Babar Azam Breaks Virat Kohli and Chris Gayle’s Record, Joins Elite List Amid PSL 2026

April 10, 2026: Babar Azam created a major record in T20 cricket by becoming the fastest player to reach 12,000 runs. He achieved this milestone during a match in Karachi while playing for Peshawar Zalmi against Karachi Kings in the Pakistan Super League. Babar reached the landmark in his 351st match and only 338 innings, showing his consistency and class in the shortest format of the game.

With this achievement, Babar broke the record of Chris Gayle, who had reached 12,000 runs in 343 innings. Gayle still remains the highest run-scorer in T20 cricket overall, but Babar now holds the record for being the fastest to the milestone. Virat Kohli is third on the list, as he took 360 innings to reach the same mark. Before this match, Babar needed just 13 runs to complete 12,000 runs, and he achieved it comfortably in the fourth over of the innings. He also became only the second Pakistani batter to reach this milestone, while the record for most T20 runs by a Pakistani player is still held by Shoaib Malik.

🚨 BYE BYE VIRAT, BABAR HAS ARRIVED 🚨

In 338 innings Babar smashed 12k runs faster than Virat Kohli. The numbers don't lie—King zimbu! 🤯

Reality: 12K runs on 'Highways' against Zimbabwe is a scam, not a record. stop comparing a pet with lion Virat! 😅pic.twitter.com/TuqrUvfiEF

— Sam (@Cricsam01) April 10, 2026

Babar leads from the front with a match-winning knock

Babar did not stop after reaching the milestone and continued to play an excellent innings for his team. He opened the batting and remained unbeaten on 87 runs from 51 balls. His innings included 10 boundaries and two sixes, and he played with great control and confidence. He also built a strong partnership of 191 runs for the second wicket with Kusal Mendis, which put the opposition under pressure. Because of this partnership, Peshawar Zalmi posted a huge total of 246/3 in their 20 overs.

In response, Karachi Kings were unable to chase the big target of 247 runs. Their batting lineup struggled from the beginning and kept losing wickets regularly. They were eventually all out for just 87 runs, which showed the strong bowling performance from Zalmi. Iftikhar Ahmed, Shoriful Islam, and Sufiyan Muqeem all bowled very well and took three wickets each. Their efforts helped Peshawar Zalmi secure a big and comfortable win in the match.