Peshawar Zalmi vs Multan Sultans — Peshawar Zalmi won by 24 runs

Peshawar Zalmi continued their dominant run at the top of the PSL 2026 standings, posting 196/6 and holding Multan Sultans to 172/8 to win by 24 runs at the National Stadium in Karachi on Monday. Zalmi move to five wins from six matches – a near-perfect record that has them 3 points clear at the top of the table.

Mendis and Haris Power Zalmi

Mohammad Haris set the tone at the top of the order – 38 off just 17 balls, with 4 fours and 3 sixes at a strike rate of 223.53. He and Babar Azam put on 48 inside the first five overs before Babar fell for 18 to Mohammad Nawaz. Then Kusal Mendis took over. The Sri Lankan wicketkeeper made 68 off 40 – 6 fours and 3 sixes – building a crucial third-wicket stand of 63 with Farhan Yousaf (30 off 22). Michael Bracewell came in to hit a cameo 14 off 8, before Iftikhar Ahmed finished with 10 off 5. 196/6 – a competitive total at any PSL venue.

Peter Siddle was best for Multan with 2/29 from 4 overs, while Mohammad Ismail picked up 2/22 from his three. Mohammad Wasim Jr was expensive at 41 from 3 overs.

Multan Chase Falls Short

Multan needed to bat well from ball one and for a period it looked like they might get there. Sahibzada Farhan (17 off 10) and Josh Philippe (32 off 17) got things moving at the top – but wickets fell in clusters at the wrong moments. Shan Masood looked composed for 35 off 19, building the chase to 123/4 by the 13th over, but once Ashton Turner was bowled by Sufiyan Muqeem for 20, Multan lost their way. They needed 73 off the last 7 overs with five wickets in hand but managed only 49 – a telling failure in the death overs. Bowled out for 172 in the 20th over, 24 runs short.

Sufiyan Muqeem was the star with ball – 3/30 from 4 overs including the crucial Turner wicket. Nahid Rana backed him up with 2/24 from 4, while Iftikhar Ahmed chipped in with 2/32.

Statz MVP: Sufiyan Muqeem (Rating: 72.0)

Sufiyan Muqeem leads the Statz Rating leaderboard for this match with 72.0. Three wickets from his four overs – including Turner at the critical juncture when Multan were threatening to make a game of it – at an economy of 7.5 in a 196-run chase. The Statz model values wicket impact weighted by match context, and Muqeem’s strikes came at precisely the right moments for Zalmi.

Top 5 Statz Ratings

1. Sufiyan Muqeem (PZ) – 72.0 – 3/30 from 4 overs, dismantled Multan’s middle order
2. Kusal Mendis (PZ) – 65.5 – 68 off 40, match-defining innings that set the total
3. Iftikhar Ahmed (PZ) – 62.5 – 2/32 with the ball plus 10 off 5 with the bat – a complete double contribution
4. Mohammad Haris (PZ) – 58.1 – 38 off 17 at the top, set the early tempo that defined the innings
5. Nahid Rana (PZ) – 49.6 – 2/24 from 4 overs, kept things tight when Multan were building momentum

Turning Point

Multan were 123/4 after 13.3 overs, needing 74 from 38 balls with six wickets in hand – a gettable target. Sufiyan Muqeem’s dismissal of Ashton Turner (20 off 13) in the 14th over changed everything. Turner was the anchor – without him, Multan’s lower order had no platform to accelerate from. They scored 49 from the final 7 overs with the loss of four more wickets. That over-by-over collapse from ball 80 onwards was the moment the game turned.

Competition Context

Peshawar Zalmi sit top of the PSL 2026 standings with 11 points from 6 matches (5W, 1NR) – an NRR of +2.722 that is comfortably the best in the division. For Multan Sultans, this is a second defeat in two matches and drops them to second place on 8 points from six. With Islamabad United on 7 points in third, the race for top two is tightening. Multan cannot afford another slip.

Full scorecard and player ratings: statz.ai/cricket/fixtures/69495/peshawar-zalmi-vs-multan-sultans/scorecard