Babar Azam continues to face challenges as he struggles with poor form in T20 matches, having been dropped from Pakistan’s T20I side for the New Zealand tour and now performing poorly in PSL 2025. As captain of Peshawar Zalmi, he has scored just 0 and 1 in his first two matches, with his team currently at the bottom of the table after losses to Quetta Gladiators and Islamabad United, respectively.
Amid his struggles, PSL franchise Karachi Kings owner Salman Iqbal has expressed strong support for the former Pakistan captain, making bold predictions about his future comeback.
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“I am telling you. Mark my words, when Babar Azam makes a comeback again, he will be a bigger player than any other player in the world, including Virat Kohli. He will be matched with names like Garry Sobers and Sir Viv Richards,” Iqbal stated on an ARY podcast.
Iqbal further emphasised his belief in Babar’s abilities and potential for a strong return.
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“He has that class element. When someone has class…. Class is permanent, you can’t change that. Style is always permanent. He will come back…he will come back with a bang. We wanted him to bat at number three, but he was not ready to change his role. The management decided to have a complete overhaul of the squad. That’s why we let Babar, Imad Wasim, and Mohammad Amir go,” Iqbal added.
Babar’s recent challenges began with a disappointing performance in Pakistan’s home T20 Champions Trophy campaign, leading to his exclusion from the national T20I squad.
The situation has been further complicated by his performance in PSL 2025, where his leadership of Peshawar Zalmi has yet to yield positive results.
Iqbal also revealed the reasons behind Babar’s departure from Karachi Kings, where he played from 2017 to 2022 and contributed to their 2020 title victory.
“When we [Karachi Kings] made our line-up heavily reliant on our openers, we requested Babar Azam to bat at number three. But he was keen to play as an opener as he was established there and was not comfortable playing one-down. That’s when the management decided to have a complete overhaul,” Iqbal explained.
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