Rana-Hardie pair leads Peshawar Zalmi to end nine-year title drought

Peshawar Zalmi clinched their second PSL title after nine years, riding on a dominant all-round performance from Bangladesh pacer Nahid Rana and Australian all-rounder Aaron Hardie in the final against Hyderabad Kingsmen.

At the Gaddafi Stadium in Lahore on Sunday (May 3), Zalmi restricted Hyderabad to 129 all out in 18 overs before chasing down the target with 28 balls to spare, losing five wickets.

The franchise, which specifically brought Nahid Rana for the final, immediately reaped the benefits as the Bangladesh speedster delivered a fiery spell. Nahid took 2 wickets for 22 runs in 4 overs, including a maiden, troubling the opposition with pace, bounce, and yorkers. He also became the only bowler in the tournament to bowl two maiden overs.

Aaron Hardie matched the impact with the ball, claiming 4 wickets for just 27 runs, dismantling Hyderabad’s batting lineup alongside Nahid.

Hyderabad, despite a fighting 54 off 50 balls from Saim Ayub, collapsed around him. No other batter crossed 20, with Glenn Maxwell and Hunain Shah falling cheaply. The innings folded well short of a competitive total.

In response, Zalmi was rocked early, slipping to 40 for 4 inside the powerplay. Captain Babar Azam was dismissed for a golden duck in a high-pressure final, while Mohammad Haris (6), Kusal Mendis (9), and Michael Bracewell (4) failed to deliver.

However, Hardie starred again with the bat, anchoring a crucial 85-run stand for the fifth wicket with Abdul Samad. Hardie remained unbeaten on 56 off 39 balls, hitting nine boundaries, while Samad scored 48.

Zalmi sealed the win in the following over after Samad’s dismissal, completing the chase comfortably and ending a nine-year wait for the title. The franchise had previously won the PSL in 2017 but had lost three finals since then.