Babar Azam lifted the PSL 11 crown after guiding Peshawar Zalmi past Hyderabad Kingsmen by five wickets. At the top of the runs chart when finals ended, his bat had carved through the competition quietly but deep. Victory tasted sharp that night, a personal peak meshed with team success.

Leading from the middle order, he shaped moments without shouting. The trophy gleamed under lights, proof of steady hands at the helm and crease.

Success hasn’t swayed him one bit when it comes to narrowing his game. A reporter brought up the idea after the match, but he cut it short before it could gain any ground.

“Tension na lein, teeno format kheloonga”, says Babar Azam

‘Tension na lein, teeno format kheloonga (Don’t stress, I will play in all three formats),’ Babar told the journalist after interrupting his question.

Babar spoke again. "Deciding what to skip? That isn’t up to the player; their role is simply to take part." He believes each cricketer ought to be involved in all versions of the game. Focusing just on white-ball matches - or sticking only to T20s, misses something vital.

Playing with the red ball builds deep understanding through real challenge. Start slow, learn to stay at the crease, that builds real composure. Playing multi-day games shapes your ability to score over many hours. One format feeds another, so being part of all three makes sense.

The red-ball game sharpens instincts useful even in fast-paced T20 contests. Spending time on longer match types trains focus, this calm shows up when chasing targets under lights.

Looking back at winning a PSL trophy as skipper, Babar saw how long it had taken just to reach that point.
“Better late than never, sometimes things come to you late, and sometimes they happen quickly,” he said.

That top-order hitter had quite the standout year, piling up 588 runs across 11 games - topping everyone on the scoreboard. Only one person managed 200 that entire time; he was it.

Babar was honest about times when his batting fell short of what he wanted.

“As far as batting is concerned, I definitely couldn’t deliver according to the expectations I had for myself. But these things happen. Sometimes, you aren’t able to execute your plans exactly how you wanted once you get out there. You try everything, but things just don’t go your way,” Babar said.

He spoke candidly about how he dealt with that phase, emphasising self-reflection and support from close ones.

“In those moments, what you do is try to take two steps back and look at yourself. You analyse your mistakes and try to rectify them. That’s what I did. During that phase, the people closest to me provided immense support. You really need that support during such times. My family and close friends motivated me and kept talking to me about my ‘best abilities.’ I also tried to repeat the things I do best. I spoke with my coaches, had discussions, and worked on my game. Look, things move like a rollercoaster; life is never a stable, flat line. You learn, you do well, and you do poorly. That’s just part of life.”

Still catching his breath, Babar Azam talked about moving straight from the ICC Men's T20 World Cup into the PSL. A short pause came between one tournament ending and another starting. He didn’t hide how tough it felt, no real break after coming off a rough run.

“Look, when we came back from the World Cup, I hadn’t performed according to expectations. As a player, you feel a bit down. But again, there was very little time; I only had about ten days. During that time, I sat down and looked at my mistakes and where my game plan seemed to be shifting. I worked on my technique and my mindset.”

Wrapping up, he walked through his straightforward plan for the PSL season. “For this PSL (Pakistan Super League), my goal was simply this: I will play my natural game and stick to my cricketing shots. I decided to execute whatever the pitch conditions, the match situation, and the team demanded of me,” Babar added.

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