Hardie’s all-round show guides Zalmi to second PSL title

An all-round performance by Aaron Hardie powered Peshawar Zalmi to a five-wicket victory over Hyderabad Kingsmen in the final of the 10th edition of the HBL Pakistan Super League, securing their second title at Lahore’s Gaddafi Stadium on Sunday.

Chasing a modest target, Zalmi endured a disastrous start, losing both openers in the very first over. Mohammad Haris scored six before departing, while captain Babar Azam — the tournament’s top scorer, was gone first ball, caught behind.

Kusal Mendis and Hardie attempted to stabilise the innings, taking the score to 33, but Mendis, the second-highest run-getter of the season, fell for nine to leave Zalmi in further trouble.

Michael Bracewell also departed cheaply as Zalmi slumped to 40 for four within the powerplay, placing the Kingsmen firmly in control.

With the innings in jeopardy, Hardie found support in Abdul Samad, and the pair stitched together a crucial partnership to revive the chase. The duo batted with composure, rotating the strike effectively while dispatching loose deliveries to the boundary.

Their match-defining 85-run partnership flipped the contest. Samad fell for a fluent 48 — laced with four sixes and three fours — with victory within touching distance.

Hardie finished the job clinically, sealing the chase with 28 balls remaining to crown Zalmi champions once again — their first title since 2017.

Aaron Hardie, who scored a clinical 58 and claimed four wickets earlier in the match, was named player of the match for his decisive all-round display.

Earlier, despite Saim Ayub’s fighting 54, Kingsmen managed only a modest 129 against Zalmi in the high-pressure final.

Peshawar Zalmi won the toss and opted to field — a decision that paid early dividends as in-form Maaz Sadaqat fell in the second over after scoring 11.

Captain Marnus Labuschagne then joined Ayub, and together they took the score past 50 in the fifth over. However, just as the Kingsmen appeared to settle, Labuschagne was dismissed for 20.

The innings suffered another setback when their leading batter Usman Khan, who had scored 389 runs in the tournament before the final, was bowled by Sufiyan Muqeem for just eight.

What followed was a dramatic collapse as Kingsmen, after reaching 71 for two, lost four wickets for just one run. Glenn Maxwell, Irfan Niazi and Kusal Perera all departed in quick succession, leaving the side reeling at 73 for six.