Peshawar Zalmi vs Islamabad United, Qualifier, Pakistan Super League 2026 - CommentaryPSZ vs ISU, Qualifier, Pakistan Super League 2026 - Commentary

Zalmi will now head to Lahore to play the final on Sunday. Islamabad United will face the winner of Eliminator 1 on Friday. Just three matches remain, and the focus now shifts to Eliminator 1, where Multan Sultans take on Hyderabad Kingsmen tomorrow. Let’s hope for a close contest. Until then, cheers and goodbye!!

Babar Azam | Player of the Match - Peshawar Zalmi skipper: 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.

Shadab Khan | Islamabad United skipper: 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.

22:39 local, 17:39 GMT, 23:09 IST: Chasing 223, United got off to a blazing start, racing to 51 in the first four overs without losing a wicket. The momentum slowed in the last two overs of the powerplay, as they lost Conway and managed just 13 runs. Zalmi ensured that shift in momentum was never handed back. United kept losing wickets at regular intervals, with six falling between overs 8 and 14, and they completely lost steam. Credit to Zalmi - they were outstanding in the field and never allowed the pressure to get to them. All in all, it has been a well-rounded performance from Peshawar Zalmi as they storm into the finals for the first time in five years. Stick around for the post-match reactions...

Mohammad Basit to Salman Mirza, THATS OUT!! Caught!!

Mohammad Basit to Imad Wasim, THATS OUT!! Caught&Bowled!!