The Pakistan Super League 2026 concluded on Sunday night, May 3, at the Gaddafi Stadium in Lahore. While one team celebrated lifting the prestigious trophy, the others left the tournament with the hope of a new tomorrow. What was supposed to be an intense final between table-toppers Peshawar Zalmi and Hyderabad Kingsmen turned into a one-sided spectacle for PSL fans, as the Babar Azam-led side chose to bowl first after winning the toss and comfortably chased a modest total of 130 with almost five overs to spare.
Babar personally enjoyed a successful season with Zalmi, guiding his side to their second championship title in just the 11th edition since the league’s inception, and finishing as the Green Cap holder. His individual performances in the shortest format stepped up after enduring a lacklustre campaign with the Sydney Sixers in the Big Bash League earlier this year, followed by similarly underwhelming performances that saw Pakistan eliminated at the Super 8 stage of the T20 World Cup 2026, held before the PSL season in February and March.
In the post-match conference following the thumping win against Kingsmen, Babar intervened during a journalist’s question when asked to choose whether he would focus on a particular format. He replied with authority, emphasising the importance of both white-ball and red-ball cricket, stating that playing all formats helps a player develop different dimensions in their game.
“Tension na lein, teeno format kheloonga (Don’t stress, I will play in all three formats),” Babar cheekily replied to the journalist.
“It’s not for the player to decide [which format to skip]; a player’s job is to play. In my opinion, every player should play every form of cricket. You shouldn’t focus only on the white ball or T20s. Red-ball cricket gives you immense experience. It teaches you how to build an innings and gives you patience. When you play four-day cricket or any domestic circuit, you gain the experience of scoring ‘long’ runs. You should play all three formats because each one helps the other. Red ball helps you in T20s and ODIs. When you play Test matches, the patience and mindset you develop – the art of playing a long innings – benefit you significantly in white-ball cricket.”
Babar back in full flow?
Babar, a technically sound player known for his elegant cover drives and ability to anchor an innings single-handedly, has been under scrutiny in recent times regarding his strike rate in the shortest format. The batter stressed the importance of playing red-ball cricket and not solely focusing on white-ball formats, as the learnings from the longer format help shape a more complete batter, benefiting performance in ODIs and T20Is.
This was evident in PSL 11, where Babar’s patience in the middle made him the only batter to score two centuries this season. He amassed 588 runs in 11 innings at an exceptional average of 73.50, making him the joint-highest run-getter in a single PSL edition alongside Fakhar Zaman, who achieved the same feat in 2022.
Babar, who has played over 61 Tests, has been a pillar for Pakistan, scoring nearly 4,500 runs at a solid average of around 43. His contributions in the ODI format are equally remarkable, boasting an impressive average of roughly 54, with over 6,500 runs in just 137 innings. These numbers will be crucial for Pakistan as the focus shifts to the World Cup 2027, co-hosted by South Africa, Zimbabwe, and Namibia.