Biggest international flops of PSL 2026 [Source: PSL/X, AFP]The biggest-ever season of the PSL ended on Sunday night, with the Babar Azam-led Peshawar Zalmi clinching their second title after dominating the tournament from the word go. Thanks to some fine performances across the board, the Zalmi lost only one match and won 9 to finish as the deserving winners.Throughout the season, we saw some special performances from overseas stars like Michael Bracewell and Mark Chapman from time to time. Steve Smith, in pursuit of his Olympic dream, racked up his maiden PSL century to finish as the joint-fifth highest scorer this season. However, contrary to some overseas stars, who lit the stage on fire in PSL 2026, some struggled to get going at all, despite carrying big reputations. So, here’s a look at the top-5 international flops of the season. 1. Glenn Maxwell The Australian all-rounder Glenn Maxwell was among the most high-profile overseas stars in PSL 2026, after he snubbed IPL for PSL this year. He joined the team mid-way through the competition with over 500 T20s played for close to 11000 runs and 200 wickets in the format. As a white-ball giant, he also showed his worth in one of the matches against the Rawalpindiz, scoring 70 off 37 with 8 fours and 3 sixes. However, in the rest of the 7 innings, he only scored 29 more runs and finished with 99 runs in 8 innings at a strike rate of 143.47. He also got out for a golden duck in the final to end the tournament. With his off-spin, he was decent for his 5 wickets in 6 innings at an economy rate of 8.43, as the Hyderabad Kingsmen finished as the runners-up. Also Read: Pakistan Players Who Might Have Sealed A Spot For Next T20 World Cup Because Of PSL 20262. Tom Curran The Quetta Gladiators’ all-rounder came into the season with a big reputation, with over 250 T20 matches under his belt. He is known for scoring at a brisk pace late in the innings, with a career strike rate of 145.60 and also has 271 wickets to his name. Having played across leagues, he was a key cog of the Gladiators unit. However, in 5 matches played, he bowled 12 overs at an economy rate of 11 runs per over without taking any wickets. With the bat, he managed 76 runs at an average of 19 and a strike rate of 140.74. He had a high score of 31, which effectively means he scored only 45 in the rest of the 5 innings. 3. Alzarri Joseph Another Quetta Gladiators player, Alzarri Joseph, features on this unfortunate list after their 7th place finish, winning only three of their 10 matches. Having initially gone unsold in both IPL and PSL, he was roped in as a replacement for Spencer Johnson, who snubbed PSL for a gig with the Chennai Super Kings. The West Indies star featured in 8 matches for the Gladiators, where he only picked 8 wickets at an economy rate of close to 10 runs per over. Considering he was a central figure in their bowling unit, his performances were forgettable. 4. Charith Asalanka The former Sri Lanka T20I skipper, Charith Asalanka, joined Lahore Qalandars as a replacement for Parvez Hossain Emon, who went on national duty. When he joined Shaheen Afridi and co., they were still in the race for a playoff finish. However, much like his recent T20I performances, Asalanka failed to create any impact on their season, as they finished just outside the top-4 on the virtue of net run-rate. In 5 matches played, he scored 71 runs at an underwhelming strike rate of 118.33, including a duck. 5. Muhammad Waseem The Karachi Kings opener, who represented associate nations in PSL 2026, joined the camp with a career T20 strike rate of about 150, scoring over 4500 runs. He is known for his fours and sixes hitting frequency and was expected to fire alongside skipper David Warner in the top order. But, as Karachi Kings finished outside the top-4 on NRR, Waseem remained as one of the underperformers. Before heading for national duty with the UAE, he had only scored 86 runs in 5 innings at a strike rate of 117.80; notably, scoring two ducks. Also Read: Sahibzada Farhan Studded Bangladesh Premier League Set To Get Biggest Punishment In The Country
