Pakistan star batter Babar Azam scored his second century of this season’s Pakistan Super League, enough to take Peshawar Zalmi through to the final of the 2026 tournament after a win over Islamabad United in the Qualifier match of the PSL playoffs in Karachi this week.
Babar’s 103(59) helped Zalmi to a well above par 221/7 on a tricky wicket, before bowling out Islamabad United for 151 for another comprehensive win. Babar’s innings was laced with 12 fours and four sixes, and was at the heart of the effort as the power of Mohammad Haris, Kusal Mendis, and Aaron Hardie racked up the runs down the other end.
Overall, this was Babar’s fourth PSL century, tying him for the lead for the most centuries in tournament history alongside Usman Khan. Babar has enjoyed a strong season, now onto 588 runs for the tournament – the highest ever in a single PSL season, matching Fakhar Zaman’s total in PSL 2022.
One record Babar did succeed in breaking across all of T20 cricket is centuries for a batter while playing as captain – this was Babar’s ninth such innings over the course of his career, helping him break the deadlock of a record he previously shared with Faf du Plessis.
Most centuries as captain in T20s:
Babar Azam* – 9
{{/usCountry}}Babar Azam* – 9
{{/usCountry}}Faf du Plessis – 8
Michael Klinger – 7
Virat Kohli – 5
James Vince – 5
“I’m starting to feel like I’m getting back to my best. I’m trying to keep things simple and trust my skills, and just execute my game according to the situation – what the pitch demands, how to handle different bowlers, and when to attack. The hard work I put in before the PSL is helping now,” reflected Babar after the match.
Babar pulls level with Kohli in different category
In addition to breaking du Plessis’ record, Babar Azam also tied Virat Kohli and Abhishek Sharma for a different record – the most T20 centuries in a single country. While Abhishek and Kohli have scored eight tons each in India, Babar now has eight T20 tons on Pakistan soil.
Babar’s terrific season has been the backbone of a season which saw Peshawar finish top of the league table with eight wins and just one loss, that too coming in their final game of the league stage in a dead rubber contest.
In the Qualifier match, Peshawar completely outclassed a strong Islamabad team, continuing to showcase their dominance. PZ are through to the finals, where they are gunning for their second PSL title, having finished as losing finalists on three other occasions.