An unbeaten Peshawar Zalmi will face a struggling Quetta Gladiators in the 23rd match of Pakistan Super League (PSL) on April 15, Wednesday at the National Stadium in Karachi.
Peshawar Zalmi, captained by Babar Azam, will look to extend their dominance as the eight-team tournament reaches its business end, while the Gladiators have plenty of work to do to remain in contention for a spot in the playoffs.
Zalmi have showcased their batting might in the last three matches, with Kusal Mendis being the catalyst in them with a table-topping 309 runs in five innings, averaging a healthy 61.80. The Sri Lankan keeper-batter has scores of 109, 74 and 68 in the last three games, playing an instrumental role in pushing Zalmi’s total beyond the opposition’s reach. Sufiyan Muqeem, Peshawar Zalmi’s left-arm wrist-spinner, is the currently the highest wicket-taker of the tournament with 13 scalps in his five outings.
Meanwhile, the Quetta Gladiators’ inconsistencies in the tournament have rendered them to fifth spot in the points table with only two wins in five games. The Gladiators have shown signs of turning a corner, having beaten the Rawalpindi Pindiz by 61 runs in their previous game. While an out-of-sorts Rawalpindi Pindiz’s unit hardly came close to chasing down 183, the Gladiators face a litmus test against an all-firing Zalmi unit.
PSL 2026: Peshawar Zalmi vs Quetta Gladiators – full squads
Peshawar Zalmi:Sahibzada Farhan, Steven Smith, Josh Philippe(w), Shan Masood, Ashton Turner(c), Arafat Minhas, Mohammad Nawaz, Peter Siddle, Mohammad Wasim Jr, Muhammad Ismail, Faisal Akram, Tabraiz Shamsi, Arshad Iqbal, Mohammad Imran Randhawa, Delano Potgieter, Lachlan Shaw, Momin Qamar, Muhammad Shahzad, Awais Zafar, Atizaz Habib Khan, Shehzad Gul
Quetta Gladiators: Mohammad Haris, Babar Azam(c), Kusal Mendis(w), Michael Bracewell, Abdul Samad, Iftikhar Ahmed, Aamer Jamal, Farhan Yousaf, Sufiyan Muqeem, Shoriful Islam, Nahid Rana, Aaron Hardie, Khalid Usman, Tanzid Hasan Tamim, Shahnawaz Dahani, Khurram Shahzad, Brian Bennett, Mirza Tahir Baig, Ali Raza, Abdul Subhan, Kashif Ali, Mohammad Basit
PSL 2026: Peshawar Zalmi vs Quetta Gladiators – probable XI
Zalmi are high on confidence based on their unbeaten run and are highly unlikely to tweak their line-up.
Peshawar Zalmi XI: Mohammad Haris, Babar Azam(c), Kusal Mendis(w), Michael Bracewell, Iftikhar Ahmed, Abdul Samad, Farhan Yousaf, Aamer Jamal, Sufiyan Muqeem, Shoriful Islam, Nahid Rana.
Gladiators could also stick to the same XI and could refrain from changing the combination that beat the Rawalpindi Pindiz.
Quetta Gladiators XI: Sam Harper(w), Saud Shakeel(c), Rilee Rossouw, Hasan Nawaz, Khawaja Nafay, Bevon Jacobs, Jahandad Khan, Kashif Bhatti, Khalil Ahmed, Abrar Ahmed, Usman Tariq.
PSL 2026: Peshawar Zalmi vs Quetta Gladiators, Who will win the match?
Although Gladiators showed massive promise of turning their campaign around with their win over the Pindiz, Zalmi look overwhelming favourites on current form. Hence, the prediction is for Zalmi to continue their unbeaten run by beating the Gladiators.