The PSL 2026 season ended with a dominant Peshawar Zalmi brushing aside Hyderabad Kingsmen in front of the largest crowd in PSL history. Time now to look back at the best players from the season in ESPNcricinfo’s team of the tournament.
1 Steven Smith (Multan Sultans)
11 inns, 380 runs, 34.54 avg, 161.70 SR, one hundred, two fifties
Steven Smith arrived in Pakistan for his maiden PSL on the back of an amazing BBL and he continued that form for Multan Sultans, forging a formidable opening partnership with Sahibzada Farhan. After missing his maiden half-century early in the tournament, Smith scored it two games later against Quetta Gladiators. He became threatening towards the back-end of the tournament, as he smashed 56 and 106 against Rawalpindiz and Hyderabad Kingsmen. He finished the tournament as the joint fifth-highest run-scorer with Farhan.
2 Babar Azam (Peshawar Zalmi, captain)
11 inns, 588 runs, 73.50 avg, 145.90 SR, two hundreds, three fifties
This PSL may end up being the turning point of Babar Azam‘s career. The former Pakistan captain returned to form in style by equalling the record for the most runs in a season. He also became only the second batter to score two centuries in a PSL season. He also holds the record for the most centuries (four) in the history of the PSL, with Usman Khan. His prolific run with the bat culminated in him finally lifting a trophy as captain.
3 Kusal Mendis (Peshawar Zalmi)
11 inns, 550 runs, 55 avg, 168.19 SR, one hundred, four fifties
PSL 2026 showed a different Kusal Mendis to the world. The one who thumped his authority over the bowlers with a blend of conventional and unorthodox shots. He finished the season as the second-highest run-scorer and no batter in the top 10 had a better strike rate than his. Mendis was the leading scorer for the most part of the season before Babar, over the course of his second century of the season, usurped him. He added 662 runs in nine innings with Babar which is the second most a pair has scored together in a PSL season.
4 Usman Khan (Hyderabad Kingsmen) (wk)
13 inns, 389 runs, 35.36 avg, 162.76 SR, one century, three fifties
It took eight matches for Usman Khan to get going, but when he did, there was no stopping. His 101 off 47 pulled off a sensational win for Kingsmen over Sultans. His 54 at more than two runs a ball was crucial in Kingsmen’s gargantuan win over Rawalpindiz, which took them to the playoffs, and he followed it up with 64 off 35 and 61* off 30 against Sultans and Islamabad United in the eliminators.
5 Shan Masood (Multan Sultans)
11 Inns, 367 runs, 45.87 avg, 158.18 SR, one fifty
He may be Pakistan’s Test captain, but Shan Masood finds himself in oblivion when it comes to white-ball cricket. The left-hand batter won admirers throughout the season for his prowess throughout the middle overs. He was especially effective against the spinners, whom, it seemed as if, he attacked on will at times. He was the lone warrior in the first eliminator as he scored 69 not out for Sultans in an innings in which the next best score was only 18.
6 Shadab Khan (Islamabad United)
8 inns, 173 runs, 34.60 batting avg, 141.80 SR, one fifty, 17 wickets, 14.47 bowling avg, 7.02 ER
Shadab Khan captain chipped in with his bowling throughout the season. His traditional legbreak had shades of the Shadab of 2017. Though he could not post scores of note, his small contributions were handy in United’s ascension to the second spot on the points table.
7 Aaron Hardie (Peshawar Zalmi)
6 inns, 133 runs, one fifty, batting avg 44.33, SR 149.43, 11 wickets, bowling avg 12.81, 7.42 ER
Aaron Hardie was a bit-part player for Peshawar Zalmi’s early campaign, but he assumed centre-stage in style towards the business end of the tournament. He chipped in with handy cameos towards the death with bat in hand; Babar and Mendis’ form ensured that’s all Zalmi needed of him. His wily seam bowling was an additional supplement, but by the last two games, both of those disciplines were central to Zalmi’s success. He took a career-best four-wicket haul in the final and scored an unbeaten 56, picking up the Player-of-the-Match award and helping Zalmi recover from a wobble to lift their second PSL title.
8 Shaheen Shah Afridi (Lahore Qalandars)
16 wickets, 18.18 avg, 7.86 ER
Not quite as scintillating as he was last year, but then again, Lahore Qalandars’ campaign never quite got going. Even so, little of that was down to Shaheen Shah Afridi, who started the tournament brightly, picking up 4 for 18 in a statement early performance against Karachi Kings. He would fade slightly towards the back-end, but so would Qalandars, depriving Afridi of the chance to light up the playoffs as he did in 2025.
9 Hunain Shah (Hyderabad Kingsmen)
17 wickets, 18.41 avg, 8.57 ER
Perhaps the most captivating story of the tournament. Hunain Shah wasn’t a starter for Kingsmen, but since coming in for the fourth game, helped transform their season. He was central to a run that saw them win seven of eight games, with the best strike rate for any fast bowler in the competition. He provided the moment of the tournament with a final over for the ages against United, defending five runs to send his team into raptures – as well as the PSL final.
10 Mohammad Ali (Hyderabad Kingsmen)
20 wickets, 18.95 avg, 8.36 ER
Mohammad Ali was a constant for the Kingsmen through bad times and good, overcoming a slow start to grow into the tournament. Often ceding the glamour to Hunain, he was an engine that kept their storied fast-bowling attack running alongside Akif Javed. His 20 wickets made him the most prolific fast bowler in the tournament, with three clutch performances at the back-end of the group stages securing vital wins that helped sneak his side into the top four.
11 Sufyan Moqim (Peshawar Zalmi)
22 wickets, 14.40 avg, 7.20 ER
The best bowler in the league by any metric, Sufyan Moqim beat out rich competition from his team-mates Babar and Mendis to be named Player of the Tournament. Moqim set the tone with his 4 for 32 against eventual finalists Kingsmen in his second game, before going on a tear, taking three wickets in each of the following four games. His incredible consistency was topped off by two solid performances in the qualifier and the final, where combined figures of 3 for 48 in eight overs never let opponents off the leash.
