Mendis blasts 80* as Peshawar Zalmi chase 182/9 to extend unbeaten run

Kusal Mendis smashed an unbeaten 80 off 43 balls, and Farhan Yousaf remained 58 not out as Peshawar Zalmi chased down Karachi Kings’ 182/9 with a seven-wicket win on Wednesday, April 22, in Lahore. Mendis and Yousaf forged an uninterrupted 119-run stand in just 69 deliveries to carry Zalmi over the line with seven balls remaining, as the result also stretched Zalmi’s unbeaten run in the tournament.

Karachi Kings set the target

1. Karachi Kings elected to bat and got away quickly, even with David Warner managing 11 from 13 balls.
2. Jason Roy anchored the innings with frequent boundaries and helped keep the run rate moving.
3. After Warner was dismissed when Ali Raza struck, Roy was joined by Salman Agha, who lasted only nine balls and added 12 runs.
4. Roy’s steady output—combined with contributions in the opening partnerships, including 23 each for the first two wickets—meant Kings stayed on course, reaching 83/2 at the end of the 10th over.
5. Reeza Hendricks struggled to find rhythm before Roy found a strong rhythm with Azam Khan in the fourth wicket stand.
6. Roy and Azam Khan put on 63 runs in just 32 balls, taking the side beyond 150 in the 17th over, with Roy launching two sixes and Azam clearing the ropes three times.
7. Both Roy and Azam were dismissed in consecutive overs, but Khushdil Shah’s late hitting pushed Karachi past 180.
8. In the final over, Karachi lost four wickets, and 18-year-old Ali Raza also completed a hat-trick—the youngest player to achieve it in the PSL—leaving Kings short of a 200-plus finish.

Zalmi chase with Mendis at the centre

1. Peshawar Zalmi began cautiously, with their openers adding 37 runs before Abbas Afridi struck to take Babar Azam, getting a leading edge.
2. James Vince fell in the next over, Hasan Ali producing the dismissal and offering the wicketkeeper an easy catch.
3. As Mendis kept the chase moving with quick scoring, Aaron Hardie was bowled by Khushdil, and Zalmi were 80/3 at the halfway mark.
4. Mendis and Yousaf then steadied the innings: Mendis reached his 50 off 28 balls and struck two sixes in an over off Abbas Afridi to bring the score to 144/3 after 16 overs.
5. In the following over, Yousaf hit a six and a four off Hasan Ali, narrowing the equation to 27 required from the last three overs, with the bowler also missing a straightforward chance in the same over.
6. The finish came quickly from there—Mendis and Yousaf struck a four each off Abbas Afridi before Yousaf, batting at No. 5, struck a boundary and then a six off Hasan to reach a 35-ball fifty.
7. Yousaf sealed the chase with the winning hit, ensuring Zalmi reached 186/3 in 18.5 overs and won by seven wickets.

Brief scores

Karachi Kings: 182/9 in 20 overs (Jason Roy 85, Azam Khan 35; Ali Raza 4-41). Peshawar Zalmi: 186/3 in 18.5 overs (Kusal Mendis 80*, Farhan Yousaf 58*; Khushdil Shah 1-40). Result: Zalmi won by 7 wickets.