It doesn’t get much quieter – and yet louder – than a comeback story. Babar Azam has upended expectations in the Pakistan Super League 2026 tournament with conviction. Following months of harsh criticism about his slow game in T20s, Babar Azam has made a remarkable return, scoring runs and demonstrating intent and purpose. Babar’s stunning 103 off 59 balls in the Qualifier for Peshawar Zalmi against Islamabad United did not only earn him the right to play in the final but also served as a statement. Calm yet resolute, Babar expressed his sentiments that he is “close to his best again,” marking a sharp turnaround from his recent struggles.
Babar Azam at the post-match presentation regarding his own form said, “Alhamdulillah I’m feeling now that I’m finally back. I’m having that feeling which I’ve been missing for a long time.”
Babar’s performance statistics speak for themselves. Babar’s tally currently stands at 588 runs in the season, tying with the record for PSL all-time records. In addition, Babar has achieved two centuries in the current iteration of the league, putting him among an elite group of players. Notably, Babar’s strike rate was above 170 in the Qualifier, resolving many concerns regarding this aspect of his game.
A Statement Hundred Under Pressure In Qualifier of PSL 2026
The second century in PSL 2026 by Babar was at a time when the game was really crucial for him and Zalmi. In this qualifier, he paced himself throughout the innings until he started to accelerate. His score of 103 runs comprised 12 fours and four sixes. With the help of that inning, Zalmi scored 221/7. He reached his hundred with a six, underlining intent rather than caution.
Most importantly, the tempo control in his innings was much better. The batter had to face pressure in the beginning, but then he started moving up the blocks. It can be said that this was completely different from his batting performance in the recent T20 World Cup, where he failed to score freely. Now, the same batter was dominating his opponents. As a result, Zalmi marched into their first final in five seasons with a 70-run win.
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Matching a Big PSL Benchmark
With this score, Babar became the joint holder of Fakhar Zaman’s record of the most runs in one single PSL season which was 588. It is important to mention that Babar achieved his feat by playing just 10 matches while it took Fakhar 13.
This is Babar’s fourth century in the PSL, making him the holder of the same record as that of the best century scorers of the league. Throughout his career, Babar has always been considered reliable. However, his current performance makes us believe that he can be an asset at the faster pace of today’s T20 cricket. Consequently, the debate around his relevance in the format has cooled significantly.
Breaking Past Rivals and Setting New Standards
Apart from the statistics, Babar has already surpassed Mohammad Rizwan by making significant progress in one particular respect. It was the fourth time that he scored more than 500 runs in a single PSL campaign, surpassing anyone else on that front.
On the other hand, his total runs for the competition have crossed the threshold of 4,300, maintaining an average of nearly 48. However, something interesting to be noted about Babar Azam this time was the change in style.
He had always been known for playing slowly but steadily, maintaining a good average in the process. But now things have changed. The new Babar not only plays faster but chooses better shots as well. It means that apart from just scoring runs, he also influences the results of the matches in favor of his team. This is what makes him so formidable right now.
