It was a final full of twists, but one player stood above the rest. Aaron Hardie delivered a stunning all-round performance to lead Peshawar Zalmi to the PSL 11 title.

Hyderabad was cruising at one stage… then everything fell apart

The Hyderabad Kingsmen were all guns blazing with the bat, racing to 50 runs in just 4.3 overs and ending the powerplay at a comfortable 69/2. But their innings quickly unravelled as wickets tumbled in clusters during the middle overs. Saim Ayub’s patient 50 off 42 balls (5 fours, 2 sixes) was not enough to save Hyderabad from collapsing from a promising position to 115/8 in 14.6 overs. The lower order failed to recover, and they were bowled out for 129 in 18 overs losing their last wickets cheaply.

Zalmi too, in return did not have the best start. They lost 4 wickets in the early powerplay and were under pressure. But Hardie was there again, this time with a bat. He shared a crucial partnership with Abdul Samad and helped to steady the innings.

Aaron Hardie Turns the Match Around

Hardie was the match-winner as he hit an unbeaten 56 to guide his team to the target with confidence. When Zalmi passed 100 the result was a formality. They comfortably chased down the total and won the final.

Hardie all-round brilliance with the ball and an unbeaten half-century was instrumental in helping Peshawar Zalmi win the title.

The innings was hit by another blow with the loss of their leading batsman Usman Khan, who had made 389 runs in the competition coming into the final, bowled by Sufiyan Muqeem for just eight.

Kingsmen lost four wickets for just one run as they slumped from 71 for two to 72 for six, paying the price for poor running between wickets. The side was reeling at 73 for six as Glenn Maxwell, Irfan Niazi and Kusal Perera all went in quick succession. Hassan Khan and Ayub steadied the innings briefly and pushed the total to 90 before Aaron Hardie struck again to end Hassan’s stay. Naheed Rana got Hunain Shah out for nine soon after.

Ayub, however, continued his lone resistance and brought up a fighting half-century, scoring 54 off 50 balls, before his innings ended when Hardie claimed his third wicket.

PM Shehbaz graces PSL final at Gaddafi Stadium

The final was played at Gaddafi Stadium where Shehbaz Sharif met the players and congratulated both the teams on their performance.

When the pressure was at its peak, Aaron Hardie delivered with both bat and ball, turning the final in Zalmi’s favor. His match-winning performance will be remembered as the defining moment of Pakistan Super League Season 11.

PSLFinal

Credit: Independent News Pakistan (INP)