Babar Azam Sets New T20 Record in PSL Match Against Karachi Kings

In a thrilling PSL match, Babar Azam led Peshawar Zalmi to a strong total while breaking Chris Gayle's record as the fastest player to score 12,000 runs in T20 cricket. His impressive innings of 87 runs, along with Kusal Perera's century, highlighted the match. Babar's achievement marks him as the second Pakistani to surpass this milestone, following Shoaib Malik. Read on to learn more about this historic performance and its implications for T20 cricket.

By Narendra Chaudhary Apr 9, 2026, 22:37 IST

Babar Azam Shines in PSL Match

The 17th match of the Pakistan Super League (PSL) 2026 is currently taking place at the National Stadium in Karachi, featuring Peshawar Zalmi against Karachi Kings on March 9 (Thursday). A key player to watch in this match was Babar Azam, who is leading Peshawar Zalmi. He made a significant contribution with the bat, helping his team post a formidable total of 246/3 in the first innings. Babar scored an impressive 87 runs off 51 balls, which included 10 boundaries and 2 sixes. This performance allowed him to set a new world record previously held by Chris Gayle.

With this innings, Babar Azam has reached a total of 12,074 runs in his T20 career, surpassing Chris Gayle's record as the fastest player to achieve 12,000 runs in this format. Gayle accomplished this feat in 343 innings, while Babar achieved it in just 338 innings.

Rank	Player	Innings to 12,000 Runs
1	Babar Azam	338
2	Chris Gayle	343
3	Virat Kohli	360
4	David Warner	368

Babar Azam Becomes Second Pakistani to Reach 12,000 T20 Runs

Babar Azam is now the second player from Pakistan to surpass 12,000 runs in T20 cricket. The record for the highest runs by a Pakistani player in this format is held by the legendary Shoaib Malik, who has amassed 13,571 runs. Here are the top Pakistani players in T20 runs:

Shoaib Malik - 13,571
Babar Azam - 12,074
Mohammad Hafeez - 7,922
Mohammad Rizwan - 7,850
Kamran Akmal - 6,775
Ahmed Shehzad - 6,446

While Babar Azam scored 87 runs, Kusal Perera was the standout performer for Peshawar Zalmi in the first innings, smashing 109 runs. Additionally, Abdul Samad contributed significantly with a quickfire 40 runs off just 12 balls, adding crucial momentum to the innings.