Mendis, bowlers extend Zalmi's unbeaten run

Peshawar Zalmi marched to the top of the PSL 2026 points table with a 76-run thrashing of Lahore Qalandars in Karachi. Kusal Mendis' 48-ball 74 set the platform for Zalmi's match-winning 173/7, aided by Michael Bracewell's all-round show as he chipped in a 10-ball cameo worth 21 and then returned 3 for 18 from his four overs to restrict Lahore to just 97 in reply.

Mohammad Haris dominated the brief opening stand, making all of the 18 runs before Shaheen Afridi struck in the third over. Babar Azam played the anchor while Mendis was the aggressor in the century stand that followed. The duo put on 109 runs in 79 deliveries, setting up Zalmi for a big score. Babar fell seven short of his fifty, but chipped in a valuable 40-ball knock to stabilise the innings after an early setback.

Mendis played in a different gear altogether, hitting five boundaries and four sixes in his 48-ball effort that came at a strike-rate of 154.17. Bracewell also hit a couple of maximums in his 10-ball cameo before a 5-18 collapse at the rear end prevented a 200+ score. Afridi, the pick of the bowlers, bagged two of those, including Mendis.

Lahore's chase never gained momentum. Soriful Islam struck in the very first over before a brief 39-run partnership flowed between Fakhar Zaman and Abdullah Shafique, who jointly top-scored with a meagre 21. Once that partnership was broken, in the final Powerplay over, Lahore lost a wicket nearly every over thereafter until the 14th. In the process, they slipped from 43/1 to 75 for 9.

The last-wicket pair of Dunith Wellalage (20 off 24) and Mustafizur Rahman delayed the inevitable with a valiant 22-ball partnership that was too little and too late. Alongside Bracewell, Sufiyan Muqeem also picked a three-fer – 3 for 21 from his four overs – as Lahore were shot down for just 97 by the end of the 17th over.

Brief scores: Peshawar Zalmi 173/7 in 20 overs (Kusal Mendis 74, Babar Azam 43, Michael Bracewell 21; Shaheen Afridi 3-22) beat Lahore Qalandars 97 all out in 17 overs (Abdullah Shafique 21, Fakhar Zaman 21; Michael Bracewell 3-18, Sufiyan Muqeem 3-21) by 76 runs.