Aaron Hardie backed his four-wicket haul with a blistering half-century to lead Peshawar Zalmi to a five-wicket victory over Hyderabad Kingsmen in an enthralling Pakistan Super League (PSL) 11 final at Lahore’s Gaddafi Stadium on Sunday.

The high-reward victory helped Zalmi clinch their second PSL title, ending a nine-year wait as they first got their hands on the prestigious silverware in 2017 under the leadership of West Indies great Darren Sammy. It also marked the first-ever major trophy for star batter Babar Azam as the captain.

Set to chase a modest 130-run target, Zalmi eventually knocked the winning runs comfortably for the loss of five wickets and 28 balls to spare.

The former champions, however, had a contrasting start to the pursuit as they lost Mohammad Haris (six) and captain Babar Azam (duck) in the pulsating first over, bowled by Mohammad Ali.

After the departure of both openers, all-rounder Aaron Hardie and in-form Kusal Mendis (nine) attempted to anchor the run chase with a 26-run partnership, which culminated with the latter’s dismissal in the fourth over.

Left-arm pacer Akif Javed inflicted another blow to Zalmi’s run chase in the subsequent over as he got Michael Bracewell (four) caught behind and brought the total down to 40/4.

Hardie was then joined by Abdul Samad in the middle, and the duo turned the game on its head with sensible batting and put Zalmi within touching distance with an 85-run partnership.

Ali broke the crucial stand in the 15th over by dismissing Samad, who walked back after scoring a valiant 48 off 34 deliveries, laced with three fours and four sixes.

Hardie, on the other hand, batted until the end and walked back after top-scoring with an unbeaten 56 off 39 deliveries, studded with nine boundaries.

Ali was the pick of the bowlers for the Kingsmen, taking three wickets for 38 runs in his four overs, while fellow pacers Hunain Shah and Javed could claim one apiece.Zalmi captain Babar Azam’s decision to field first paid dividends as the 2017 champions booked the debutants for a modest 129 in 18 overs.

Kingsmen got off to a shaky start to their innings as their lost left-handed opener Maaz Sadaqat (11) fell victim to Mohammad Basit in the second over with just 16 runs on the board.

Following his dismissal, Saim Ayub joined Marnus Labuschagne in the middle, and the duo ensured retaining the scoring rate by putting together 35 runs in 19 deliveries before Aaron Hardie got the skipper caught behind in the fifth over.

Labuschagne remained a notable run-getter for the Kingsmen, making a 12-ball 20 with the help of three fours and a six.

Saim, on the other hand, was then involved in a 20-run partnership for the third wicket with in-form wicketkeeper batter Usman Khan (eight), who was trapped lbw by leading wicket-taker of the PSL 11 Sufiyan Muqeem in the seventh over.

Usman’s dismissal triggered a middle-order collapse as the Kingsmen lost three more wickets, out of which two were run-outs, in just eight deliveries, and consequently slipped to 73/6 in 7.5 overs.

Following the collapse, Hassan Khan (12) walked out to bat at No.8 and shared a brief 17-run partnership for the seventh wicket with set batter Saim until being sent back by Hardie in the 10th over.

Saim was then involved in cautious partnerships with Hunain Shah (nine) and Mohammad Ali until eventually being dismissed by Hardie on the first delivery of the 18th over.

The left-handed batter remained the top-scorer for the Kingsmen with a cautious 54 off 50 deliveries, featuring five fours and two sixes.

Hardie struck again in the same over, getting Akif Javed (five) caught behind to round up Zalmi’s dominant performance with the ball.

Hardie was the standout bowler for Zalmi in the PSL 11 final, returning sensational figures of 4/27 in his four overs, followed by Nahid Rana, who bagged two wickets, while Muqeem and Basit chipped in with one scalp apiece.

The Boston Celtics watched as their 3-1 series lead against the Philadelphia 76ers slipped away this week as they lost Game 7 and were eliminated from the playoffs on Saturday night.

The 76ers won Game 7, 109-100, behind Joel Embiid’s 34 points, 12 rebounds and six assists. Embiid made nine of his 11 free-throw attempts, but drew flopping accusations from Celtics star Jaylen Brown after the game.

ZERO BS. JUST DAKICH. TAKE THE DON’T @ ME PODCAST ON THE ROAD. DOWNLOAD NOW!

“Embiid put a lot of pressure on us, like on all our bigs and our guards,” he said, via Mass Live. “We didn’t really have an answer for him. We tried a bunch of different things and he just, he’s a big body, and also he was flopping around, he got some extra calls and stuff like that, and they rewarded him for that. That’s the league that we’re in. So, that’s all I got to say.”

Tyrese Maxey added 30 points and VJ Edgecombe added 23 in the win.

One of the key difference-makers in Game 7 were Philadelphia’s 3-point shooting. The 76ers were 39% from long range while Boston shot 27%. The Celtics were 13-of-49.

CLICK HERE FOR MORE SPORTS COVERAGE ON FOXNEWS.COM

Boston Celtics’ Jaylen Brown plays during the final minutes of Game 7 in a first-round NBA playoff series in Boston on May 2, 2026. (Jim Davis/AP)

Brown said after the game that he didn’t feel as though Philadelphia was a “traditional” No. 7 seed. He gave credit to Maxey, Embiid and Paul George’s effectiveness.

“Like we just didn’t really have an answer for Embiid in the games that he played. He just was a problem for us,” Brown added. “Obviously, we didn’t know if he was going to be able to play because of his appendicitis, or whatever you call it, but I think that made the difference. But give credit to (76ers head coach) Nick Nurse. Give credit to Philadelphia. They got better.”

Boston also lost Jayson Tatum to an injury in the middle of Game 6 and he exited Game 7, while trying to play through an injury.

Boston Celtics’ Jayson Baylor Scheierman defends Philadelphia 76ers’ Joel Embiid during the first half of Game 7 in a first-round NBA playoff series in Boston on May 2, 2026. (Jim Davis/AP)

CLICK HERE TO DOWNLOAD THE FOX NEWS APP

Philadelphia will play the New York Knicks in the next round.

• Kingsmen chase title in debut season.
• Zalmi target second PSL crown since 2017.
• Babar leads with record-breaking run tally.

Marnus Labuschagne’s Hyderabad Kingsmen are set to face Babar Azam’s Peshawar Zalmi in the final of the Pakistan Super League (PSL) 11 on Sunday night at the Gaddafi Stadium, which will mark the culmination of the 44-match season of the league.

For the first time in the history of the PSL, a separate reward has been set for the franchises with the winning franchise getting $500,000, runners up will get $300,000, while the franchise with the best player development efforts will bag $200,000. The tournament-winning prize for players will comprise $500,000.

Hyderabad Kingsmen will be looking to conclude their fairytale season with the PSL title, while Peshawar Zalmi are eyeing their second title after 2017. Zalmi were the runners-up for 2018, 2019 and 2021 seasons.

On the back of Babar’s record 588-run tally, Kusal Mendis’ 541 runs and Sufyan Moqim’s 21 wickets, Peshawar Zalmi won eight of their 10 matches in the league stage including a seven-match winning streak.

They outclassed Islamabad United by 70 runs in the Qualifier to secure the ticket for the final.

Express fast bowler Nahid Rana has also rejoined the Peshawar Zalmi squad and will be available for selection.

He picked up seven wickets in four league matches for Zalmi.

Hyderabad Kingsmen began their campaign with three outright losses by 69 runs against Qalandars, by 40 runs versus Gladiators and by six wickets against Sultans.

Their fourth consecutive loss came against Peshawar Zalmi as the two teams played out a last-ball thriller.

Zalmi chased the 146-run target with four wickets in hand.

Kingsmen then won four matches on the trot before falling flat against Islamabad United.

They thumped Rawalpindiz by 108 runs in their last league game to oust defending champions Lahore Qalandars on net run rate.

Kingsmen knocked out Multan Sultans in Eliminator 1 and came from behind to stun Islamabad United by two runs in the Eliminator 2.

At the pre-final captains’ press conference, Babar said: “We have played really good cricket in the tournament. Our focus has been on assessing the conditions first and then executing the plans.”

“The performance of our team this season has been a combined effort of the local and overseas players. We hope to win the trophy by giving our best.”

Labuschagne, the skipper of the Kingsmen said that leading his side has been really exciting and he’s enjoyed every moment.

“There have been certainly ups and downs but I think that’s what makes it so good. [it’s] just another game and we will make sure that we stick to our processes.”