LAHORE: Left-arm wrist-spinner Sufyan Muqeem was crowned Player of the Tournament as HBL PSL 11 wrapped up, capping a record-shattering season that powered Peshawar Zalmi to their second PSL title.
Muqeem finished PSL 11 with 22 wickets — one of the most prolific single-season hauls in league history, putting him in the same bracket as Hasan Ali’s 25 in 2019. But it wasn’t just the total. It was ‘how’ and ‘when’ he got them.
He became the first bowler in PSL history to claim 3+ wickets in five consecutive matches. At one stage he had 13 scalps in his first 5–6 games, then 16 in 6 — leading the wicket charts for most of the campaign and never letting up.
Zalmi’s title run was built on pressure, and Muqeem delivered it. Multiple 4-wicket hauls and clutch middle-over spells repeatedly broke games open, turning tight contests into Zalmi wins.
Part of what made Muqeem’s campaign so decisive is how rare his skill set is. Left-arm wrist spin — the “chinaman” — is uncommon worldwide and almost unheard of in Pakistan.
His near-vertical release, around the 12 o’clock position, generates a steep, skiddy trajectory that’s brutal to sweep or loft. Batters simply couldn’t line him up. In a format that punishes predictability, Muqeem was a genuine mystery spinner: low flight, high accuracy, and relentless on the stumps.
That uniqueness gave Babar Azam a tactical edge every game. Teams had no match-up for him, and Zalmi rode that advantage all the way to the trophy.
The Breakout Star Zalmi Unleashed
Player Profile
– Born: 15 November 1999, Pallandri, Azad Kashmir — now 26
– Journey: Tape-ball cricket to Rawalpindi, grinding for a shot
– PSL Career: With Peshawar Zalmi since 2023; PSL 11 was his breakout
– International Mark: T20I debut in 2023; owns a staggering 5/3 vs Zimbabwe in 2024, one of the best T20I figures ever
Muqeem had shown flashes for Pakistan in T20Is and ODIs, but PSL 11 was where he announced himself as a frontline match-winner. Alongside Player of the Tournament, he also took home Best Bowler honors.
Three reasons separate Muqeem’s PSL 11 from a great season to a historic one:
1. Unprecedented Consistency: No PSL bowler had ever taken 3+ wickets in five straight matches. He made it routine.
2. Elite Volume: 22 wickets isn’t just leading Zalmi — it’s top-tier all-time PSL territory.
3. Title-Winning Impact: Every spell had stakes. His breakthroughs in the middle overs strangled chases and flipped finals-bound games. Without him, Zalmi’s second trophy doesn’t happen.
In his post-tournament remarks, Muqeem dedicated his awards to the late Dr. Abdul Qadeer Khan, calling the performance a tribute to national pride.
