Desert Vipers CEO Phil Oliver explained why they picked Pakistan’s premier batter Babar Azam for USD 80,000 at the ILT20 auction last week.
Speaking on Wisden’s The Scoop, Oliver stated that Babar was always high on their priority list even before the auction. He added that it was very hard to ignore the highest run-scorer in men’s T20 Internationals as well as in the Pakistan Super League, and highlighted the conditions in the UAE, where Babar perfectly fits in with his style of play.
“It's good to have Babar with us,” said Oliver. “I mean, he is a player of high pedigree. I mean, that’s what you start with. I think we’re talking about the player with the most men’s T20 international runs, top scorer in the PSL, and that’s not to be sniffed at. So, when someone like that is available, you absolutely look at what it can bring to your top order. You obviously need a bit of a balance with this squad when you go into an auction and he was very much high on our list of priorities.”
Babar, 31, has not played for Pakistan in the shortest format since the T20 World Cup earlier this year. He was not picked in their T20I squad for the upcoming three-match series against Sri Lanka either.
However, he remains the highest run-scorer in men’s T20Is with 4,596 runs in 136 innings at a strike rate of 128; is on top of the charts in the PSL, having amassed 4,380 runs in 109 innings; and finished as the leading run-scorer this year with 588 runs to his credit in 11 innings.
“I think T20 conditions, playing the UAE, you do need a different skill set in some cases with your batting and yeah, I think the combination we've got at the top of the order, it feels like we've got all bases covered. So yeah, we're very pleased to have him and yeah, I think a key pickup for us, really that we were delighted to secure him pretty early on,” added Oliver.
For the unversed, the Vipers secured Babar’s services for US$ 80,000. The franchise also managed to pick the likes of Fakhar Zaman, Shadab Khan and Naseem Shah for the same price at the auction. Abu Dhabi Knight Riders was the only other team to pick a Pakistani player at the auction: they won the bid for mystery spinner Usman Tariq.
Also Read: ILT20 2026/27 auction: Updated squads and remaining purse after complete auction
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