2026 Peshawar Zalmi season
2026 season of Peshawar Zalmi
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Peshawar Zalmi is a Pakistani professional Twenty20 franchise cricket team based in Peshawar, Pakistan, that competed in the 2026 Pakistan Super League. It was the team's eleventh consecutive season in the Pakistan Super League after renewing its franchise agreement for another decade in December 2025.[1] Peshawar were coached by Ottis Gibson and captained by Babar Azam.
| 2026 season | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Coach | Ottis Gibson | ||
| Captain | Babar Azam | ||
| Ground(s) | Imran Khan Cricket Stadium | ||
| Final | Champions | ||
| |||
Peshawar finished the league stage at the top of the points table and qualified for the final after defeating Islamabad United in the Qualifier. They won their second Pakistan Super League title by defeating Hyderabad Kingsmen by five wickets in the 2026 Pakistan Super League final, played on 3 May 2026 at Gaddafi Stadium, Lahore.[2]
Squad
Pakistan Super League introduced an auction model for the first time in the 2026 season, allowing teams to select players by bidding in Pakistani rupees.[3] Teams were also allowed to directly sign one foreign player who was not part of previous season.[3] Zalmi's signed Aaron Hardie as their directly signed player. Teams were also allowed to retain up to 4 players who were part of their squads in previous seasons, while new teams were allowed to sign 4 players before the auction to match with other franchises.[4] Peshawar retained Babar Azam, Abdul Samad, Sufiyan Muqeem and Ali Raza from their squad.[5][6]
Player auction for the PSL 11 was held on 11 February 2026.[5] Following is the full squad of Peshawar Zalmi after the player auction and retentions.[7]
|
| No. | Name | Nationality | Birth date | Salary | Batting style | Bowling style | Year signed | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Batsmen | ||||||||
| 56 | Babar Azam |  Pakistan |
15 October 1994 | PKR 7.0 crore | Right-handed | Right-arm off break | 2022 | Captain |
| 45 | Abdul Samad | Pakistan |
25 January 1998 | PKR 2.8 crore | Right-handed | Right-arm leg break | 2025 | |
| 14 | James Vince |  England |
14 March 1991 | PKR 3.00 crore | Right-handed | Right-arm medium pace | 2026 | |
| 97 | Tanzid Hasan |  Bangladesh |
1 December 2000 | PKR 1.1 crore | Left-handed | left-arm medium pace | 2026 | |
| 45 | Mirza Tahir Baig | Pakistan |
15 October 1998 | PKR 60 lakh | Right-handed | Right-arm medium pace | 2026 | |
| Wicket-keepers | ||||||||
| 29 | Mohammad Haris | Pakistan |
30 March 2001 | PKR 2.20 crore | Right-handed | — | 2026 | |
| 14 | Kusal Mendis |  Sri Lanka |
2 February 1995 | PKR 4.20 crore | Right-handed | — | 2026 | |
| All-rounders | ||||||||
| 20 | Aaron Hardie |  Australia |
7 January 1999 | PKR | Right-handed | Right-arm medium-fast | 2026 | |
| 4 | Michael Bracewell |  New Zealand |
14 February 1991 | PKR 4.20 crore | Left-handed | Right-arm off break | 2026 | |
| 95 | Iftikhar Ahmed | Pakistan |
3 September 1990 | PKR 1.80 crore | Right-handed | Right-arm off break | 2026 | |
| 65 | Aamir Jamal | Pakistan |
5 July 1996 | PKR 1.90 crore | Right-handed | Right-arm medium-fast | 2026 | |
| 7 | Khalid Usman | Pakistan |
20 May 1986 | PKR 60 lakh | Right-handed | Slow left arm orthodox | 2026 | |
| Bowlers | ||||||||
| 82 | Sufiyan Muqeem | Pakistan |
15 November 1999 | PKR 4.48 crore | Left-handed | Left-arm unorthodox | 2023 | |
| 11 | Ali Raza | Pakistan |
18 March 2008 | PKR 1.96 crore | Right-handed | Right-arm medium-fast | 2025 | |
| 23 | Abdul Subhan | Pakistan |
14 October 2004 | PKR 62.5 lakh | Right-handed | Right-arm medium-fast | 2026 | |
| 49 | Khurram Shahzad | Pakistan |
1 October 1999 | PKR 2.70 crore | Right-handed | Right-arm fast-medium | 2026 | |
| 45 | Nahid Rana | Bangladesh |
2 October 2002 | PKR 60 lakh | Right-handed | Right-arm fast | 2026 | |
| — | Kashif Ali | Pakistan |
N/A | PKR 60 lakh | N/A | N/A | 2026 | |
| 26 | Shahnawaz Dahani | Pakistan |
5 August 1998 | PKR 60 lakh | Right-handed | Right-arm fast-medium | 2026 | |
| 47 | Shoriful Islam | Bangladesh |
3 June 2001 | PKR 1.1 Crore | Left-handed | Left-arm fast-medium | 2026 | |
Coaching and Management Staff
- Head Coach: Ottis Gibson[8]
- Batting Coach: Misbah-ul-Haq[9]
- Director of Cricket: Mohammad Akram
Season standings
Points table
| Pos | Team | Pld | W | L | NR | Pts | NRR | Qualification |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Peshawar Zalmi (C) | 10 | 8 | 1 | 1 | 17 | 2.324 | Advanced to the Qualifier |
| 2 | Islamabad United (3rd) | 10 | 6 | 3 | 1 | 13 | 1.667 | |
| 3 | Multan Sultans (4th) | 10 | 6 | 4 | 0 | 12 | 0.326 | Advanced to the Eliminator 1 |
| 4 | Hyderabad Kingsmen (R) | 10 | 5 | 5 | 0 | 10 | −0.361 | |
| 5 | Lahore Qalandars | 10 | 5 | 5 | 0 | 10 | −0.482 | Eliminated |
| 6 | Karachi Kings | 10 | 5 | 5 | 0 | 10 | −0.869 | |
| 7 | Quetta Gladiators | 10 | 3 | 7 | 0 | 6 | −0.410 | |
| 8 | Rawalpindiz | 10 | 1 | 9 | 0 | 2 | −1.760 |
Source: ESPNcricinfo
- Notes
- C = Champions;
- R = Runners-up;
- (x) = Position at the end of the tournament;
League progression
| Win | Loss | No result |
- Note: The total points at the end of each group match are listed.
- Note: Click on the points (group matches) or W/L (playoffs) to see the match summary.
Fixtures
League stage
Rawalpindiz 214/4 (20 overs) |
v |
Peshawar Zalmi 218/5 (19.1 overs) |
- Rawalpindiz won the toss and elected to bat.
Hyderabad Kingsmen 145 (18.2 overs) |
v |
Peshawar Zalmi 146/6 (20 overs) |
- Peshawar Zalmi won the toss and elected to field.
Peshawar Zalmi 246/3 (20 overs) |
v |
Karachi Kings 87 (16.1 overs) |
- Karachi Kings won the toss and elected to field.
- Babar Azam (Peshawar Zalmi) became the fastest batter to score 12,000 runs in T20s.[11]
- Kusal Mendis (Peshawar Zalmi) scored his maiden century in Pakistan Super League and became the first player from Sri Lanka to score a century in Pakistan Super League.[12]
- The 191-run partnership between Kusal Mendis and Babar Azam (Peshawar Zalmi) became the highest partnership for any wicket in the Pakistan Super League.[13]
- Peshawar Zalmi scored their highest total in Pakistan Super League.[14]
- Karachi Kings scored their lowest total in Pakistan Super League.
- Peshawar Zalmi recorded the largest win by runs in Pakistan Super League.[15]
Peshawar Zalmi 173/7 (20 overs) |
v |
Lahore Qalandars 97 (17 overs) |
- Lahore Qalandars won the toss and elected to field.
- Dunith Wellalage (Islamabad United) made his debut in PSL.
- Babar Azam (Peshawar Zalmi) scored his 4,000th run in Pakistan Super League.[16]
Peshawar Zalmi 196/6 (20 overs) |
v |
Multan Sultans 172/8 (20 overs) |
- Multan Sultans won the toss and elected to field.
Quetta Gladiators 154 (20 overs) |
v |
Peshawar Zalmi 156/2 (18.3 overs) |
- Peshawar Zalmi won the toss and elected to field.
- Mohammad Basit (Peshawar Zalmi) made his debut in PSL.
- Rilee Rossouw (Quetta Gladiators) became the first overseas player to play 100 matches in the PSL.[17]
- Babar Azam (Peshawar Zalmi) scored his 100th half-century in T20s.[18]
Peshawar Zalmi 255/3 (20 overs) |
v |
Quetta Gladiators 137 (18.1 overs) |
- Quetta Gladiators won the toss and elected to field.
- Peshawar Zalmi scored their highest total in Pakistan Super League, surpassing 246/3 which scored earlier in this season.[citation needed]
Karachi Kings 182/9 (20 overs) |
v |
Peshawar Zalmi 186/3 (18.5 overs) |
- Karachi Kings won the toss and elected to bat.
- Kusal Mendis (Peshawar Zalmi) scored his 6,000th run in T20s.
- Kusal Mendis (Peshawar Zalmi) surpassed Rilee Rossouw for the record of most runs by an overseas batsman in a single PSL edition, reaching a total of 493 runs.
Peshawar Zalmi 199/4 (20 overs) |
v |
Lahore Qalandars 200/4 (19.3 overs) |
- Lahore Qalandars won the toss and elected to field.
- Karachi Kings were eliminated as a result of this match.
- Lahore Qalandars broke Peshawar Zalmi's record of 8-match win streak in Pakistan Super League.
Playoffs
Peshawar Zalmi 221/7 (20 overs) |
v |
Islamabad United 151 (18.4 overs) |
- Islamabad United won the toss and elected to field.
Hyderabad Kingsmen 129 (18 overs) |
v |
Peshawar Zalmi 130/5 (15.2 overs) |
- Peshawar Zalmi won the toss and elected to field.
Statistics
Most runs
| Player | Inns | Runs | Ave | HS | 50s | 100s |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Babar Azam | 11 | 588 | 73.50 | 103 | 3 | 2 |
| Kusal Mendis | 11 | 550 | 55.00 | 109 | 4 | 1 |
| Mohammad Haris | 9 | 206 | 22.8 | 47 | 0 | 0 |
- Source: ESPNcricinfo
Most wickets
| Player | Inns | Wkts | Ave | BBI |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Sufiyan Muqeem | 11 | 22 | 14.40 | 4/32 |
| Iftikhar Ahmed | 10 | 12 | 19.75 | 4/21 |
| Aaron Hardie | 6 | 11 | 12.81 | 4/27 |
- Source: ESPNcricinfo