Marnus Labuschagne’s Hyderabad Kingsmen are set to face Babar Azam’s Peshawar Zalmi in Sunday night’s HBL Pakistan Super League 11 final at Gaddafi Stadium, Lahore. This marks the completion of a 44-match season for the league.
For the first time in history, separate rewards have been set for franchises: the winning franchise receives $500,000, runners-up get $300,000, and the best player development efforts garner $200,000.
According to the Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB), the tournament-winning prize for players is $500,000. Hyderabad Kingsmen aim to conclude their fairytale season with the HBL PSL title, while Zalmi are targeting their second title after 2017.
Zalmi were runners-up in 2018, 2019, and 2021 seasons. With Babar Azam’s record-breaking 588-run tally, Kusal Mendis’ 541 runs, and Sufyan Moqim’s 21 wickets, Zalmi won eight of their 10 matches, including a seven-match winning streak.
They defeated Islamabad United by 70 runs in the Qualifier on April 28 to secure the final spot. Nahid Rana has rejoined Peshawar Zalmi and will be available for selection after picking up seven wickets in four league matches.
Hyderabad Kingsmen began their campaign with three losses, followed by a fourth against Zalmi as the two teams played out a last-ball thriller. Z