Defending champions Lahore Qalandars kept their 2026 Pakistan Super League (PSL 11) campaign alive and knocked Karachi Kings out of the tournament with a hard-fought six-wicket win over Peshawar Zalmi at Gaddafi Stadium.
Chasing a daunting 200-run target in a must-win game, Lahore reached the target with three balls to spare, finishing on 200/4 thanks to a calm unbeaten knock from Fakhar Zaman and a late surge from Daniel Sams.
The result lifted Lahore to 10 points from 10 matches and pushed them into the top four on net run rate, leaving Karachi Kings eliminated despite also finishing on 10 points.
Lahore did not enjoy the best start to the chase as Mohammad Naeem fell for 10 in the third over with only 21 runs on the board. But Fakhar Zaman steadied the innings and kept Lahore in the hunt with useful partnerships through the middle overs.
He first added important runs with Abdullah Shafique, who made 25, and then with Charith Asalanka, who chipped in with 33. Lahore’s chase gathered real momentum when Sikandar Raza produced a rapid 29 off 11 balls, adding 41 runs in just 18 deliveries with Fakhar before being dismissed in unusual fashion with a hit-wicket.
Even then, Lahore did not lose control. Daniel Sams played a blistering cameo of 35 not out off 15 balls, helping the Qalandars finish the chase in the final over. Fakhar remained unbeaten throughout with 58 off 47 balls, striking four fours and two sixes.
Earlier, Peshawar Zalmi had posted 199/4 after recovering from an early wobble.
Their innings began poorly when Shaheen Shah Afridi removed James Vince for 10 and then dismissed the in-form Kusal Mendis for seven, reducing Zalmi to 36/2.
From there, Babar Azam and Michael Bracewell rebuilt the innings with a strong 94-run stand. Babar scored 59 off 45 balls, hitting five fours and a six, while Bracewell went on to play the standout innings for Zalmi with 83 off 45 deliveries, smashing eight fours and six sixes.
After Babar’s dismissal in the 16th over, Bracewell continued the charge and shared another valuable partnership with Iftikhar Ahmed, who remained unbeaten on 27 off 14 balls, as Zalmi finished just short of the 200 mark.
For Lahore, Shaheen Afridi and Haris Rauf claimed two wickets each.
The win has kept Lahore’s playoff hopes alive, but qualification is still not fully confirmed. Their fate now depends on the final league-stage match between Hyderabad Kingsmen and RawalPindiz. Hyderabad must win by a big enough margin to level Lahore on points and overtake them on net run rate.
For Karachi Kings, however, Lahore’s victory officially ended their playoff hopes and marked the fourth time they have failed to reach the PSL playoffs since the league began in 2016.
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