Peshawar Zalmi beat Hyderabad Kingsmen by four wickets in a tense, low-scoring PSL 11 clash at Karachi’s National Bank Stadium on Wednesday, chasing 146 in the final over after a strong all-round display from Iftikhar Ahmed and a composed innings from Babar Azam.
Zalmi reached the target with six wickets down, although the chase remained under pressure deep into the final over. Babar Azam and Kusal Mendis laid the platform, while Iftikhar Ahmed and Aamer Jamal closed out the match.
Zalmi lost Mohammad Haris early for 11 after Maheesh Theekshana struck in the second over. However, Babar and Kusal Mendis steadied the innings with a 49-run stand that carried the side past the 50-run mark.
Saim Ayub broke that partnership by dismissing Mendis for 27 off 23 balls. Michael Bracewell then joined Babar Azam, and together they added another useful stand that pushed Zalmi beyond 100.
Saim struck again to remove Bracewell for 25, while Hassan Khan dismissed Babar for 43 off 37 balls. Mohammad Ali and Hunain Shah then chipped away at the middle order, leaving Zalmi at 125-6 in 17.1 overs. That late wobble gave Hyderabad hope, but Iftikhar Ahmed stayed calm under pressure and finished unbeaten on 15 off 10 balls. Aamer Jamal added six crucial runs as Zalmi sealed victory with four wickets in hand.
Iftikhar Ahmed played the defining role in the match and earned Player of the Match honours. He scored an unbeaten 15 in the chase and earlier ripped through Hyderabad’s batting with a superb spell of 4 for 21.
His early breakthroughs set the tone for Zalmi. He first dismissed Maaz Sadaqat for 17, then removed Saim Ayub for 14 and Usman Khan for a duck in the same over. He continued his destructive spell by clean bowling Sharjeel Khan for just two, leaving Hyderabad under severe pressure inside the powerplay.
Hyderabad Kingsmen managed 145 all out in 18.2 overs after recovering from a poor start. Kusal Perera led that effort with 58 off 35 balls, including five fours and two sixes. He shared a key 50-run partnership with skipper Marnus Labuschagne, who scored 27. Their stand helped Hyderabad recover from 33-3 and cross the 100-run mark.
Still, Zalmi hit back in the closing overs. Sufiyan Muqeem dismantled the lower order with 4 for 32, removing Labuschagne, Irfan Khan Niazi, Perera and Maheesh Theekshana.
Hunain Shah also fell run out without facing a ball, while Aamer Jamal picked up the final wicket. Together, Iftikhar and Sufiyan shared eight wickets and drove Zalmi’s win.
