Babar and Hardie power Peshawar Zalmi into the PSL final

Babar's big-hitting in the death overs took Zalmi to 221, and their bowlers sealed a dominant 70-run win

Danyal Rasool

Published: Apr 28, 2026, 5:55 PM (47 mins ago)

Peshawar Zalmi 221 for 7 (Babar 103, Mendis 41, Shadab 3-42) beat Islamabad United 151 (Minhas 44, Hardie 3-24, Basit 2-19) by 70 runs

Qualifying playoffs are often Peshawar Zalmi's bete noire, so they committed to spending as little time as possible in them. Babar Azam's century - as part of an unlikely career arc, which has finally seen him develop into the T20 batter he was holding himself back from - helped his side sweep past Islamabad United by 70 runs. Zalmi entered their first final since 2019. Partnerships with Mohammad Haris and, predictably, Kusal Mendis, helped rack up 221 for Zalmi, before their bowlers made light work of United's chase. Aaron Hardie and Sufiyan Muqeem pinned United to the wall before jabbing away at them until their knees buckled, skittling the three-time champions for 151 and relegating them to Friday's eliminator.

United were always going to insert the opposition after winning the toss, but Zalmi had come prepared. Mohammad Haris' relentless, almost foolhardy, brand of attacking cricket paid off handsomely in the powerplay. Alongside a resurgent Babar, he walloped 35 high-risk runs off 16 balls. It allowed Zalmi to post 68 in the powerplay, and set the stage for Mendis and Babar's unstoppable partnership to approach the PSL record.

Mendis took a little time getting going, with Shadab Khan, Imad Wasim and Chris Green sneaking in three tight overs during the middle of the innings. Babar refused to let the game meander, picking up 12 off Wasim's final over, bringing up his half-century in the process. Babar also made a mess of Shadab's figures in a painful 11-ball over, where the United captain sent down five wides and conceded 19. By now, Mendis had got into the act, too, and though Faheem Ashraf snared him with the short delivery, his 26-ball 41 had propped his side nicely up for the death.

Shadab struck twice in his final over to threaten a Zalmi wobble, but Babar switched into his - until now, almost foreign - death-over destructive phase. Faheem and Richard Gleeson were torn apart in the next two overs and smashed around for 34. It included a straight six that took the Zalmi captain to his hundred - one that took 57 balls, and was marked by a roaring leap and a clenched fist. Hardie finished off with a few fireworks, and United had 223 to chase if they fancied direct passage into the final.

There is no target United will not have a go at, with Devon Conway and Sameer Minhas making that plain with a blistering first four overs, which brought up the team's half-century. But Zalmi had time on their side, knowing United needed to keep that scoring rate up for another 16 overs. The first hole was punctured when Michael Bracewell's spin drew a skied mishit from Conway.

Minhas had done the bulk of the early scoring, and tried to keep it up for a few overs. By the end of the seventh, United had 77, and Minhas had bludgeoned his way to 44 off 22. But the inspired introduction of Hardie drove a dagger through United's hopes.

A back-of-a-length delivery led to a miscue, which Babar collected comfortably at mid-off. And all of a sudden, Hardie could not be kept away from the wickets. Shadab's cheeky attempt to lap him over short fine leg only found the fielder in question, with the tournament's leading wicket-taker, Sufiyan Muqeem, getting into the action as well. Between them, they sent United into a death spiral, taking six wickets off 28 balls to burn through the United middle order. Mohsin Riaz, Mark Chapman and Haider Ali were among those who fell by the wayside, reducing the remainder of the qualifier into something of a formality.

Imad Wasim and Chris Green hacked away briefly, but the shimmering form of Babar and his men had already booked themselves a flight to Lahore, along with a spot in Sunday's final. No team remaining in the tournament has come out on top over them, and in this form, they will take some beating.

Danyal Rasool is ESPNcricinfo's Pakistan correspondent. @Danny61000

Click here to read article