Peshawar Zalmi beat Karachi Kings by seven wickets in their PSL 2026 clash at Gaddafi Stadium, with Kusal Mendis extending his superb form and Ali Raza producing a decisive spell. Zalmi chased 183 in 18.5 overs and stayed unbeaten in the tournament.
Karachi Kings posted 182 for 9 after Jason Roy led the innings with 85 off 51 balls. He struck 11 fours and two sixes, while David Warner managed 11 and Azam Khan added a quick 35 from 19 deliveries. Roy’s knock kept Karachi in control for long periods, but the innings lost momentum late.
Ali Raza then changed the match. The young seamer tore through Karachi’s lower order, took a hat-trick, and finished with 4 for 41. ESPNcricinfo’s scorecard and match report confirm that his burst helped stop Karachi from pushing beyond a competitive total. Reports also described the feat as a landmark moment in PSL history for the teenage pacer.
Zalmi’s reply started shakily. Babar Azam made 25 from 19 balls and James Vince scored 16, but Karachi reduced the table-toppers to 67 for 3 in 7.3 overs. At that stage, the chase still looked balanced.
Kusal Mendis and Farhan Yousaf then took control. The pair added an unbroken 119 runs for the fourth wicket from just 69 balls and took the game away from Karachi in the closing overs. Mendis finished unbeaten on 80 from 43 balls with five fours and four sixes, while Yousaf made 58 not out from 36 deliveries. Their stand became Peshawar Zalmi’s highest fourth-wicket partnership in T20s.
Mendis’ innings proved decisive once again. He earned Player of the Match as Zalmi completed the chase with seven balls to spare and stretched their winning run. Cricbuzz and ESPNcricinfo both described the partnership with Yousaf as the defining moment of the contest.
The result strengthened Peshawar Zalmi’s position at the top of PSL 2026 and underlined the balance on their side. They had a match-winning bowler in Ali Raza, a stabilising finisher in Mendis, and another major contribution from Farhan Yousaf under pressure. Karachi Kings, by contrast, wasted a strong platform built by Roy and could not contain Zalmi once the chase entered its decisive phase.
