PSL 2026: Unbeaten Peshawar storm into playoffs as Babar, Mendis outclass Quetta

Peshawar Zalmi qualified for the Pakistan Super League 2026 (PSL 2026) playoffs with a commanding 118-run victory against Quetta Gladiators on Sunday, April 19 at National Stadium, Karachi. After being put in to bat first Peshawar posted a monumental score of 255/3 in their allotted 20 overs, riding on a splendid hundred from captain Babar Azam.

In reply, Quetta were bundled out for 137 in 18.1 overs with Mohammad Basit (3/26) and Ali Raza taking three wickets each. Earlier, Mohammad Haris (16 off 6) came out all guns blazing for Peshawar, but his innings was cut short in the second over by Alzarri Joseph.

Following his dismissal, Kusal Mendis (83 off 44) walked in at number three and stitched a 135-run stand off 75 balls for the second wicket with Babar. Mendis missed out on his century, falling prey to Usman Tariq. However, Babar reached the milestone on the last ball of the innings after getting involved in a quick-fire 66-run stand off 22 balls with Aaron Hardie (26* off 10) for the fourth wicket.

In reply, Quetta again had a terrible beginning to the run chase with Mohammad Basit removing captain Saud Shakeel (12 off 10) and Rilee Rossouw (0 off 1) off successive deliveries. They could never recover after a miserable start as wickets continued to tumble and were eventually bundled out for 137.

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. He slammed six fours and four sixes in his innings, guiding Peshawar to a humongous score.

Turning Point

Kusal Mendis pulled Jahandad Khan towards the deep square leg boundary on the last ball of the third over. The ball went towards Hasan Nawaz, who ended up dropping Mendis on 10, which cost Quetta dearly. After the reprieve, Mendis and Babar got involved in a massive 135-run stand for the second wicket to bring Peshawar into ascendancy. 

What did the captains say:

Winning Captain, Babar Azam (Peshawar Zalmi):

Scoring a hundred always feels special, no matter how many you’ve made before, and there’s a different kind of satisfaction in reaching that milestone again; when I took that run off the last ball, I had a slight doubt because after playing the shot I felt I might be late, but then when I completed it and realized I had gotten there, it brought out a completely different emotion, and I’m grateful to Almighty for helping me achieve it. [On structuring the innings] You always plan according to the match situation and conditions - how to assess them, what total is possible - and while Kusal Mendis was going well, my effort was to give him as much strike as possible since his shots were coming off nicely, and we aimed to keep the run rate around 10 to 15; once he got out, I stepped up and tried to carry that momentum forward. [On the team’s target] During the water break, the coaches also felt a 200-plus total was on the cards, and I believed it would happen if a set batter stayed till the end, which is what I tried to do, and later the small partnerships also helped push the total further. [On the bowling unit and youngsters] A lot of credit goes to the young players, especially the fast bowlers, who stepped up even after changes in the lineup, and even those who are not playing are putting in the hard work; we had an eight-day break where we focused a lot on improving ourselves, and the players are now executing those plans match by match. [On team strategy going forward] We’ve already qualified and now secured a top-two position, so we will discuss as a team and see in Lahore what the best possible combination is and whether we can give opportunities to players on the bench going ahead.

Losing Captain, Saud Shakeel (Quetta Gladiators):

I don’t think batting first was really an option; even if Babar had won the toss, they likely would have chosen to bowl first as well, but regardless of that, you still have to execute your plans, and we couldn’t play our best cricket across all three departments, which is why we ended up with this result. [Reflecting on overall team performance] It happens in tournaments like this that sometimes you have an off game, but if you’re not consistent, you fall behind quickly, and as players and as a team, we are always trying to keep our results consistent, although today credit goes to Babar and also to Kusal Mendis for the way he batted, they deserved to win. [On the current points table situation] The good thing is that four teams are on six points, so there’s still an opportunity, but from here on there’s very little margin for error, and for us it’s simple - we need to win both our remaining matches and hope for some favorable results elsewhere, and when that situation comes, we tend to play even better.