NEW DELHI: The Peshawar Zalmi dressing room was hit by an instant wave of emotion as captain Babar Azam soaked in the moment when Farhan Yousaf struck the decisive runs to take Pakistan Super League (PSL) 2026 glory. Peshawar Zalmi got the better of Hyderabad Kingsmen by five wickets in the final, sealing the title at a loud and lively Gaddafi Stadium in Lahore.<\/p>\n
The PSL 2026 success also became Babar\u2019s first major trophy as a captain, and the intensity of the celebration was captured clearly on camera. In the dugout, the Pakistan skipper was seen fighting back tears as the achievement fully landed.<\/p>\n
For Peshawar Zalmi, it was a landmark night on two fronts: their second PSL title overall, and their first since 2017. While Babar had been part of title-winning PSL campaigns before, this marked the first time he lifted the trophy in a leadership role, adding extra weight to the celebrations.<\/p>\n
After Babar raised the trophy, the team erupted. Teammates lifted him onto their shoulders and carried him around the ground in a full victory lap, as the celebrations spilled into the stands and concourses.<\/p>\n
At the post-match press conference, Babar moved quickly to cool down any talk about him picking and choosing among formats. He reiterated his intention to keep featuring across all three formats and stressed that the responsibility of selecting which version of the game to play does not belong to the individual player\u2014rather, it is about being ready whenever required.<\/p>\n
Babar has long been a fixture for Pakistan across formats, but in recent times he has found it harder to maintain consistency. He also endured a quieter stretch that included an understated outing at the ICC Men\u2019s T20 World Cup earlier this year.<\/p>\n
That said, his title-winning run with Peshawar Zalmi has sparked a return of form. He struck two centuries in 11 matches and ended the tournament as its leading run-getter, finishing with a record-equalling 588 runs.<\/p>\n
\u201cMy focus is on all three formats. It\u2019s not for the player to decide (which format to skip); a player\u2019s job is to play. In my opinion, every player should play every form of cricket. You shouldn\u2019t focus only on the white ball or T20s. Red-ball cricket gives you immense experience. It teaches you how to build an innings and gives you patience,\u201d Babar said during the PSL 2026 title run press interaction.<\/p>\n
He added, \u201cWhen you play four-day cricket or any domestic circuit, you gain the experience of scoring \u2018long\u2019 runs. You should play all three formats because each one helps the other. Red ball helps you in T20s and ODIs. When you play Test matches, the patience and mindset you develop\u2014the art of playing a long innings\u2014benefit you significantly in white-ball cricket.\u201d<\/p>\n
Stay tuned for the latest IPL updates, including live score coverage, match news, the IPL schedule, the points table, and the ongoing race for the IPL Orange Cap and IPL Purple Cap.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
NEW DELHI: The Peshawar Zalmi dressing room was hit by an instant wave of emotion as captain Babar Azam soaked in the moment when Farhan…<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":4,"featured_media":7492,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_yoast_wpseo_title":"PSL 2026 Final: Babar Azam Emotions as Peshawar Wins","_yoast_wpseo_metadesc":"Babar Azam\u2019s heartfelt trophy moment as Peshawar Zalmi beat Hyderabad Kingsmen by five wickets to lift PSL 2026 at Lahore\u2019s Gaddafi Stadium.","footnotes":""},"categories":[2],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-7493","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-ipl"],"yoast_head":"\n