The Pakistan Super League 2026 has entered a decisive phase, with Peshawar Zalmi setting the pace after a victory on Monday, April 13, against Multan Sultans at the National Bank Stadium in Karachi. Riding momentum under captain Babar Azam, the franchise has looked like one of the tournament’s most dependable sides again, winning five of their six outings and staying unbeaten up to this point.
Key takeaways
- Peshawar Zalmi beat Multan Sultans by 24 runs on April 13 at Karachi’s National Bank Stadium.
- Kusal Mendis top-scored for Peshawar with 68 off 40 balls to help them reach 196.
- Peshawar’s position at the top of the table strengthened after the win, moving them 3 points further.
- Babar Azam faced fresh criticism for his strike rate after scoring 18 off 20 balls.
- In PSL 2026 so far, Babar has 230 runs from five innings, averaging 57.50 and sitting third in the Green Cap race.
- Mendis leads the Green Cap standings with 309 runs, while Multan’s Sahibzada Farhan has 249.
How Peshawar built the win
Peshawar’s latest triumph came as they defended their total after posting 196 runs, a score built around a strong finish from wicketkeeper-batter Kusal Mendis. The 68-ball-40 cameo gave the side a platform, while the starts provided by Mohammad Harris and Babar failed to translate into a bigger match-defining innings.
In the end, the margin mattered: Peshawar held their nerve to win by 24 runs, underlining how important it has been for them to keep accumulating results early in the season. The two points from that result moved them further clear at the summit of the standings, with the side gaining an additional 3 points in the table race.
Babar responds to strike-rate criticism
After the match, attention quickly shifted to Babar Azam’s strike rate. He scored 18 runs from 20 balls, reigniting debate about his pace of scoring in T20 cricket. This scrutiny is not new—his strike-rate struggles have previously drawn headlines during the Big Bash League and at the T20 World Cup 2026, where his approach was questioned in high-profile settings.
When asked about his strategy in the post-match conference, Babar pushed back on the idea that his batting is only about going hard from the first delivery. He highlighted that T20 batting is also about reading conditions on the 22-yard surface and selecting the right areas to attack.
“You will face challenges, and the opposition also comes having done their homework. You can’t just hit your preferred shots freely,” Babar said, adding that results can swing quickly depending on the day’s execution. “On one good day, things will click; otherwise, you have to work (hard) for it.”
He further explained that batters must adjust their approach depending on where they are in the chase or innings. “You have to play differently at different numbers. At that time, what kind of guard to play, you also have to look at the scoreboard, and the strike rate also creates a lot of fuss. I believe that you first have to assess the conditions.”
Babar also stressed that wickets are rarely identical from day to day. “You have to assess that every day the wicket is not the same. Every day you cannot play the same way,” he added, defending his method despite the ongoing arguments around tempo and impact.
Green Cap numbers and the bigger picture
Even with the criticism, Babar’s output this season has remained central to Peshawar’s success. He has been a steady presence in the batting group, leading the team’s run-getters with 230 runs across five innings. His average of 57.50 places him third in the Green Cap standings.
He is behind Kusal Mendis, who tops the scoring charts with 309 runs, while Multan Sultans’ Sahibzada Farhan sits second with 249 runs. Taken together, Babar’s season suggests that while strike rate matters in the modern game, it cannot be the only lens used to measure value—because match awareness, adjustment to conditions, and the ability to control innings phases remain decisive in T20 cricket.
