Virat Kohli and Babar Azam are two players often spoken in the same sentence by none other than the fans. While Virat is a much bigger player in terms of stature than Babar, many fans feel that the ex-Pakistan captain also has the same class as the former.
Virat has already announced his retirement from T20Is and Tests. His T20I career witnessed a fairytale ending. He scored a 59-ball 76 against South Africa in the final of the ICC Men’s T20 World Cup in 2024 in the USA and the Caribbean.
His innings helped India post a challenging 176-run total, and it proved seven more than what the Proteas could manage. Virat was adjudged the Player of the Match (POTM) for his remarkable innings. Having secured his maiden ICC Men’s T20 World Cup title, Virat decided to hang up his boots in the format.
However, he is still active in the T20 format. He plays for his IPL franchise Royal Challengers Bengaluru (RCB). IPL 2024 was a landmark moment in Virat’s career as RCB ended their trophy drought by beating Punjab Kings (PBKS) in the final and winning the title for the first time.
RCB retained Virat for a total of INR 21 crore ahead of the 2026 IPL season.
Also Check: Virat Kohli IPL Salary
Virat Kohli’s IPL 2026 stats
| Stat | Value |
| Matches | 8 |
| Innings | 8 |
| Not Outs | 2 |
| Runs | 351 |
| Highest Score | 81 |
| Batting Average | 58.5 |
| Balls Faced | 216 |
| Strike Rate | 162.5 |
| Centuries | 0 |
| Fifties | 3 |
| Ducks | 0 |
| Fours | 37 |
| Sixes | 14 |
Meanwhile, Babar is still an active T20 International player. He was also a part of Pakistan’s T20 World Cup 2026 campaign but struggled for fluency. Babar holds the record for the most runs (4596) in T20I cricket. He surpassed Rohit Sharma (4231) to claim the record.
While cricket pundits always raise question marks over his batting tempo in the shortest format, Babar has responded fittingly in PSL 2026. Babar is the leading run-getter in the PSL. He has led Peshawar Zalmi by example and is leading the run charts.
Babar has accumulated 588 runs at an average of 84.00 and a strike rate of 146.26. He has already struck two hundreds and three fifties and has steered his team into the final.
Peshawar Zalmi have handed a 70 million PKR (INR 2.38 crore) contract to Babar for playing for them this season.
Babar Azam’s PSL 2026 stats
| Stat | Value |
| Matches | 10 |
| Innings | 10 |
| Not Outs | 3 |
| Runs | 588 |
| Highest Score | 103 |
| Batting Average | 84 |
| Balls Faced | 402 |
| Strike Rate | 146.26 |
| Centuries | 2 |
| Fifties | 3 |
| Ducks | 0 |
| Fours | 60 |
| Sixes | 15 |
