The Pakistan Super League has produced six different champions across its first 11 editions, with Islamabad United and Lahore Qalandars sharing the record of three titles each. Peshawar Zalmi became the latest champion in 2026, while the list of runners-up shows how often teams such as Multan Sultans and Peshawar have remained in contention. This season-by-season record covers every PSL winner and finalist from 2016 to 2026.
The PSL began in 2016 and has developed into a major T20 competition featuring city-based franchises. Its first 11 seasons produced a mixture of repeat winners and first-time champions. Islamabad United won the inaugural edition and later added two more trophies, while Lahore Qalandars built a notable run with titles in 2022, 2023 and 2025.
Season
Champion
Runner-up
Final result
2016
Islamabad United
Quetta Gladiators
Islamabad United won by 6 wickets
2017
Peshawar Zalmi
Quetta Gladiators
Peshawar Zalmi won by 58 runs
2018
Islamabad United
Peshawar Zalmi
Islamabad United won by 3 wickets
2019
Quetta Gladiators
Peshawar Zalmi
Quetta Gladiators won by 8 wickets
2020
Karachi Kings
Lahore Qalandars
Karachi Kings won by 5 wickets
2021
Multan Sultans
Peshawar Zalmi
Multan Sultans won by 47 runs
2022
Lahore Qalandars
Multan Sultans
Lahore Qalandars won by 42 runs
2023
Lahore Qalandars
Multan Sultans
Lahore Qalandars won by 1 run
2024
Islamabad United
Multan Sultans
Islamabad United won by 2 wickets
2025
Lahore Qalandars
Quetta Gladiators
Lahore Qalandars won by 6 wickets
2026
Peshawar Zalmi
Hyderabad Kingsmen
Peshawar Zalmi won by 5 wickets
According to CricTracker’s season-by-season record, Islamabad United won the first PSL final in 2016 by beating Quetta Gladiators. That result established United as the competition’s first champion and began a pattern in which the team regularly performed strongly in decisive matches. Their later victories in 2018 and 2024 placed them level with Lahore Qalandars on three titles.
The champions in chronological order
Islamabad United: the first three-time winner
Islamabad United’s title-winning seasons were 2016, 2018 and 2024. Their first two trophies came within the opening three editions of the league, underlining their early consistency. In 2024, they returned to the summit by overcoming Multan Sultans by two wickets in the final. That victory made Islamabad the first franchise to reach three PSL titles.
The 2024 final was also significant because it extended Multan’s difficult record in finals. Multan had reached the title match in three successive seasons from 2022 to 2024 but finished runner-up in each of those appearances. Islamabad, by contrast, converted its 2024 opportunity and reinforced a reputation for rising to playoff pressure.
Peshawar Zalmi: champions in 2017 and 2026
Peshawar Zalmi claimed their first PSL trophy in 2017, defeating Quetta Gladiators by 58 runs. They were frequent finalists in the competition’s early seasons, appearing as runner-up in 2018, 2019 and 2021 after their title-winning campaign. That record reflected a team capable of repeatedly reaching the final stage, even when it did not lift the trophy.
Their second championship arrived in 2026, when Peshawar Zalmi beat Hyderabad Kingsmen by five wickets. Hyderabad were appearing as a finalist in their debut PSL season, making the final a meeting between an established franchise and a newly introduced side. Peshawar’s victory moved them ahead of every team except Islamabad and Lahore in the all-time title count.
Quetta Gladiators and Karachi Kings
Quetta Gladiators were runners-up in both 2016 and 2017 before becoming champions in 2019. They defeated Peshawar Zalmi by eight wickets in that final, securing their first PSL title after two earlier defeats in the final. Quetta returned to the title match in 2025 but were beaten by Lahore Qalandars.
Karachi Kings won their only PSL title in 2020, overcoming Lahore Qalandars by five wickets. The 2020 season remains Karachi’s sole championship campaign in the 2016-2026 period. While the league’s leading teams have accumulated multiple trophies, Karachi’s triumph ensured that every one of the original five franchises had a place in the competition’s title history.
Multan and Lahore reshape the title race
Multan Sultans joined the PSL champions list in 2021, beating Peshawar Zalmi by 47 runs. It was the franchise’s first title and marked the start of a sequence in which Multan became a particularly regular final contender. They followed their victory with runner-up finishes in 2022, 2023 and 2024.
Lahore Qalandars ended Multan’s run of final appearances with wins in the 2022 and 2023 finals. The 2022 decider was won by 42 runs, while the 2023 final was settled by only one run. Those back-to-back titles gave Lahore a strong place in PSL history, and the franchise added a third championship in 2025 by beating Quetta Gladiators by six wickets.
For readers following the schedule and weighing how recent form may shape upcoming contests, today match predictions can be used alongside confirmed fixtures, team news and official match information. In a short-format tournament, however, past championship records are context rather than a guarantee: squad balance, conditions and form during the league stage can all affect the playoff picture.
Which team has won the most PSL titles?
Islamabad United and Lahore Qalandars are the most successful teams in PSL history through the 2026 season, with three trophies apiece. Islamabad won in 2016, 2018 and 2024, while Lahore won in 2022, 2023 and 2025. Peshawar Zalmi sit next with two championships, achieved in 2017 and 2026.
Quetta Gladiators, Karachi Kings and Multan Sultans have each won one title. The distribution of trophies shows that six franchises have won the PSL across 11 editions. It also highlights the change in competitive balance over time: Islamabad dominated the early years, Lahore surged in the early 2020s, and Peshawar added a second title in the most recent season.
What the runners-up record reveals
The finalists list offers a different perspective from the champions table. Peshawar Zalmi have won twice but also lost three finals, while Multan Sultans won in 2021 and then finished runners-up in the following three seasons. Quetta Gladiators appeared in four finals across the period, converting only the 2019 appearance into a title.
Lahore Qalandars also featured on both sides of the final outcome. They were runners-up in 2020 before becoming champions in three of their next four final appearances. Hyderabad Kingsmen reached the final in 2026 but lost to Peshawar, adding a new name to the runners-up list in the first season after the league expanded to eight teams.
A competition with evolving champions
The PSL winners list traces the growth of the tournament from its inaugural season in 2016 to an eight-team competition in 2026. Islamabad United and Lahore Qalandars hold the joint record with three titles each, but Peshawar Zalmi’s 2026 success kept the all-time contest close. The runners-up record also shows that a final appearance can be the start of a longer challenge, rather than the end of one season’s story.
