Babar century powers Peshawar Zalmi into PSL 11 final

In the PSL Qualifier, Peshawar Zalmi defeated Islamabad United by 70 runs to advance to their first final since 2021, thanks to a superb hundred from Babar Azam. Islamabad, meanwhile, will now have to go through Eliminator 2 for another shot at the title clash. Asked to bat, Zalmi made full use of the conditions in Karachi and piled up 221 for 7, with Babar anchoring the innings from start to finish. With 12 fours and 4 sixes in his 59-ball 103, Islamabad had little room to recover from a costly start. Mohammad Haris provided the early charge with a 16-ball 35 as he and Babar put on 72 in just 38 deliveries. Zalmi scored 68 points in the Powerplay, their highest total this season, putting Islamabad under immediate threat. Once Haris departed, Babar continued to dictate terms with Kusal Mendis for company. The pair stitched together an 84-run stand for the second wicket, keeping the scoring rate high through the middle overs. Mendis lost in the 15th over after scoring 41 runs off 26 balls, but Zalmi had already established a solid foundation by that point. Shadab Khan briefly dragged Islamabad back by removing Michael Bracewell and Abdul Samad in successive balls but Zalmi did not slow down. Babar reached his hundred in the 18th over and his knock took him to 588 runs this season, matching the highest run-tally in a single PSL edition. Aaron Hardie added a late 20 off 10 balls to ensure the total crossed 220. Devon Conway and Sameer Minhas, who added 58 runs in five overs to keep the chase alive, gave Islamabad a strong response. But once Conway fell for 20 and Sameer followed for a 23-ball 44 in the ninth over, the innings unravelled quickly. From 81 for 2, Islamabad slipped to 114 for 7 as Zalmi's bowlers tightened the screws. Through the middle overs, Hardie and Sufiyan Muqeem struck repeatedly, leaving the lower order with too much work to do. Lower down the order, Imad Wasim scored 22, but Islamabad were bowled out for 151 in 18.4 overs. Hardie returned figures of 3 for 24 whereas Sufiyan claimed 2 for 25.