PZ vs QG Match Report: Peshawar Zalmi Win by 8 Wickets – PSL 2026 23rd Match
Peshawar Zalmi made light work of Quetta Gladiators at National Stadium, Karachi on Wednesday – bowling them out for 154 and knocking off the target with 8 wickets and 9 balls to spare in the Pakistan Super League 2026 23rd Match.
Peshawar Zalmi won the toss and chose to field, setting their seamers and spinners loose on a Quetta batting line-up that never found the fluency to post a challenging total. Sufiyan Muqeem and Mohammad Basit shared six wickets to dismantle the middle and lower order, before Babar Azam led the chase with an unbeaten 71 to seal another commanding win for Zalmi.
Quetta Gladiators Innings: 154 All Out (20 Overs)
Quetta lost their way consistently throughout the innings. The top three all got starts but none converted – Saud Shakeel run out for 16, Rilee Rossouw bowled for 26 off 18, and Ahsan Ali dismissed cheaply for 4 in the opening over. Hasan Nawaz provided the most substance with 37 off 35 at number four, but a strike rate of 105.71 was never going to be enough for a challenging total on a ground where par is closer to 170.
Khawaja Nafay (20 off 13) and Tom Curran (15 off 10) offered brief lower-order resistance before both fell to Mohammad Basit, who finished with 3/36 off four overs. Sufiyan Muqeem was the more economical option with 3/25 off four, dismissing Rossouw, Shamyl Hussain, and Nafay to disrupt the middle-order repeatedly. Iftikhar Ahmed picked up the first wicket – Ahsan Ali caught at mid-on – before removing himself from the occasion with typically neat figures of 1/20.
Extras of 7 (4 wides, 1 no-ball) padded the total marginally. Four run-outs and a mix of catches suggested Quetta were playing without the composed intent Zalmi brought to every phase of their innings.
Peshawar Zalmi Chase: 156/2 (18.3 Overs)
The chase was as straightforward as Zalmi’s effort in the field suggested it should be. Mohammad Haris opened aggressively with 35 off 28 – five fours, one six – before edging to slip off Saud Shakeel in the ninth over. That brought in Kusal Mendis, who contributed 21 off 19 before Alzarri Joseph had him caught in the 15th. Two wickets, two set batters dismissed – and it still barely registered as pressure for Zalmi.
Babar Azam was masterful throughout. His unbeaten 71 off 51 included 10 fours – no sixes, just clean hitting and surgical placement that made Quetta’s bowling look ordinary. Captain in form, captain in control. He and Aaron Hardie (18* off 14) knocked off the remaining 32 runs without alarm to complete the win inside the 19th over.
Quetta’s bowling attack had no answers. Alzarri Joseph (1/32 off 4) and Abrar Ahmed (0/31 off 4) were the pick of a flat unit. Jahandad Khan was expensive in his 2.3 overs, conceding 27, and Tom Curran went for 13 off one. Saud Shakeel (1/23) and Usman Tariq (0/25) completed the set without threatening to change the outcome.
Key Performances
Babar Azam – 71* (51), SR 139.22: A captain’s knock that barely broke sweat. Ten fours, composed from start to finish. Babar’s PSL 2026 form is building into something significant – this was his best knock of the tournament so far.
Sufiyan Muqeem – 3/25 (4 overs), Econ 6.25: Three wickets in an economical spell that stifled Quetta’s middle order repeatedly. The left-arm angle caused problems for both right and left-handers.
Mohammad Basit – 3/36 (4 overs), Econ 9.00: Picked up three wickets including Rossouw and Curran, but the economy rate shows Quetta did get at him in patches. Three wickets still counts as a match-winning contribution.
Mohammad Haris – 35 (28), SR 125: Gave Zalmi a brisk powerplay platform and looked set for a big one before Shakeel got the breakthrough. Played his role perfectly in a partnership of 75 with Babar.
How it Ended
Peshawar Zalmi won by 8 wickets with 9 balls remaining. Zalmi continue to look one of the strongest sides in PSL 2026. Quetta Gladiators fall to a heavy defeat – their inability to post 170+ on a flat National Stadium surface proving the decisive factor once again.
Full scorecard and player ratings: statz.ai/cricket
