Babar Azam's stunning PSL season in 2026 is perhaps the most promising one of his career till date, as it shows the capacity for evolution.
Rarely, if ever, does Babar Azam go under the radar in Pakistan. It was only natural, then, that he stole the headlines in Qualifier 1 of the 2026 PSL with a second century of the season.
After that game, Babar’s season tally stands at 588 runs, the joint-most by anyone ever in a single edition of the league. Peshawar Zalmi have lost just one of their 11 games, and now have the chance to win their first trophy since 2017.
Also read: Four wickets in three balls: Pakistani teenager hits 149kph to claim rare PSL hat-trick
Babar himself, mercifully, has looked a far cry from the batter he did over the past 12 months or so. He was in Pakistan’s T20 World Cup squad, but not without being told by head coach Mike Hesson that his strike rate in the Powerplay was not what the team needed. Against Namibia, after Pakistan had gotten off to a good start, he was not required to bat at all.
What has dogged Pakistan’s star throughout his lean patch has been an air of rigidity. “He’s very much in his own world with his batting… not open to much suggestions,” Herschelle Gibbs said in 2022, after having worked with him at Karachi Kings. Last year, Shoaib Akhtar called Babar a player with “no intention to improve”.
The discussion around him in the T20 format has always been related to his strike rate. This season, it is a personal-best of 146.3. But in 2023 and 2024, Babar put up 500-plus run seasons while striking at 145 and 142. In that sense, it would seem this is simply a return to what his peak looks like.
But, there is a key difference which shows that this PSL season, he may slowly be shedding those undesirable tags from Gibbs and Akhtar.
Marked improvement: Babar Azam in the 2026 Pakistan Super League
In his last two bumper seasons, there was a rather predictable pattern to Babar’s innings. He would start strong against quick bowling in the Powerplay – striking at 155 and 151 respectively in this phase in 2023 and 2024. He combined this with rather exceptional wicket preservation, averaging 70 in the former and not being dismissed by a pacer in the Powerplay in the latter.
Essentially, Babar would do well with pace on and the field up, but could be tied down when slower bowlers came on. And when they found their length, he had no answer, even in his most productive period – the majority of his boundaries came only when they dropped it short, and he could get back to pull or cut.
That has changed significantly this year. Babar has begun to find a way to score even when spinners land it on that in-between length.
This uptick in scoring rate coincides with a change in his method against these lengths. In the previous three seasons, he looked to get to the pitch of the ball and play on the front foot more. In 2026, there has been a firmer commitment to meeting it later, and playing off the back foot.
The slog sweep has also become a more prominent feature of his game – he employed it six times against these lengths in 2023-25. This year alone, he has attempted it seven times, and earned five sixes.
It hasn’t been uncommon this year to see Babar back away and look to cut from the stumps, or slap the ball, cross-bat, through covers and midwicket. There seems to be an extent of understanding that the aesthetics of his batting can be sacrificed for effectiveness. The upshot is that he strikes at 156 against spin this year – his previous best in a PSL season was 128, in 2024.
'I’m really pleased with the way he’s handling the spinners'
These changes have not been accidental. After Babar’s century in the qualifier, Zalmi batting consultant (and Pakistan selector) Misbah-ul-Haq spoke rather eloquently about his shifts this season: “I think when you start to hit the ball hard, normally a batter who is more of a timer of the ball can start to lose shape.
“Your front shoulder opens a bit earlier, and then you don’t have the same power through the off side, or even when hitting straight or toward the leg side, the pull shots and cuts become difficult when you're losing shape.
“So maintaining your shape and just helping the ball, timing it well, that was the adjustment. I think towards the off side as well, especially against spinners, what I worked on with him was that his front leg was going a little across. That’s why he had to play, especially against left-armers, sometimes across the line.
“Now he’s clearing that, giving himself more room, so the off side is open. And even when he has to hit straight or towards mid-wicket or play the slog sweep, once you have that path clear for the bat, it really helps. That’s something I’m really pleased with, the way he’s handling the spinners.”
“The way he dominates spin bowlers is impressive,” Babar himself said of his Zalmi batting partner Kusal Mendis. “Honestly, whenever I bat with him, I enjoy it a lot. I always tell him, ‘Bro, teach me this shot.’ I take tips from him and talk to him about how well he plays against spinners.”
Read more: Purple patch or genuine progress? Unpacking Kusal Mendis' record-breaking PSL season
The results and processes have been heartening to see, and appear to point towards an open-mindedness that Gibbs and Akhtar noted as missing in his game.
The change this year is not just one-sided, though. Babar’s focus on improving as a spin-hitter has coincided with a slight downturn in his scoring rate against pace (148 to 136), which used to be his main strength. During a process of evolution, this is not all that uncommon.
Whether this is truly the start of a new dawn for Babar the T20 batter, only time will tell. More importantly adding a string to his bow, with minimal cost to the other aspects of his game can only be a positive sign. At 31 years old, he is not over the hill. Could there be one more glorious peak yet?
Follow Wisden for all cricket updates, including live scores, match stats, quizzes and more. Stay up to date with the latest cricket news, player updates, team standings, match highlights, video analysis and live match odds.
