Babar Azam will replace Wahab as Peshawar Zalmi's captain in PSL

KARACHI [Pakistan]: Pakistan's star batter Babar Azam will replace Wahab Riaz as Peshawar Zalmi's captain for the upcoming season of the Pakistan Super League (PSL).

As per the ESPNcricinfo, after acquiring Babar from the Karachi Kings in exchange for Shoaib Malik and Haider Ali, the club began a transformation that started in 2021 with the goal of forming a new core.

Since the league's start in 2016, no team has had a more devoted fan base than Zalmi. Daren Sammy, Hasan Ali, Kamran Akmal, and Wahab Riaz wore the same colours until Hasan left last year.

However, there have been some snags, such as the miscommunication with Akmal and the mid-season benching of their captain Sammy in order to appoint him as a coach.

Zalmi won the championship in 2017 and has had a steady run since, reaching the finals in 2018, 2019, and 2021, as well as the eliminator in 2020 and 2022. Wahab has been a rock for the team. He was retained by the franchise despite being the league's highest wicket-taker. But at 37 years old, his impact on the field isn't what it used to be.

He was downgraded from the platinum to the diamond PSL player category earlier this year. Akmal, 40, has been released. Zalmi is looking for 11 players for the PSL draught on December 15 in Karachi. Along with Babar, they have already signed hard-hitting batter Mohammad Haris and have retained Sherfane Rutherford, Aamir Jamal (Brand Ambassador), Salman Irshad, and Tom-Kohler Cadmore.

Babar's PSL adventure began with Islamabad United in the inaugural season in 2016, but he was dropped after two games.

Since the following year, he has represented Karachi Kings, where he has dominated the charts with an average of 43.60 and a strike rate of 121.97 on his way to being the tournament's leading scorer, with 2413 runs in 68 matches.

However, his connection with the franchise deteriorated, and the team sank to the bottom under his command, losing nine of ten games. Imad Wasim will now lead the kings.

PSL 2023 will take place from February 9 to March 19. The matches will be held in four cities: Lahore, Karachi, Rawalpindi, and Multan, up from two in the previous two seasons (Lahore and Karachi) due to Covid-19.