Introduction
This article looks at some of the best batters to have played in the PSL (Pakistan Super League) and examines their records.
The highest individual score in the PSL
The highest individual score in the history of the PSL was made by former England opener Jason Roy, playing for the Quetta Gladiators against the Peshawar Zalmi on the 8th March, 2023. Earlier that day, Babar Azam had scored 115, as Zalmi posted an imposing 240/2 from their 20 overs. That had seemed an impregnable total to chase.
But, opening the batting, Roy took the Zalmi bowling apart, as he scored an unbeaten 145 off just 63 balls, including five sixes and 20 fours. It was his sixth T20 century in all, and it also enabled his side to pull off the successful run chase in PSL history, as they reached their victory target with ten balls to spare.
Only four wickets fell in the entire match, and only three of those to bowlers.
The highest individual score by a Pakistan player came in March 2023, when Usman Khan, playing for the Multan Sultans made 120 in a match against the Peshawar Gladiators in Rawalpindi. He faced just 43 balls, and struck 9 sixes and 12 fours.
He reached his century in just 36 balls, and that is also a PSL record. And his innings also helped his team rack up 262/3 from their 20 overs, which is also the highest team total in the history of the competition.
List of Top PSL Batsmen
Top run scorers in the PSL:
| Name | Teams | Innings | Runs | Average | Strike Rate |
| Babar Azam | IU/KK/PZ | 90 | 3,505 | 45.50 | 127.22 |
| Fakhar Zaman | LQ | 87 | 2,669 | 31.03 | 141.06 |
| Mohammad Rizwan | KK/LQ/MS | 74 | 2,546 | 41.43 | 128.91 |
| Shoaib Malik | KK/MS/PZ/QG | 88 | 2,350 | 33.09 | 127.78 |
| Rilee Rossouw | MS/QG | 82 | 2,080 | 32.50 | 144.34 |
| Kamram Akmal | PZ | 74 | 1,972 | 27.38 | 136.94 |
| Mohammad Hafeez | LQ/PZ/QG | 74 | 1,731 | 27.47 | 124.44 |
| Colin Munro | IU/KK | 50 | 1,564 | 34.75 | 151.11 |
| Sarfaraz Ahmed | QG | 73 | 1,525 | 29.32 | 122.68 |
| Shan Masood | KK/MS | 54 | 1,494 | 27.66 | 130.02 |
Team abbreviations:
IU = Islamabad United
KK = Karachi Kings
LQ = Lahore Qalandars
MS = Multan Sultans
PZ = Peshawar Zalmi
QG = Quetta Gladiators
Highest career average
| Name | Teams | Innings | Runs | Average |
| Babar Azam | IU/KK/PZ | 90 | 3,505 | 45.50 |
| Tim David | LQ/MS | 22 | 605 | 43.21 |
| Mohammad Rizwan | KK/LQ/MS | 74 | 2,546 | 41.43 |
| Kieron Pollard | KK/MS/PZ | 48 | 1,149 | 38.30 |
| Tamim Iqbal | LQ/PZ | 20 | 605 | 37.81 |
| Luke Ronchi | IU | 31 | 1,020 | 36.42 |
Notable Batting Records and Milestones
Most runs in a season
The record for the most runs in a single season belongs to Fakhar Zaman, who scored 588 runs for the Lahore Qalandars in the 2021/2022 season. He is one of a handful of players to have scored 500 runs or more in a single PSL season. Babar Azam has done it three times, twice in the colours of the Peshawar Zalmi (in 2023 and 2024), and once for the Karachi Kings (in 2021).
Mohammad Rizwan has also managed the feat on three occasions, for the Multan Sultans in three consecutive seasons between 2021 and 2023.
PSL Century Makers
There have been 26 centuries scored in the PSL to date, with the rate gradually increasing. Although the first three editions of the tournament saw just one scored each year, all but two seasons since then have seen at least three scored. 2023 remains the high water mark, with three figures recorded by a batter on seven occasions.
Both Kamran Akmal and Usman Khan have reached three figures on three occasions in PSL matches. Rilee Rossouw, Sharjeel Khan, Fakhar Zaman, Jason Roy, and Babar Azam have all managed it twice. The list of those who have achieved this one in the tournament currently comprises Colin Ingram, Cameron Delport, Chris Lynn, Usman Khawaja. Harry Brook, Martin Guptill, Rassie van der Dussen, James Vince, and Sahibzada Farhan (the most recent entrant).
Centuries by team
Islamabad United are the most successful team in the history of the PSL. They are the only franchise to have won the title three times. And they also are the only franchise to have four century makers. The Lahore Qalandars, Karachi Kings and Multan Sultans have all seen the feat achieved three times, and Peshawar Zalmi and the Quetta Gladiators twice.
By franchise the highest scores of all time are:
| Franchise | Player Name | Score | Opponent | When |
| Islamabad United | Cameron Delport | 117 | Lahore Qalandars | 9th March 2019 |
| Karachi Kings | Colin Ingram | 127 not out | Quetta Gladiators | 24th February 2019 |
| Lahore Qalandars | Fakhar Zaman | 115 | Islamabad United | 9th March 2023 |
| Multan Sultans | Rilee Rossouw | 121 | Peshawar Zalmi | 10th March 2023 |
| Peshawar Zalmi | Babar Azam | 115 | Quetta Gladiators | 8th March 2023 |
| Quetta Gladiators | Jason Roy | 145 not out | Peshawar Zalmi | 8th March 2023 |
PSL in 2025
The 2025 season only began on April 11th, later than usual in part because of the need to accommodate the Champions Trophy which Pakistan hosted this year. Consequently there is a lot of cricket still to be played before the final on 18th May in Lahore. Despite that there have already been several notable innings.
James Vince
The fastest century of PSL 2025 so far was scored by James Vince playing for the Karachi Kings in their opening game of the season against the Multan Sultans. Chasing 235 to win, the Englishman reached his 100 in just 42 balls, and helped his side recover after they slipped to 79/4 in their reply. With Khushdil Shah keeping him company, the pair added 142 for the fifth wicket off just 67 balls, targeting the Sultan spinners like Michael Bracewell and Usama Mir. A series of boundaries helped Vince reach his ton, although he was run out soon afterwards for 101. Shah also departed but Irfan Khan Niazi and Abbas Afridi saw their side over the line with four balls to spare.
However, what really caught the imagination of the fans was the additional gift he was given, as well as his traditional Player of the Match award, with the Kings’ owner presenting him with a hair dryer.
Sahibzada Farhan
The highest individual score in the PSL so far has been made by opening bat Sahibzada Farhan, who plays for the defending champions Islamabad United. In their match against the Peshawar Zalmi in Rawalpindi, he made 106 off just 52 balls, with his innings featuring five sixes and 13 fours. Although he was dismissed in the 14th over, his side still went on to post 243/5 from their 20 overs. That was too much for Zalmi, who were bowled out for just 141, despite a defiant 89 from Mohammad Haris.
Analysis of Top Batting Performers in PSL history
Babar Azam
If anybody can lay claim to the title of PSL highest scoring batter it must be Babar Azam. Not only has he scored more runs than any other player in the history of the competition than any other player by some distance, but his average is also higher than all of his main rivals. He is also one of an elite group who have two PSL centuries to their name, and has also scored more half-centuries than any other player. Azam leads the way when it comes to PSL centuries – his 35 is 14 more than his two nearest challengers, Mohammad Rizwan and Fakhar Zaman, both of whom have 21 to their name.
He was part of the Islamabad United team that won the inaugural version of the league in 2016, and then moved to the Karachi Kings where he helped win their one and only title in 2020. It therefore seems surprising that, having been made captain, he was traded to the Peshawar Zalmi in exchange for Haider Ali and Shoaib Malik ahead of the 2023 season. This appears to have been for non-cricketing reasons, with suggestions that he and the Kings’ president, Wasim Akram, had a personal falling-out.
Despite that he is known for his ability to anchor an innings and then gradually accelerate.
2025 has started in disappointing fashion for Azam – he has managed just one run in two innings so far. Few, though, should doubt his ability to bounce back, as he has so many times before.
Fakhar Zaman
If Azam has been described as silk, then Fakhar Zaman is regarded as fire, because of his aggressive and audacious batting style, which have helped make him a legend amongst Lahore Qalandars fans. He has a better strike rate than any other Pakistan player, and he has two centuries and 19 fifties to his name, with a top score of 115.
Only the Australian Ben Dunk has more sixes in a single PSL innings than Zaman.
Mohammad Rizwan
Another player to have appeared for a number of franchises, Mohammad Rizwan is in a class of his own when it comes to striking sixes. His total of 104 is 14 more than the next player on the all-time list, Asif Ali. He is renowned for his ability as a finisher, but also because he is able to pace an innings, often under pressure, making him one of the most reliable performers in the league. Only Babar Azam and the Australian Tim David, have a higher PSL career average.
Rizwan has already reached three figures this year. He made an unbeaten 105 for the Sultans against the Karachi Kings, although that proved to be in a losing cause.
Rilee Rossouw
South African left-hander Rilee Rossouw can justifiably claim to have been the most successful foreign batter in the history of the PSL. He is the only overseas star to have scored more than 2,000 runs in the tournament. That includes two centuries. In 2019 he won the PSL with the Quetta Gladiators, and then repeated the feat with the Multan Sultans in 2022, and then was part of the side that reached the final again the following year. Among the leading run scorers in the competition’s history, only another overseas star, Colin Munro of New Zealand, boosts a better strike rate.
Shoaib Malik
Although he is now retired, Shoaib Malik made a last impression on the PSL playing for the PSL with the Karachi Kings, the Multan Sultans and then Peshawar Zalmi. He finished his PSL career with 2,350 runs to his name, and, whilst his highest score in the competition was only 78, the fact that he made 15 half-centuries and had a strike rate of 127.78 demonstrates what a consistent performer he was right up until the end. He was also a more than useful bowler, with his right-arm off breaks.
Tim David
The Australian all-rounder Tim David is not available for the Multan Sultans this year, and that is a big loss for the franchise because they will miss a player who has the second-best average in PSL history, with only Babar Azam ahead of him. The 18 ball half century he made in Karachi in 2022 playing against the Peshawar Zalmi is the joint second-fastest ever in the PSL.
FAQs
1. Who has scored the highest runs in PSL history?
Babar Azam is the highest run scorer in the history of the Pakistan Super League. He is the only player to have scored in excess of 3,500 runs in the competition. His nearest challenge, Fakhar Zaman of the Lahore Qalandars has scored more than 800 runs less than him.
2. How many 50s does Babar Azam have in the PSL?
At the time of writing, he has scored 33 PSL half centuries, and has also reached three figures in the competition on two occasions.
3. Which batter has the highest score in the IPL?
The highest individual score in IPL history remains the 175 not out that Chris Gayle made for the Royal Challengers Bengaluru playing against the now defunct Pune Warriors India in 2013. The highest individual score by an Indian player was recorded earlier this season by Abhishek Sharma of the Sunrisers Hyderabad, who made an undefeated 141 playing against the Punjab Kings.
4. Who has scored the most runs in the IPL?
Virat Kohli is the only player in the IPL to have scored more than 8,000 runs. He also holds the record for the most runs in a single season. In 2016 he won the Orange Cap after scoring 973 runs for the Royal Challengers Bengaluru. That year his side reached the final of the IPL for the only time, only to suffer defeat at the hands of the Sunrisers Hyderabad.
It should be noted that the IPL started back in 2008, and that Kohli has featured in every edition of it since then. His average and strike rate are both lower than Babar Azam’s since he has been playing in the PSL.