PSL 2026: Babar's ton blows away Islamabad, takes Peshawar into final after 5 years

Peshawar Zalmi qualified for the final of the Pakistan Super League 2026 (PSL 2026), beating Islamabad United in Qualifier on Tuesday, April 28, at National Stadium, Karachi. After being put in to bat first, Peshawar posted a huge score of 221/7 in their 20 overs, riding on a magnificent century from captain Babar Azam.

In reply, Islamabad were bundled out for just 151 in 18.4 overs as Aaron Hardie, Sufiyan Muqeem (2/25), and Mohammad Basit (2/19, 3.4 overs) ran through the batting line-up. Earlier in the day, Peshawar got off to a terrific start as Mohammad Haris (35 off 16) and Babar Azam added 72 runs off 38 balls.

After Haris fell prey to Shadab Khan (3/42), Kusal Mendis (41 off 26) joined Babar at the crease and the duo stitched a massive 84-run stand for the second wicket off 51 balls to bring Peshawar in the driver’s seat.  

During the partnership, Babar brought up his fifty off 39 deliveries and set himself for a big knock. However, wickets tumbled from the other end as Peshawar went from 156/1 in 14.4 overs to 164/4 in 15.5 overs.

After a flurry of wickets, Babar took on the attack and brought up his century off 57 deliveries. In the end, a quick cameo from Aaron Hardie (20 off 10), helped Peshawar cross the 220-run mark.

In reply, Islamabad’s chase got off to a good start with Devon Conway (20 off 14) and Sameer Minhas (44 off 23), getting involved in a 58-run opening stand off 30 balls. After the duo returned to the pavilion, Mohsin Riaz (25 off 20) kept the innings going.

However, Islamabad suffered a dramatic collapse as Peshawar’s bowlers ran through their batting line-up and went from 98/2 to 151 all out to lose the match by 70 runs.

As a result, Peshawar qualified for the final, while Islamabad will take on the winner of the Eliminator 1 fixture in Eliminator 2 on May 1.

Top run-scorer of the Match

Top wicket-taker of the Match

Player of the Match

Babar Azam was adjudged Player of the Match for his magnificent century as he batted through Peshawar's innings to help them post a huge score. He scored a massive 103 off 59 balls with the help of 12 fours and four sixes.

Turning Point

Islamabad were on course in their run chase, being 98/2 in 10.2 overs with captain Shadab Khan and Mohsin Riaz at the crease. However, Shadab lost his wicket to Aaron Hardie after which, Islamabad ended up losing seven wickets for the next 53 runs. 

What did the captains say:

Winning Captain, Babar Azam (Peshawar Zalmi)

I’m starting to feel like I’m getting back to my best. I’m trying to keep things simple and trust my skills, and just execute my game according to the situation - what the pitch demands, how to handle different bowlers, and when to attack. The hard work I put in before the PSL is helping now, and while things weren’t the same earlier, they are starting to come back and I want to keep this consistency going. When you get a good start in the first six overs, it gives you a cushion to play your natural game and maintain the run rate. The way Haris plays and puts pressure on the opposition helps, and then I just try to play my role and carry that momentum forward. If we get 60-70 in the powerplay, the aim is to maintain that till the end, and even when one of us gets out, whether it’s me or Mendis, we try to continue that flow. The way Hardie and Sufiyan bowled was outstanding and that was the turning point of the match, and even Basit at the end bowled really well. Overall, it was a complete team effort in bowling and fielding, and full credit to the boys for executing the plans throughout the tournament. Now with the final coming up, we will enjoy this win but quickly shift our focus and look to execute our plans again.

Losing Captain, Shadab Khan (Islamabad United):

Finishing in the top two is important because it gives you another chance. We prefer chasing and have backed it, but I still feel we gave away 20–25 extra runs. In a chase like this, momentum is everything and when you keep losing wickets, you lose that momentum. The way they played, they outplayed us, especially the way Babar batted - he took the game away from us. The pitch was good, we started well in the powerplay, but our set batters got out at the wrong time. It’s part of the game, but we need to improve our execution in both batting and bowling. The advantage of finishing in the top two is that we still have another chance, and we will look to win the next match. Adaptability is important because every venue and pitch is different, and will have to adjust in Lahore and come back as a strong team.