Peshawar Zalmi ended a nine-year title drought by defeating debutants Hyderabad Kingsmen by five wickets in the Pakistan Super League 2026 final at the Gaddafi Stadium in Lahore, Al Jazeera reported. It was the franchise’s second crown, following their maiden triumph in 2017.
The decisive figure was Australian all-rounder Aaron Hardie, who was named Player of the Match for a performance that shaped both innings, Al Jazeera reported. Hardie first took 4 for 27 to help bowl Hyderabad out for a below-par 129 all out in 18 overs, then struck an unbeaten 56 off 39 balls to steer Peshawar to 130 for 5 in 15.2 overs, Al Jazeera reported.
The chase was not as comfortable as the margin suggests. Peshawar slumped to 40 for 4 before Hardie and Abdul Samad, who made 48, rebuilt with an 85-run partnership that proved decisive, Al Jazeera reported. For Hyderabad, opener Saim Ayub top-scored with 54 off 50 balls, Al Jazeera reported.
The triumph was a landmark for captain Babar Azam, who secured his first PSL title as captain, ESPNcricinfo noted. Although Babar fell for a golden duck in the final itself, Al Jazeera reported, he had dominated the competition with the bat. The Pakistan star finished as the tournament’s leading run-scorer with 588 runs in 11 matches at an average of 73.50 and a strike rate of 145.91, including two centuries and three half-centuries, ESPNcricinfo reported. That tally equalled Fakhar Zaman’s record for the most runs in a single PSL edition, Inside Sport reported.
“It’s a very big achievement for me, for Peshawar Zalmi and all the fans,” Babar said after lifting the trophy, according to Al Jazeera.
Hyderabad Kingsmen’s run to the final was one of the stories of the season. The Kingsmen were one of two new franchises, alongside Rawalpindiz, who joined as the league expanded from six teams to eight for the 2026 edition, per Wikipedia’s tournament record. Despite reaching the showpiece in their debut campaign, the newcomers fell short on the biggest stage, Inside Sport reported.
The final brought the curtain down on the eleventh season of Pakistan’s premier domestic T20 competition, ESPNcricinfo reported. For Peshawar Zalmi, it was a long-awaited return to the summit after years of near-misses, and for Babar Azam it underlined his standing as one of the PSL’s defining batters as he reasserted his authority over the league, ESPNcricinfo observed.
The victory caps a successful tournament for the Zalmi camp, with Hardie’s match-winning double and Babar’s record-equalling run tally the standout individual contributions of a final that delivered a fairytale ending for one side and heartbreak for the debutants who had defied expectations to get there.
