Pakistan batsman Babar Azam has opened up about the prospect of a return as captain of the national team. Babar has had two stints as Pakistan captain, both of which didn’t exactly end happily. However, on the back of his impressive performance in the Pakistan Super League (PSL) 2026, there have been talks of Babar’s return as Pakistan captain.
Under Babar, Peshawar Zalmi advanced to the PSL finalwhere they will face the Hyderabad Kingsmen on Sunday, May 3 at the Gaddafi Stadium in Lahore. Babar has focused on the PSL finals but has kept the door open to return as Pakistan’s captain if the team needs him in the future.
“The question of captaincy is another matter, now I am only focused on the Pakistan Super League final. But if such a situation arises in future, I will always do what is in the best interest of Pakistan cricket,” Babar told reporters at a press conference.
Babar first stepped down as captain across formats after Pakistan failed to advance to the semi-finals of the ODI World Cup on Indian soil. Then, in October 2024, he stepped down as limited-overs captain after Pakistan failed to progress beyond the group stage of the T20 World Cup in the West Indies and the United States.
BABAR AZAM HAS A DREAM PSL
For Zalmi, Babar has been impressive as a captain. They remained unbeaten in their first nine matches, winning eight, while one match against Islamabad United was suspended. They then beat United by 70 runs in the qualifiers and are now eyeing a second title since 2017.
Babar thrived as a batsman as well as leading, scoring 588 runs in the tournament at an average of 84 and a strike rate of 146.26, equaling Fakhar Zaman’s record for most runs in a single edition of the PSL.
He also became only the second batsman after Usman Khan to score two centuries in the same PSL season. With his fourth century in the league, Babar is now level with Usman Khan on the list of all-time centurions in the PSL.
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Issued by:
sabyasachi chowdhury
Published on:
02 May 2026 21:18 IST
