Pakistan’s premier batsman Babur Azam Delivered both on the field and on the podium as he guided Peshawar Zalmi to the PSL 2026 title, making a powerful statement about his future in all formats after a dominant campaign.Peshawar Zalmi won their first title since 2017 by defeating Hyderabad Kingsmen by five wickets in the final at the Gaddafi Stadium in Lahore. While the trophy ended a long wait, it was Babar’s strong stance on playing all three formats that garnered equal attention.“I’ll play in three, I’m left without worry, there’s praise for all three, don’t take tension.. who wants to understand you” [I’ll play all three formats, don’t worry. I’m available for all of them, so you don’t need to stress about it… I know what you’re trying to ask]” Babar said with a big smile and a smile after the victory, making his intentions clear amid ongoing debates about his T20 relevance.Babar’s bat is talking.Babur’s words were supported by a wonderful weather. He finished as the highest run-scorer with 588 runs in 11 matches at an astonishing average of 73.50 and a strike rate of 145.91, including two centuries and three fifties. The performance not only strengthened Zalmi’s title charge but also silenced critics who had questioned his place in the shortest format.When pressed further on the format’s priorities, Babar doubled down on his philosophy.“Look, it’s a player’s job not to decide..to play the player’s job. I think every player should play every cricket. It’s not the surf, focus on the white ball or T20. You have a lot of experience with the red ball. The experience of playing long balls comes when you play four-day cricket or domestic cricket, so you should play all three formats, and who helps you in each format. [Look, it’s not really for the player to decide — a player’s job is to play. In my opinion, every cricketer should play all formats. It shouldn’t be about focusing only on white-ball or just T20 cricket. Red-ball cricket gives you a lot of experience… it builds patience… it teaches you how to play long innings, especially when you play four-day or domestic cricket. That’s why you should play all three formats — it helps you in every format]”Look:Hardy took Zalmi’s title in the final.While Babar led from the front throughout the tournament. Aaron Hardy Who gave a sensational all-round performance in the final. The Australian took advantage of 4/27 to bowl out Hyderabad for 129 and took Zalmi home in 15.2 overs with an unbeaten 56 off 39 balls.Despite falling early to 40/4, Hardy turned the game around with a match-winning stand of 85 with Abdul Samad (48).“This is a huge achievement for me, Peshawar Zalmi and all the fans,” said Babar. “Throughout the tournament we’ve done really well as a team … every player has executed the plans they’ve been given.”Led by Hyderabad Marnus Leboschgenshowed promise but faltered after a strong powerplay, losing wickets in clusters and failing to post competitive totals.
