Peshawar Zalmi won the PSL 2026, defeating Hyderabad Kingsmen with five wickets and 28 balls in hand in the final. Here is Wisden’s team of the tournament.
Babar Azam (Peshawar Zalmi) – captain
M: 11 | 588 runs at 73.50, SR 146, HS: 103, 2 hundreds
In PSL 2026, Babar rediscovered his form – partly because he hit spin like he never had before – and carved out two hundreds. If the drought-ending first hundred was an unusual one (he played only one dot ball), the one in the Qualifier was instrumental in setting a steep target. He needed a solitary run in the final to break the all-time PSL season record, but fell first-ball.
Sahibzada Farhan (Multan Sultans)
M: 10 | 380 runs at 42.22, SR 167, HS: 106*, 1 hundred
The second opener’s spot faced toughest competition in this XI, and Farhan pipped Fakhar Zaman and Steve Smith to make the cut. All of them had excellent seasons, but Farhan’s exceptional numbers in wins (strike rate 175, average 57) tilted the balance in his favour. These included the 57-ball 106 not out against the Hyderabad Kingsmen, the first hundred of the season.
Kusal Mendis (Peshawar Zalmi) - wicketkeeper
M: 11 | 550 runs at 55.00, SR 168, HS: 109, 1 hundred | Ct: 8, St: 2
The other half of PZ’s formidable batting duo, Mendis set a new record for most runs by an overseas batter in a PSL season. More versatile than he has ever been, he held the Green Cap until very late in the season, and eventually finished 38 runs behind Babar (but at a significantly quicker rate).
Shan Masood (Multan Sultans)
M: 11 | 367 runs at 45.87, SR 158, HS: 69*
There was nothing in Masood’s sub-130 T20 career strike rate to suggest a season as exceptional as this. And yet, he scored the most runs at four or five in PSL 2026, and did that at an excellent strike rate and average. He scored both big and quick throughout the season. Even when MS were knocked out in the Eliminator 1, he scored a 46-ball 69 not out in their 159-9.
Usman Khan (Hyderabad Kingsmen)
M: 13 | 389 runs at 35.36, SR 163, HS: 101, 1 hundred
Masood might have got more runs in the middle-order, but Usman scored a quicker pace. The finest innings came against MS, when he emerged at 48-3 in pursuit of 214 and smashed a 47-ball 101 to seal the chase. Then, when HK won three games on the trot to reach the final, Usman hit a fifty (at 180-plus strike rates) in each of them.
Shadab Khan (Islamabad United)
M: 10 | 173 runs at 34.60, SR 142, HS: 69* | 17 wickets at 14.47, Ec 7.02, BBI: 3-13
With a 30-over cut-off, Shadab had the best economy and the second-best strike rate, showing how versatile he had been with the ball. He picked up crucial wickets but also put up a masterclass of defensive spin bowling as and when needed. Against Quetta Gladiators, he backed his 3-23 with a 39-ball 69 not out, played a couple of other cameos, and fielded brilliantly.
Aaron Hardie (Peshawar Zalmi)
M: 6 | 133 runs at 44.33, SR 149, HS: 56* | 11 wickets at 12.81, Ec 7.42, BBI: 4-27, 1 4WI
Hardierounded off PSL 2026 with one of the greatest final performances of all time. He first struck four times to bowl out HK for 129 after they were 41-1. And when PZ became 40-4 in response, he hit a 39-ball unbeaten 56 to see them through. He became the fifth to score a fifty and take four wickets in any tournament final. And yet, it was far from being his only quality performance: he picked up wickets and played vital cameos throughout the season.
Hunain Shah (Hyderabad Kingsmen)
M: 10 | 17 wickets at 18.41, Ec 8.57, BBI: 4-22, 1 4WI
Hunain earned himself a permanent place after his last over in Eliminator 2 when, coming to defend six against IU, he conceded only two singles and a leg-bye. Two games before that, HK needed a massive win against the Rawalpindiz: Hunain dismantled them with 4-22. The international cap may not be far away.
Mohammad Ali (Hyderabad Kingsmen)
M: 12 | 20 wickets at 18.95, Ec 8.36, BBI: 3-21
In the final, Ali’s three wickets brought a glimmer of hope to HK: it also completed an excellent run where he claimed at least one wicket in ten consecutive matches (including eight wickets in the last four, each of which was a must-win contest). Out of the national side for more than a year, it is to be seen whether this performance earns him a comeback.
Sufiyan Muqeem (Peshawar Zalmi)
M: 11 | 22 wickets at 14.40, Ec 7.20, BBI: 4-32, 1 4WI
The winner of the Maroon Cap in the 2026 PSL, Muqeem zoomed to the top of the wickets chart midway through the season, maintained a healthy lead thereafter, and announced himself as a competitor to Abrar Ahmed and Usman Tariq for a spot in the national side. Years later, cricket fans may look back at this tournament as the stage that catapulted him to the next level.
Nahid Rana (Peshawar Zalmi)
M: 5 | 9 wickets at 10,88, Ec 5.44, BBI: 3-7
Rana had played only four games before leaving for international commitment, but he had left a mark with his searing pace even then. Back with an NOC from the BCB for only the final, Rana struck twice more by hurrying batters for pace – Glenn Maxwell with a short ball, Hunain with a yorker.
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