Kamal Ghorui
NEW DELHI: Babar Azam finally enjoyed his breakthrough moment as captain, with the relief evident on his face. Peshawar Zalmi ended their long title drought by beating Hyderabad Kingsmen by five wickets in the PSL 11 final at the Gaddafi Stadium on Sunday, where Mohsin Naqvi presented him with the trophy.This win marked Zalmi’s second league title and their first since 2017. Although Babar had already tasted PSL success twice before, this was his first trophy as a leader, making it particularly meaningful.The final belonged to Aaron Hardie, who played a decisive role with both ball and bat. He broke Hyderabad’s batting with figures of 4 for 27, restricting them to 129 in 18 overs. Saim Ayub tried to hold things together with a fighting 54, but regular wickets hurt Hyderabad’s chances.The chase didn’t begin well for Zalmi. They were reduced to 40 for 4 in quick time, and the early dismissal of Babar for a golden duck put them under pressure. Mohammad Haris, Kusal Mendis and Michael Bracewell also fell cheaply, leaving the side in trouble.Hardie then stepped up again, this time with the bat. Playing a calm yet attacking knock, he scored an unbeaten 56 from 39 balls, finding the boundary regularly. He built a crucial partnership of 85 runs with Abdul Samad, who contributed 48. Their stand turned the game around and brought Zalmi within touching distance of the target.Zalmi completed the chase in just 15.2 overs, wrapping up a dominant campaign in style. They had been the standout team throughout the tournament, losing only once, with Babar also matching Fakhar Zaman’s record for most runs in a single PSL season.Player of the Tournament: Sufiyan Muqeem (Peshawar Zalmi) – 22 wicketsMost Runs (Orange Cap): Babar Azam (Peshawar Zalmi) – 588 runsMost Wickets (Purple Cap): Sufiyan Muqeem (Peshawar Zalmi) – 22 wicketsPlayer of the Match in the final: Aaron HardieChampions: Peshawar ZalmiRunners-up: Hyderabad Kingsmen (debutant)
