
| Usman Khan | lbw b Sufyan Moqim | 8 | 6 | 1 | 0 | 133.33 |
| Irfan Khan | run out | 1 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 50.00 |
| Glenn Maxwell | c Farhan b Nahid Rana | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0.00 |
| Kusal Perera | run out | 1 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 50.00 |
| Hassan Khan | c Mendis b Hardie | 12 | 7 | 1 | 1 | 171.42 |
| Hunain Shah | b Nahid Rana | 9 | 12 | 0 | 1 | 75.00 |
| Mohammad Ali | not out | 1 | 7 | 0 | 0 | 14.28 |
| Akif Javed | c Haris b Hardie | 5 | 4 | 1 | 0 | 125.00 |
| Extras | lb 3, nb 1, w 3 | 7 | ||||
| Total | 18 overs | 129 | RR: 7.16 |
Fall of wickets: 1-16 (Sadaqat, 1.2), 2-51 (Labuschagne, 4.4), 3-71 (Usman, 6.3), 4-72 (Irfan, 6.6), 5-72 (Maxwell, 7.1), 6-73 (Perera, 7.5), 7-90 (Hassan, 9.5), 8-108 (Hunain, 13.5), 9-123 (Saim Ayub, 17.1), 10-129 (Akif, 17.6)
Zalmi Bowling in Kingsmen Innings
| Bowler | O | R | W | Econ |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Aaron Hardie | 4 | 27 | 4 | 6.75 |
| Nahid Rana | 4 | 22 | 2 | 5.50 |
| Sufyan Moqim | 4 | 23 | 1 | 5.75 |
| Mohammad Basit | 3 | 22 | 1 | 7.33 |
| Iftikhar Ahmed | 2 | 21 | 0 | 10.50 |
| Michael Bracewell | 1 | 11 | 0 | 11.00 |
Aaron Hardie was the standout bowler. Four wickets for 27 runs in 4 overs at an economy of 6.75 in a PSL final is an exceptional spell. Nahid Rana added two more. A target of 130 was always going to be chased by a Zalmi side in this form.
Peshawar Zalmi Chase: Hardie and Samad Rescue the Innings
Zalmi’s chase started as a nightmare. Mohammad Ali produced a sensational opening over, removing both Mohammad Haris for 6 and Babar Azam for a golden duck in the first over. The captain gone first ball. Three wickets fell inside the first five overs as the crowd briefly went quiet.
Then Aaron Hardie took over. He joined Abdul Samad at 40/4 and the two built an extraordinary 5th wicket partnership of 85 runs from 62 balls. Hardie hit 9 fours in his 39-ball 56 not out, controlling the chase calmly while Samad smashed 4 fours and 4 sixes in his 48 off 34 balls at the other end. It was a partnership that turned the final completely. Farhan Yousaf finished it off with a pull shot to the boundary with 28 balls to spare.
The dugout emptied. Players sprinted onto the field. Fireworks lit up Lahore. Peshawar Zalmi had done it.
Peshawar Zalmi Batting Scorecard
| Batter | Dismissal | R | B | 4s | 6s | SR |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Mohammad Haris | c Labuschagne b Ali | 6 | 3 | 1 | 0 | 200.00 |
| Babar Azam (c) | c Usman b Ali | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0.00 |
| Kusal Mendis | c Sadaqat b Hunain | 9 | 8 | 2 | 0 | 112.50 |
| Aaron Hardie | not out | 56 | 39 | 9 | 0 | 143.58 |
| Michael Bracewell | c Usman b Akif | 4 | 5 | 1 | 0 | 80.00 |
| Abdul Samad | c Maxwell b Ali | 48 | 34 | 3 | 4 | 141.17 |
| Farhan Yousaf | not out | 4 | 2 | 1 | 0 | 200.00 |
| Extras | lb 2, w 1 | 3 | ||||
| Total | 15.2 overs | 130/5 | RR: 8.47 |
Fall of wickets: 1-6 (Haris, 0.3), 2-7 (Babar, 0.5), 3-33 (Mendis, 3.2), 4-40 (Bracewell, 4.5), 5-125 (Samad, 14.5)
Kingsmen Bowling in Zalmi Chase
| Bowler | O | R | W | Econ |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Mohammad Ali | 4 | 38 | 3 | 9.50 |
| Akif Javed | 4 | 29 | 1 | 7.25 |
| Hunain Shah | 3.2 | 26 | 1 | 7.80 |
| Hassan Khan | 3 | 22 | 0 | 7.33 |
| Saim Ayub | 1 | 13 | 0 | 13.00 |
A Season That Demanded This
Peshawar Zalmi won eight of their ten league matches, losing only once. They topped the PSL 2026 points table from early in the season and never let go of first place. In the Qualifier, they crushed Islamabad United by 70 runs. In the final, they bounced back from a horror start to win by five wickets with ease. This was a title earned over 40-plus days of dominant cricket.
For Babar Azam, this is a moment that means everything. He scored 588 runs across the tournament at an average of 84, making him the leading run scorer of PSL 2026 by a distance. Even in a final where he fell for a duck, his team showed the depth he had built around himself.
Hyderabad Kingsmen finish as runners up in their debut PSL season. Coming back from 0-4 to reach the final is a story that will be remembered regardless of the result tonight. They will be back.
PSL Champions: All-Time Winners List
| Year | Champion | Runner Up |
|---|---|---|
| 2016 | Islamabad United | Quetta Gladiators |
| 2017 | Peshawar Zalmi | Quetta Gladiators |
| 2018 | Islamabad United | Peshawar Zalmi |
| 2019 | Quetta Gladiators | Peshawar Zalmi |
| 2020 | Karachi Kings | Lahore Qalandars |
| 2021 | Multan Sultans | Peshawar Zalmi |
| 2022 | Lahore Qalandars | Multan Sultans |
| 2023 | Lahore Qalandars | Multan Sultans |
| 2024 | Islamabad United | Multan Sultans |
| 2025 | Lahore Qalandars | Islamabad United |
| 2026 | Peshawar Zalmi | Hyderabad Kingsmen |
Peshawar Zalmi win their second PSL title, nine years after their first in 2017. For full squad details of tonight’s champions, see the Peshawar Zalmi squad page.
FAQs
Who won PSL 2026? Peshawar Zalmi won PSL 2026 by beating Hyderabad Kingsmen by 5 wickets in the final at Gaddafi Stadium, Lahore on May 3, 2026.
Who was the Man of the Match in the PSL 2026 Final? Aaron Hardie was the standout performer, scoring 56 not out with the bat and taking 4 wickets with the ball in the same match, making him the clear match-winner.
What was the score in the PSL 2026 Final? Hyderabad Kingsmen scored 129 all out in 18 overs. Peshawar Zalmi chased it down in 15.2 overs for 130/5, winning by 5 wickets with 28 balls to spare.
How many PSL titles has Peshawar Zalmi won? Peshawar Zalmi have now won two PSL titles, in 2017 and 2026.
Who was the highest scorer in PSL 2026? Babar Azam was the leading run scorer of the tournament with 588 runs in 10 matches at an average of 84 and a strike rate of 146.26.
What was the attendance at the PSL 2026 Final? A record crowd of 32,461 fans attended the PSL 2026 Final at Gaddafi Stadium, Lahore, making it the highest attendance in HBL PSL history.
