Lahore, April 25, 2026: Lahore Qalandars kept their playoff hopes alive with a tense six-wicket victory over league leaders Peshawar Zalmi in the 38th match of the Pakistan Super League (PSL 11) at Gaddafi Stadium on Saturday, chasing down a challenging 200-run target with three balls to spare.
Chasing 200 in a must-win encounter, the defending champions reached 200/4 in 19.3 overs, anchored by an unbeaten half-century from opener Fakhar Zaman.
Qalandars’ chase began shakily when Khurram Shahzad removed Mohammad Naeem for 10 in the third over, leaving the home side under early pressure at 21/1.
However, Fakhar Zaman steadied the innings with key partnerships. He first combined with Abdullah Shafique, who made a quick 25, before pairing with Charith Asalanka (33) to rebuild momentum.
The decisive phase came when Fakhar joined Sikandar Raza, with the duo adding 41 runs off just 18 balls. Raza provided the acceleration before falling for 29 off 11 balls in a bizarre hit-wicket dismissal off Sufiyan Muqeem in the 16th over.
Despite the setback, Daniel Sams ensured a strong finish with a blistering unbeaten 35 off 15 deliveries, guiding the side to victory in the final over.
Fakhar Zaman remained unbeaten on 58 off 47 balls, hitting four fours and two sixes, as he carried his bat through the innings.
For Zalmi, Ali Raza, Iftikhar Ahmed, Khurram Shahzad and Sufiyan Muqeem picked up one wicket each, but could not prevent Qalandars from completing the chase.
Earlier, Zalmi had posted a commanding 199/4 after being put in to bat, built around strong performances from Babar Azam and Michael Bracewell.
The visitors suffered an early setback when Shaheen Shah Afridi struck twice in quick succession, removing James Vince (10) and Kusal Mendis (7) to reduce Zalmi to 36/2.
Babar Azam and Bracewell then rebuilt the innings with a crucial 94-run stand, both registering half-centuries. Haris Rauf eventually broke the partnership by dismissing Babar for 59 off 45 balls.
Bracewell continued the charge, finishing as top scorer with 83 off 45 deliveries, while Iftikhar Ahmed added a brisk 27 not out to push Zalmi close to 200.
Shaheen Afridi and Haris Rauf claimed two wickets each for Qalandars, though Rauf proved expensive, conceding 46 runs in his four overs.
The result keeps the tournament finely poised, with Qalandars still awaiting confirmation of their playoff qualification depending on other results.
