ISLAMABAD: For nearly a decade, Peshawar Zalmi held an iron grip on consistency in the Pakistan Super League (PSL). Until this season, they were the only franchise to have qualified for the playoffs in every single edition of the tournament.
In the process, they reached five finals, winning the title in 2017 and finishing runners-up four times.
That proud streak, however, came to an end in PSL 10, where Zalmi bowed out in the group stage—an uncharted low for the franchise.
Chaotic campaign
Peshawar Zalmi’s PSL 10 campaign got off to a disastrous start. Their opening game against Quetta Gladiators saw them concede 216 runs before being bundled out for 136—an 80-run thrashing.
In the next game against Islamabad United, they leaked 244 runs and collapsed for just 141, losing by over 100 runs.
These were two crushing defeats, and Peshawar Zalmi weren’t just losing—they were being outclassed. The team lacked balance, cohesion, and intent across departments.
They finally secured their first win against Multan Sultans, the only team that performed worse this season. They restricted the Sultans to 107. But that momentum was short-lived.
Losses to Karachi Kings and Quetta Gladiators followed, the latter being particularly humiliating—chasing a small target, Gladiators sealed victory by 10 wickets with 79 balls remaining. After six matches, Zalmi sat on just four points, staring down the barrel of an early elimination.
Flicker of hope
Back-to-back wins against United and Sultans briefly reignited playoff hopes. With 8 points and two matches remaining, Zalmi’s path to qualification was clear: beat either Lahore Qalandars or Karachi Kings, and qualify.
But both games, played at the high-scoring Rawalpindi Cricket Stadium, followed a familiar script. Zalmi bowled first in both fixtures and conceded mammoth totals—237 vs Kings, and 149 in just 13 overs in a rain-reduced game vs Qalandars.
The required run rates were steep—nearly 12 in both matches—and barring a lone Babar Azam effort against Kings, the batting unit crumbled under pressure.
Bowling woes
While flat Pakistani tracks have made life difficult for bowlers across franchises, no team has suffered more defensively than Zalmi this season.
In 3 of their 9 completed matches, they conceded over 200 runs. The lack of incisive, local bowling options has been glaring.
Sufiyan Muqeem, their main spinner, featured in only three matches and picked up just one wicket. Promising young spinner Mehran Mumtaz didn’t get a game. Even their experienced option, like Arif Yaqoob, was underutilised.
The fifth bowling option frequently fell to part-timers like Saim Ayub, Hussain Talat, or Mitch Owen, underlining a structural flaw in squad composition.
With two overseas pacers – Luck Wood and Alzari Joseph, almost permanently in the XI, Zalmi had limited flexibility with their foreign batters.
In fact, they released local fast bowlers such as Khurram Shahzad, Aamer Jamal, and Salman Irshad, all of whom were picked up by rival franchises and utilised well.
The absence of dependable Pakistani fast bowlers hurt Zalmi in a league where pace variety often defines middle-over control.
Lack of firepower
Even as the bowlers struggled, Zalmi’s famed batting firepower failed to spark. A team that once boasted the likes of Powell, Pollard, and Rutherford lacked similar bite this season.
Instead, they experimented with a string of young names—Bryant, Owen, Maaz, Samad—none of whom could anchor innings or finish games with confidence.
Saim Ayub and Tom Kohler-Cadmore, two of their main T20 batting weapons, endured lean runs. Mohammad Haris, once their designated No. 3, floated up and down the order with diminishing impact. His promotion to opener late in the tournament came more out of desperation than planning.
Even Mitch Owen, who had shown lower-order promise, struggled to recreate his BBL performances at the top.
Perhaps the biggest question surrounded Zalmi’s reluctance to use Najibullah Zadran—a seasoned Afghan T20 batter.
While they tried multiple unproven names in pressure roles, Zadran was mostly benched in favour of young English and Australian options.
Leadership under microscope
Historically, Zalmi’s off-field management and leadership have been credited for their consistency.
But cracks are now visible. Since the retirement of Wahab Riaz, who embodied the franchise’s aggressive culture, the team has failed to maintain balance—both in terms of personnel and identity.
The transition to Babar Azam as captain has had mixed results. While his own form with the bat has been dependable, leadership questions have swirled—particularly in draft decisions and game-day strategy.
Selecting Tom Kohler-Cadmore in the platinum category raised eyebrows. Their reliance on youth without strong local backup options further weakened their campaign.
Team owner Javed Afridi now faces serious questions about the future direction of the franchise. To regain their footing, Zalmi must reassess their recruitment policies, trust in experienced local talent, and revisit their leadership model.
Whether that rebuild will happen under Babar Azam and Mohammad Akram, or with a new vision altogether, remains to be seen.
