There are cricket performances, and then there are performances that remind you why a player is spoken about in the same breath as the all-time greats. On April 19, 2026, Babar Azam produced one of the most complete T20 innings of his career — ending a 783-day wait for a T20 hundred, equalling Virat Kohli’s century partnership record, and catapulting Peshawar Zalmi to one of the biggest totals in PSL history. All of it in a single evening in Karachi.
The Century That Ended a Long, Long Wait
For all his consistency and class across the PSL 11 season, there was still one thing missing from Babar Azam’s story — a T20 hundred. His last one had come in February 2024, and the question of whether he could still produce that final leap from 90 to 100 in the fastest format had quietly become the talking point around his game.
On Saturday night against Quetta Gladiators, he answered it in the most emphatic way possible.
Babar Azam finally ended his long wait for a T20 hundred with a stunning unbeaten century that powered Peshawar Zalmi to 255-3 against Quetta Gladiators in the 2026 PSL. The Zalmi captain brought up his century on the final ball of the innings, reaching the milestone with a two after a brilliant knock that came off just 52 balls. ProPakistani
This marks his first T20 century in nearly two years. His innings featured six fours and four sixes, as he scored runs at a blistering strike rate of 192.31. News24
It was his 12th century in T20 cricket, his third in the PSL, and his fastest hundred in the league. More importantly, it was his first T20 century in 67 innings over 783 days. ProPakistani
That last detail — 783 days — says everything about what this innings meant, not just for a match, but for a career narrative.
The Record That Now Ties Him With Kohli
The century itself was headline enough. But buried within this innings was an achievement that places Babar in elite company alongside one of cricket’s greatest modern batters.
Babar Azam has equalled the record of India’s Virat Kohli for the most century partnerships in T20 cricket. During the PSL match, Babar Azam formed another 100-run stand with Kusal Mendis, marking his 47th century partnership in T20s. Virat Kohli has also recorded 47 century partnerships in the format, placing both players jointly at the top of the list. Daily Pakistan
That stand also helped Babar equal Virat Kohli’s record for the most century partnerships in T20 cricket. Babar also holds the record for the most century partnerships in PSL history, with 18 such stands to his name. ProPakistani
Forty-seven century partnerships. That means 47 times across his T20 career, Babar has been at the crease when a partnership has crossed 100. It is a measure not just of personal brilliance but of his ability to build innings, anchor partnerships, and elevate those batting alongside him.
He Also Surpasses David Warner on the All-Time Centuries List
The Kohli partnership record was not the only record Babar claimed on Saturday evening.
With this century, Babar Azam has surpassed David Warner to climb to the second spot on the list of batters with the most centuries in T20 cricket. News24
The updated list of most T20 hundreds in cricket now reads — Chris Gayle (22), Babar Azam (12), David Warner (10). To be ahead of Warner — one of the most destructive openers the game has ever seen — and closing in on Gayle’s seemingly untouchable tally, is a statement of historical significance.
How the Match Unfolded: Zalmi Post PSL’s Third Highest Total
This was not just a record-breaking personal performance — it was a team demolition job of the highest order.
Peshawar Zalmi crushed Quetta Gladiators by 118 runs. Batting first, Zalmi posted a huge 255 for 3 in their 20 overs. Aaron Hardie added a quick 26 off 10 balls late in the innings. Chasing 256, Quetta never looked in control and were bowled out for 137 in 18.1 overs. For Zalmi, Mohammad Basit and Ali Raza picked up three wickets each. NewsX
Batting first, Peshawar Zalmi scored a massive 255 for 3 in their 20 overs, marking the third-highest total in PSL history. Babar Azam completed his century on the final ball of the innings, reaching the milestone with a two. Daily Pakistan
The total now stands as the highest-ever team score recorded in a PSL fixture at this venue, leaving the Gladiators with a mountain to climb. Despite rotating through six different options, captain Saud Shakeel struggled to find a breakthrough or stem the flow of runs. The seamers were guilty of missing their lengths, often drifting onto the pads or offering too much width, which Babar and Mendis exploited ruthlessly. Tapmad
The partnership between Babar and Mendis — 135 runs for the second wicket — was the engine room of the innings. Mendis brought the aggression, Babar brought the control, and together they constructed something genuinely special.
The Partnership That Made It All Possible: Mendis and Babar
Kusal Mendis also played a major role in the carnage with 83 runs as the two batters added 135 runs for the second wicket to put Zalmi in complete control. His innings was packed with control and aggression — Babar struck six fours and four sixes and played just one dot ball throughout the knock as Quetta’s bowlers struggled to contain him. ProPakistani
Mendis’s PSL 2026 season has been equally outstanding. The Sri Lankan wicketkeeper-batter has been Zalmi’s most consistent overseas performer, providing exactly the kind of attacking brilliance around Babar that has allowed the captain to play his natural game.
A Season of Sustained Brilliance
What makes this century even more remarkable is the context of the season Babar has been having. This was not a one-off explosion of form — it was the culmination of a sustained, disciplined return to his best.
Prior to this century, Babar’s recent scores in PSL 2026 stood at 71*, 18, 43, 87*, 43, and 39. In PSL 2026 alone, he has already scored over 400 runs in just seven matches, a tally that includes one century and two half-centuries. News24
Earlier in the tournament, Babar had already hit multiple milestones. He became the fastest batter in T20 history to reach 12,000 runs — surpassing both Chris Gayle and Virat Kohli’s timelines. He also became the fastest to 100 T20 half-centuries, doing so in 341 innings compared to Kohli’s 401.
The picture is of a batter who, having gone through a well-publicised rough patch, has come roaring back with the kind of accumulation of milestones that suggests he is batting not just at his best, but possibly at the peak of his entire career.
Zalmi Remain Unbeaten — A Title Charge Builds
For all the individual records, Babar remains relentlessly team-focused. And under his leadership, Peshawar Zalmi have been the tournament’s dominant force.
Under the leadership of Babar Azam, Zalmi have looked balanced, disciplined, and clinical in all departments. From seven matches, Zalmi have secured six victories, while one game ended without a result. Their consistency with both bat and ball has made them one of the strongest title contenders this season. NewsX
With Sufiyan Muqeem consistently taking wickets, Kusal Mendis providing explosive runs at the top, and now Babar back to his century-scoring, record-equalling best — the Yellow Storm look very much like a team with their eyes on the PSL 11 title.
External Sources:
- ProPakistani — Babar Azam Equals Virat Kohli’s T20 Record With PSL Hundred
- Daily Pakistan — Babar Azam Equals Virat Kohli’s Record in T20 Cricket
- Daily Pakistan — Babar Century Powers Zalmi to Third Highest PSL Total
- News24 — Babar Azam Breaks David Warner’s Record