NEW DELHI: Babar Azam led Peshawar Zalmi to the Pakistan Super League title as they beat Hyderabad Kingsmen by five wickets in the final at the Gaddafi Stadium. The triumph marked Babar’s first T20 trophy as captain, prompting jubilant scenes, cheers and high emotions throughout the venue before a hilarious moment took center stage.During the post-match celebrations, Babar and teammate Iftikhar Ahmed attempted to recreate Rohit Sharma’s iconic walk from India’s victory celebrations in the 2024 Men’s T20 World Cup in India. But the imitation didn’t quite work out, and the clumsy attempt quickly turned into a viral meme among fans. As Babar walked up to collect the trophy from Mohsin Naqvi, many noted the similarity to Rohit’s celebration move, while Iftikhar and others joined in – only for the act to fail. Instant clips soon flooded social media and sparked widespread reactions.The win marked Zalmi’s second PSL title and their first since 2017. While Babar has previously been part of PSL winning teams, this was his first triumph as captain.All-rounder Aaron Hardie was exceptional in the final. He played with the ball and took 4 for 27 to help Hyderabad Kingsmen win for 129 in 18 overs. He then capped off a brilliant performance with the bat to score an unbeaten 56 as Zalmi chased down the target in just 15.2 overs to seal a dominant victory.Despite a rare setback in the final – falling by a golden duck – Babar finished as the top scorer of the tournament. In 11 matches, he amassed 588 runs at an impressive average of 73.50, including three fifties and two hundreds, striking at 145.90.
