Karachi Kings owner Salman Iqbal has revealed that the franchise’s high-profile decision to trade star batter Babar Azam ahead of the HBL Pakistan Super League 2023 season was due to a disagreement over his batting position.
In a recent interview, Iqbal shared that the team had wanted Babar to move down the order to bat at number three, but the former captain insisted on opening — a position he has consistently favoured throughout his career.
“We wanted him to bat at number three,” Iqbal said. He stated that, at the time, Karachi Kings already had strong openers and wanted Babar to bat one-down in order to further solidify their opening order.
However, according to Iqbal, Babar refused the change. “But he was unwilling to change his role. That’s why we were forced to release him,” said Iqbal.
“The management decided to have a complete overhaul of squad, that’s why we let Babar, Imad (Wasim), and (Mohammad) Amir go,” revealed Iqbal.
Babar, 30, has opened in 76 of his 90 PSL innings, scoring 3,103 runs at an average of 47.01 and a strike rate of 129.13. His record includes 28 fifties and two hundreds, underlining his reputation as one of the league’s most reliable top-order batters.
Despite his past success, Babar’s current form has come under scrutiny. In PSL 10, he was dismissed for a duck in the opening match against Quetta Gladiators and managed just one run in the following fixture against Islamabad United.
The decline extends beyond the league. Since his 151-run innings against Nepal in August 2023, he has failed to score a century in any format.
During a tri-nation ODI series involving South Africa and New Zealand, he was again used as an opener alongside Fakhar Zaman but struggled to contribute significantly, posting scores of 10, 23, and 29.
Pakistan continued to back him in that role during the ICC Men’s Champions Trophy 2025, but Babar’s performances remained modest — 64 against New Zealand and 23 versus India in the group stage.
The revelations from Salman Iqbal shed light on the internal decision-making that led to Babar’s departure from the Kings, and they come at a time when the batter’s form and role in the national setup remain under the spotlight.
