Peshawar Zalmi captain Babar Azam was dismissed for a duck in the PSL 11 final against the Hyderabad Kingsmen at the Gaddafi Stadium on Sunday, falling short of Fakhar Zaman’s record for the most runs in a single season.
The right-handed hitter entered the high-stakes final with just one run to surpass Zaman’s all-time total. However, he failed to improve his score and was dismissed without disturbing the scorers, thus missing a historic milestone.
Previously, the Qalandars left-handed batter held the record from the 2022 edition of the tournament, when he accumulated 588 runs in 13 innings at a strike rate of 152.72, including seven half-centuries and one century.
Babar, on the other hand, matched the feat in 11 innings, scoring runs at an outstanding average of 73.50 and strike rate of 145.90. His season lasted two centuries and three half-centuries.
Most races during a PSL season:
Babar Azam (Peshawar Zalmi) – 588 runs in 2026
Fakhar Zaman (Lahore Qalandars) – 588 runs in 2022
Babar Azam (Peshawar Zalmi) – 569 runs in 2024
Babar Azam (Karachi Kings) – 554 runs in 2021
Mohammad Rizwan (Multan Sultans) – 550 runs in 2023
Mohammad Rizwan (Multan Sultans) – 546 runs in 2022
Kusal Mendis (Peshawar Zalmi) – 541* runs in 2026
Babar Azam (Peshawar Zalmi) – 522 runs in 2023
Mohammad Rizwan (Multan Sultans) – 500 runs in 2021
Moreover, the 31-year-old had already equaled two major records in the current edition of the tournament thanks to a blistering century against Islamabad United in the qualifiers.
Babar Azam top-scored in this high-stakes match with a stunning 103 off just 59 deliveries, decorated with 12 fours and four sixes, helping the table-toppers post an impressive total of 221/7 in their 20 overs.
His 57-ball century in the match marked his second in the ongoing edition, making him only the second batter in the history of the flagship league to record two centuries in a single season, joining Usman Khan, who achieved the feat in PSL 9 for Multan Sultans.
