Peshawar Zalmi celebrated their second Pakistan Super League title as they kept their cool in a low-scoring final against tournament debutants Hyderabad Kingsmen in Lahore on Sunday.
Hyderabad batting imploded in the title match as they slipped from 71-2 to 129 all out on a Qaddafi Stadium surface that had appreciable help for fast bowlers.
But even that target seemed daunting as Peshawar lost three early wickets, including that of talismanic captain Babar Azam who edged behind first ball.
But player of the match Aaron Hardie kept Hyderabad's fired up bowling at bay, remaining unbeaten on 54 as Peshawar reached the target with five wickets and almost five overs to spare.
Hardie had earlier triggered the batting collapse with a stunning spell of 4-24. The Australian fast-bowling all-rounder accounted for the scalps of top-scorer Saim Ayub (54) and Hyderabad captain Marnus Labuschagne.
Peshawar last won the PSL in 2017 when there were only five teams. This time, they came through a more challenging league phase which included eight franchises.
Hyderabad, meanwhile, started the tournament as the least celebrated team, especially since they were being led by Australian batter Labuschagne who is almost exclusively a Test batter.
However, the Kingsmen defied all expectations to reach the final where they put up a tough fight despite a low target to defend.
It was the first PSL win for Babar as captain.
Peshawar coach Ottis Gibson lauded the leadership of Babar who scored heavily in the tournament, smashing two centuries.
"He (Babar) is amazing. He's bought into everything that we've been talking about. The way he has been playing, the way he took responsibility for the team," the West Indian coach said.
"He has got two hundreds in the tournament, over 500 runs. He couldn't score today but I hope the crowd will go home happy. Because obviously we have won the tournament and I think we pretty deserved to win it, to be honest."
