Babar Azam Embarrasses Himself Before Peshawar Zalmi's PSL 2026 Opener

Babar Azam [Source: AFP]

Moments of sheer absurdity have often found a way into Pakistan cricket’s narrative. Hilarious fielding lapses, dropped catches, comical mix-ups and occasional brain-fade under minimal pressure have all become a part of Pakistan’s enduring folklore.

Not even Pakistan’s training drills have escaped the trend, with Babar Azam and Mohammad Rizwan once going viral for an awkward comical stretching session that left cricket fans in splits.

Babar seems to have found himself at the centre of yet another hilarious moment, this time just ahead of Peshawar Zalmi’s opening match of the PSL 2026 season in Pakistan.

Babar Azam fumbles, gets hit on the head despite cushion in place

Peshawar Zalmi captain Babar Azam performed a routine ball-catching moment for an ad shoot just ahead of his team’s opening match of the PSL 2026 season. With a cushion in place on the field, Babar jumped towards it to catch the ball.

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Not only did one of ‘Pakistan’s finest active fielders’ failed to catch the ball, it slipped out of his hand and hit on his head. The 31-year-old could only laugh it off as he quickly picked himself up, turning an embarrassing miscue into yet another viral moment.

Rajiv

@Rajiv1841

Ling Babar Azam is not even able to catch ball in ad shoot with cushion in place & when he knows exactly about the pace & placement of ball😂😭

Mar 27, 2026, 9:12 PM

Babar Azam and Mohammad Rizwan’s warm-up still the OG

Before Babar Azam’s catching goof-up on a comfortable cushion, he and longtime teammate Mohammad Rizwan had already produced a meme-worthy warm-up moment of their own.

Earlier this year, the two legendary top-order batters were spotted stretching and warming up in unison during a training session. The stretching, however, sparked a laugh riot among cricket fans on social media for its absurd nature.

Some fans even recreated the routine, with even Indian fast bowler Deepak Chahar joining the trend by sharing a hilarious tribute clip.

Babar Azam set to lead Peshawar Zalmi in PSL 2026

On a trail of an underwhelming 2026 T20 World Cup in Sri Lanka, Babar Azam certainly has a point to prove as he heads into the PSL 2026 season. Set to lead the Peshawar Zalmi franchise, he will be accompanied by fellow star performers like Michael Bracewell, Kusal Mendis, Nahid Rana, Aamer Jamal among others.

Under his leadership, the Peshawar Zalmi franchise failed to qualify for the playoffs of the PSL 2025 season last year. An improved performance this time around will not only revive Babar’s PSL captaincy credentials, but might also put him back in contention for national captaincy amidst Pakistan’s recent struggles.

Even as a batter, the legendary Pakistani batter will be aiming to get back among the runs after undergoing a dismal BBL 2025-26 season and a lacklustre 2026 ICC T20 World Cup.

As per a revised PSL 2026 schedule as unveiled by the PCB earlier this month, Babar Azam and co. will be taking on RawalPindiZ in their opening match of the tournament. The match will be hosted by the iconic Gaddafi Stadium in Lahore on Saturday, March 28. The action is slated to commence from 3:00 PM IST onwards.

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