Lahore, April 22, 2026: Peshawar Zalmi continued their dream run in Pakistan Super League (PSL) Season 11, registering their eighth consecutive victory with a convincing seven-wicket win over Karachi Kings at Gaddafi Stadium on Wednesday.
Chasing a competitive 183, Zalmi cruised to 183-3 in 18.5 overs, powered by match-winning performances from Kusal Mendis and Farhan Yousaf.
Zalmi got off to a steady start as openers James Vince and skipper Babar Azam built a fluent 37-run opening stand. However, Hasan Ali struck early, dismissing Vince for 16.
The Kings struck again soon after when Abbas Afridi removed Babar Azam for 25, leaving Zalmi at 45-2 inside the powerplay.
Mendis then took control of the chase, batting with authority and composure to bring up his fourth PSL half-century. Despite losing Aaron Hardie cheaply for five—dismissed by Khushdil Shah—Zalmi remained firmly on track at 95-3.
Mendis found an able partner in Farhan Yousaf, with the pair stitching together a crucial 50-run partnership that tilted the contest decisively in Zalmi’s favour. Yousaf accelerated in the latter stages, striking boundaries with ease as the target came within reach.
He sealed the victory in style with a boundary, completing his maiden PSL half-century. Yousaf remained unbeaten on 54 off 35 balls, hitting four fours and three sixes, while Mendis top-scored with a brilliant 80 off 43 deliveries, including five fours and four sixes.
Earlier, Karachi Kings posted 182-9 in their 20 overs, thanks largely to an outstanding knock from Jason Roy and a quickfire contribution from Azam Khan.
Openers David Warner and Roy provided a solid start, adding 35 runs before Ali Raza struck to dismiss Warner for 11.
Roy continued to dominate, forming useful partnerships with Salman Ali Agha and Reeza Hendricks, who scored 13 before falling to Sufiyan Muqeem.
The innings gathered momentum when Azam Khan joined Roy, with the duo adding a rapid 63-run stand. Azam struck 35 off 19 balls before being dismissed by Iftikhar Ahmed.
Roy’s superb innings of 85 off 51 balls, featuring 11 fours and two sixes, ended in the death overs when he was dismissed by Mohammad Basit.
Despite Karachi’s strong total, the standout moment of the innings came in the final over, when Ali Raza produced a sensational spell. He was involved in a run-out of Abbas Afridi before Khushdil Shah was dismissed hit-wicket.
Raza then removed Shahid Aziz with a pinpoint yorker and completed a remarkable hat-trick by dismissing Hasan Ali for a first-ball duck, finishing with figures of 4-41.
However, his historic feat was ultimately overshadowed by Zalmi’s dominant chase, as they continued their unbeaten march in PSL 11.
