PSL 2026: Babar, Muqeem guide Peshawar to another clinical win over Quetta Gladiators

Peshawar Zalmi extended their reign at the top of the points table with a clinical eight-wicket victory in the Pakistan Super League 2026 (PSL 2026) against Quetta Gladiators on Wednesday, April 15 at National Stadium, Karachi. After being asked to bat first, Quetta struggled to maintain momentum throughout their innings and were eventually skittled for 154 in 20 overs as Mohammad Basit (3/36) and Sufiyan Muqeem ran through their lineup.

In reply, Peshawar chased down the target in 18.3 overs with captain Babar Azam leading the charge with a scintillating innings. The ominous signs of Quetta’s batting disaster were evident in the first over itself, when Iftikhar Ahmed removed opener Ahsan Ali (4 off 3). After the early blow, captain Saud Shakeel (16 off 13) and Rilee Rossouw (26 off 18) tried to calm things down with a 35-run stand off 23 balls.

However, some poor communication led to Shakeel’s unfortunate run out while Rossouw lost his stumps against Muqeem. Hasan Nawaz (37 off 35) walked in at number four and tried holding one end, but found no support as Basit and Muqeem tightened their grip on Quetta’s batters.

Some late contributions from Khawaja Nafay (20 off 13) and Tom Curran (15 off 10), helped their team cross the 150-run mark in their allotted 20 overs. In reply, Mohammad Haris (35 off 28) and Babar Azam (71* off 51), got Peshawar off to a brilliant start with a 75-run stand off 53 balls.

It took the golden arm of captain Saud Shakeel to allow Quetta to get the first breakthrough as he got rid of Shakeel. However, captain Babar ensured that there were no hiccups in the run chase, by staying at the crease till the end and seeing his team over the line.

Courtesy of their victory, Peshawar Zalmi maintained their top spot with 13 points from seven games, while Quetta slipped to fifth spot with four points from six matches.

Best Batter of the Match

Best Bowler of the Match

Player of the Match

Sufiyan Muqeem was adjudged Player of the Match for his game-changing spell of 3/25 in four overs. He got rid of Rilee Rossouw, Shamyl Hussain and Khawaja Nafay to break the back of Peshawar's batting line-up and trigger a collapse in the middle overs. His spell also became the turning point of the match.

What did the captains say:

Winning Captain, Babar Azam (Peshawar Zalmi):

Throughout the tournament our bowling has delivered. The way Sufiyan and the rest are chipping in, it's a team game. Have to highlight the hard work that was put in during the break we got. Even the players who aren't playing are keeping themselves ready. The way Basit played today and delivered. Everyone trying to give 100 percent in their roles. Feeling good about my batting. You get confidence the more you spend time in the middle.

Losing Captain, Saud Shakeel (Quetta Gladiators):

Was a 175-180 pitch. Repeating the same mistakes of losing wickets in the middle. We lose so many wickets that we ourselves are not able to decide how to play in that phase. Did better in the previous game but repeated the mistakes today. Sometimes we get so much into tactics that we forget the basics. When we don't post big scores, teams can afford to play our spinners carefully. They don't take too many chances and that's why their wickets column isn't great.