LAHORE: Fast bowler Ali Raza’s superb hat-trick in the final over and fine half-centuries by Kusal Mendis and Farhan Yousaf led Peshawar Zalmi to a clinical seven-wicket victory over Karachi Kings in their HBL Pakistan Super League match here at the Gaddafi Stadium on Wednesday.
The win kept Zalmi firmly at the top with eight wins in nine games while Kings after suffering their fifth loss in eight outings lie at the seventh spot in the eight-team league.
Chasing 183, Zalmi came home in 18.5 overs for the loss of three wickets as Mendis and Yousaf scripted the win with a record 119-run partnership for the fourth wicket for Zalmi, surpassing the 116-run stand set by Shoaib Malik and Haider Ali against Lahore Qalandars in the 2020 edition.
Despite losing openers James Vince and Babar Azam, who is currently enjoying a purple patch with the bat in powerplay, Zalmi made sure they maintain their magnificent unbeaten run in the ongoing edition.
Babar (25 off 19 balls) was sent back in the fifth over by Abbas Afridi as the batter miscued an across-the-line-shot to give skipper David Warner a simple catch at mid-off. Vince, playing his first game of PSL 11, was caught behind by Azam Khan off pacer Hasan Ali to leave Zalmi at 45-2 in the sixth over as they posted 54 in powerplay. And when Aaron Hardie was cleaned up by Khushdil Shah (five) in the eighth over the task looked tougher with Zalmi at 67-3.
However, Mendis and Yousaf had other ideas as they completed the task without any further loss.
Maintaining his sublime batting form that he exhibited earlier in Karachi, Mendis batted with command alongside Yousaf to steer Zalmi past 100 in the 12th over.
The pair changed gears as they reached 150 in 16.1 overs as the required run-rate came down.
Mendis, who reached fifty in just 28 balls, faced only 43 balls in smashing 80 not out – his fourth half-century of the ongoing PSL – adorned with five fours and four sixes while Yousaf cracked 58 off 36 with the help of five fours and three sixes. He faced just 35 balls to complete the half-century.
Hasan (1-52), Khushdil (1-40), Abbas (1-46), Moeen Ali (0-21 from two overs) proved expensive as opening bowler Shahid Aziz was injured after delivering only one over in which he conceded just one run.
Earlier after electing to bat first, Kings rode on an impressive knock by opener Jason Roy to earn a fighting total of 182-9 in 20 overs.
The final over of the Kings’ innings saw the fall of four wickets, including a hat-trick by the 19-year-old Ali, without the addition of a run to the total.
After Abbas was run out, tall paceman Ali in a magnificent show dismissed Khushdil (12), Shahid Aziz and Hasan on consecutive deliveries to end the innings on a high. Ali’s 4-41 show prevented Kings from launching a late onslaught that proved decisive in the end.
Prior to the hat-trick, Kings’ innings revolved around Roy’s 51-ball 85, the 35-year-old’s first fifty of the ongoing PSL. Ali gave Zalmi the huge wicket of Warner (11) when the southpaw was bowled in the fifth over.
Kings raced to 55-1 courtesy Roy’s fast-paced batting but the batter did not find any reliable partner in the middle until Azam (35 off 19) came to the crease as Salman Ali Agha and Reeza Hendricks did not last long.
From 98-3 in the 13th over, Roy and Azam propelled their team to 161 before the latter got back to the dugout as Farhan took a nice diving catch at long-on off spinner Iftikhar Ahmed in the 18th over. Azam struck three fours and as many sixes.
Zalmi took a sigh of relief in the penultimate over when pacer Mohammad Basit dismissed Roy, caught brilliantly by Vince at widish long-on. Having cracked fifty off 30, the batter ensured his team post a solid total.
Later, head coach Ottis Gibson said Zalmi’s unbeaten was a result of the playing XI’s best combination and that of coaching staff.
“All our main batters including Babar Azam, Kusal Mendis, and youngster Farhan Yousaf, are performing [well]. After two Bangladesh pacers left the team for national duty, Ali and Basit are doing a good job,” Gibson told reporters. Similarly, he said, the coaching team comprising Misbah-ul-Haq, Azhar Ali and Azhar Mahmood were operating ing well. “So, I am happy for having a good combination in all the departments.”
Scoreboard
KARACHI KINGS: Jason Roy c Vince b Basit85 David Warner b Ali Raza11 Salman Ali Agha c Basit b Hardie12 Reeza Hendricks c Basit b Sufiyan13 Azam Khan c Farhan b Iftikhar35 Khushdil Shah hit wicket b Ali12 Abbas Afridi run out6 Moeen Ali not out0 Shahid Aziz b Ali0 Hasan Ali b Ali0
EXTRAS (LB-2, W-6)8 TOTAL (for nine wickets, 20 overs)182 DID NOT BAT: Zahid Mahmood FALL OF WICKETS: 1-35 (Warner), 2-71 (Salman), 3-98 (Hendricks), 4-161 (Azam), 5-164 (Roy), 6-182 (Abbas), 7-182 (Khushdil), 8-182 (Shahid), 9-182 (Hasan) BOWLING: Basit 4-0-33-1 (1w), Iftikhar 4-0-37-1, Ali 4-0-41-4 (2w), Sufiyan 4-0-43-1 (3w), Aaron 4-0-26-1 PESHAWAR ZALMI: James Vince c Azam b Hasan16 Babar Azam c Warner b Abbas25 Kusal Mendis not out80 Aaron Hardie b Khushdil5 Farhan Yousaf not out58 EXTRAS (NB-1, W-1)2 TOTAL (for three wickets, 18.5 overs)186 DID NOT BAT: Michael Bracewell, Iftikhar Ahmed, Abdul Samad, Sufiyan Muqeem, Mohammad Basit, Ali Raza FALL OF WICKETS: 1-37 (Babar), 2-45 (Vince), 3-67 (Hardie) BOWLING: Shahid 1-0-1-0, Khushdil 4-0-40-1, Hasan 3.5-0-52-1, Abbas 4-0-46-1 (1w, 1nb), Zahid 4-0-26-0, Moeen 2-0-21-0 RESULT: Peshawar Zalmi won by seven wickets. MAN-OF-THE-MATCH: Kusal Mendis
Points table
(Tabulated under matches, won, lost, no results, points, run-rate) Peshawar Zalmi 9 8 0 1 17 2.645 Multan Sultans 9 6 3 0 12 0.450
Islamabad United 7 4 2 1 9 1.481 Hyderabad Kingsmen 8 4 4 0 8 -0.367 Lahore Qalandars 8 4 4 0 8 -0.503 Quetta Gladiators 9 3 6 0 6 -0.355 Karachi Kings 8 3 5 0 6 -1.292 Rawalpindiz 8 0 8 0 0 -1.647
Published in Dawn, April 23rd, 2026
