The most recent PSL final — the last match of the 2026 season — was worth every minute of its highlights package. On 3 May 2026, Peshawar Zalmi beat Hyderabad Kingsmen by five wickets at Gaddafi Stadium, Lahore, ending a nine-year wait for their second title in front of a record 32,461 crowd. Here is how the final unfolded, phase by phase.
Quick answer: The PSL 2026 final (3 May 2026, Gaddafi Stadium): Hyderabad Kingsmen 129 all out (18 overs); Peshawar Zalmi 130/5 (15.2 overs) — Zalmi won by 5 wickets. Aaron Hardie was player of the match with 4/27 and an unbeaten 56*. The 32,461 attendance was the largest in PSL history.
In this guide
- The scorecard
- First innings: Kingsmen 129 all out
- The chase: Zalmi 130/5
- Hardie’s night
- Why this final mattered
- FAQs
The Scorecard
Hyderabad Kingsmen 129 all out in 18 overs vs Peshawar Zalmi 130/5 in 15.2 overs — Peshawar Zalmi won by five wickets with 28 balls to spare (cricbuzz.com; cricketworld.com). The margin flatters the chase slightly: Zalmi lost five wickets getting there, and for long stretches the Kingsmen’s bowlers kept the contest alive. But the result never seriously wobbled once Hardie found his rhythm.
First Innings: Kingsmen 129 All Out
Hyderabad — the debutants, in the final in their first season — won attention early but could not build an innings. Zalmi’s attack, led by Hardie’s 4/27, kept striking at the moments partnerships threatened. The Kingsmen were dismissed for 129 in 18 overs, a total that felt at least 30 short on a good Gaddafi Stadium surface. Their bowlers would need something special in the second half.
The bowling highlights
Hardie’s four-wicket haul was the innings’ defining spell — pace, bounce and clever changes of length that dismantled the middle order. It was the kind of performance that gets its own highlights spotlight: every wicket a different method, none of them lucky.
The Chase: Zalmi 130/5
Chasing 130, Zalmi made heavier weather of it than the target suggested. Five wickets fell, and at stages the Kingsmen’s attack — the same unit that had carried them to the final on debut — sensed an opening. But 130 was simply too few to defend without early carnage, and Zalmi’s depth told. The winning runs came with 28 balls remaining: comfortable on the scoreboard, tenser in the stands than the margin suggests.
Hardie’s Night
Aaron Hardie — 4/27 and 56* unbeaten — was the unanimous player of the match. All-round performances win finals; this one practically won it twice over. His bowling broke the Kingsmen’s innings, and his unbeaten fifty anchored the chase when wickets were falling around him. It is the single performance the official match video packages return to most from PSL 11 — the spell, the innings and the combined cut all live on the official channel.
Why This Final Mattered
Three storylines made this more than a trophy lift. First, Zalmi’s nine-year wait: champions in 2017, they had watched rivals collect titles while they fell short — 2026 ended the drought. Second, the Kingsmen’s debut fairytale: one of two new franchises in the expanded eight-team league (alongside Rawalpindi Pindiz), reaching the final in year one — see our new teams guide. Third, the record crowd of 32,461, the largest in PSL history, which turned Gaddafi Stadium into the spectacle the league’s eleventh season deserved. The win gave Zalmi their second title — nine years after their first — leaving Islamabad United and Lahore Qalandars (three each) as the league’s most successful franchises (mrcricketuae.com).
FAQs
What were the highlights of the PSL 2026 final?
Aaron Hardie’s all-round show — 4/27 with the ball and 56* unbeaten — as Peshawar Zalmi chased 130 to beat Hyderabad Kingsmen by five wickets on 3 May 2026.
Where can I watch the PSL 2026 final highlights?
On the PSL’s official YouTube channel and the PCB’s digital platforms, which carry the mini highlights, extended package and Hardie’s player spotlight.
What was the attendance at the PSL 2026 final?
32,461 at Gaddafi Stadium, Lahore — the largest crowd in PSL history.
When is the next PSL after 2026?
PSL 12 runs from 18 March to 2 May 2027. Our PSL 2026 hub covers the full season that led to this final.
