Karachi, April 9, 2026: Babar Azam, skipper of Peshawar Zalmi, etched his name in cricketing history on Thursday by becoming the fastest batter to reach 12,000 runs in men’s T20 cricket during PSL 11 against Karachi Kings at the National Bank Stadium.
The right-handed batter entered the match with 11,987 runs in 337 innings and crossed the milestone with a six off Khushdil Shah on the third delivery of the fourth over. At 31 years old, Babar became only the 12th player globally to breach the 12,000-run mark, joining legends such as Chris Gayle, Kieron Pollard, Virat Kohli, Rohit Sharma, and fellow Pakistani Shoaib Malik.
Notably, Babar achieved the milestone in just 338 innings, making him the fastest to 12,000 runs, five innings fewer than Gayle, who reached the mark in 345 innings. He is followed by Kohli and Australia’s David Warner, with 360 and 368 innings respectively.
Despite Babar’s record, Chris Gayle still tops the all-time men’s T20 run charts with 14,562 runs in 455 innings, including 22 centuries and 88 fifties, closely followed by Kieron Pollard with 14,482 runs. Shoaib Malik holds seventh place with 13,571 runs in 515 innings.
Men’s T20 batters with 12,000+ runs (All-Time)
- Chris Gayle (West Indies) – 14,562 runs in 455 innings
- Kieron Pollard (West Indies) – 14,482 runs in 652 innings
- Alex Hales (England) – 14,449 runs in 523 innings
- David Warner (Australia) – 14,121 runs in 434 innings
- Jos Buttler (England) – 13,909 runs in 466 innings
- Virat Kohli (India) – 13,612 runs in 398 innings
- Shoaib Malik (Pakistan) – 13,571 runs in 515 innings
- James Vince (England) – 13,102 runs in 470 innings
- Rohit Sharma (India) – 12,361 runs in 452 innings
- Quinton de Kock (South Africa) – 12,322 runs in 439 innings
- Babar Azam (Pakistan) – 12,074 runs in 338 innings
- Faf du Plessis (South Africa) – 12,041 runs in 431 innings
Babar Azam’s feat not only underscores his consistency and class in T20 cricket but also highlights his standing among the modern greats of the game, setting a new benchmark for aspiring batters worldwide.
