Multan Sultans breezed into their fourth straight Pakistan Super League final by defeating Peshawar Zalmi by seven wickets in a lopsided qualifier on Thursday.

Sultans won the event in 2021 before losing to Lahore Qalandars in the finals of the last two editions.

Babar Azam-led Zalmi will get another opportunity for a place in Monday’s final when they take on the winner of the eliminator between Islamabad United and Quetta Gladiators on Saturday.

Opening batter Yasir Khan (54) and the in-form Usman Khan (36*) powered Sultans to 147-3 in 18.3 overs after Zalmi were restricted to below-par 146-7.

In the absence of Afghanistan fast bowler Naveen-ul-Haq, who was ruled out of the playoffs because of his international commitment, Zalmi’s bowlers struggled to defend a small total.

Yasir provided a dominant opening stand of 61 with captain Mohammad Rizwan (15) and raised a match-wining half-century off 30 balls. Left-arm spinner Mehran Mumtaz (1-28) couldn’t make an impact in the power play but he finally had Yasir caught off his own bowling, in the 11th over, during his return spell.

Usman, who became the first batter in PSL history to score two centuries in one season, was hardly troubled by pace, and Iftikhar Ahmed finished off the game with a quick-fire 22 off eight balls.

Earlier, Zalmi struggled against pace and spin after Babar won the toss and elected to bat. David Willey had danger-man Saim Ayub caught at deep square leg in the first over and Mohammad Haris’ (22) below-par tournament continued when he edged fast bowler Mohammad Ali inside the power play.

Babar, the tournament’s leading run-scorer, top-scored with 46 off 42 balls but spinners Usama Mir (2-16) and Ahmed (0-9) stifled the batters in the middle overs.

Chris Jordan (2-28) had Babar clean bowled off a pacy yorker in the 13th over and the Englishman tied down batters in the death overs with his variations as Peshawar could score only 38 runs off the final five overs.