What is Babar Azam’s BBL Salary with Sydney Sixers? The Numbers Are Surprising

Pakistan's star batsman Babar Azam is currently a hot topic on social media, as he is playing his debut BBL season, representing Sydney Sixers. His performance has come under heavy scrutiny, given his inconsistency. We'll tell you about his salary.

Babar Azam Makes BBL Debut

Pakistan's former captain and star batter Babar Azam has made his debut Big Bash League (BBL) season with the Sydney Sixers, the team that has won three titles of Australia's premier T20 league in 2012, 2020, and 2021. Babar is among six Pakistani players who are participating in the ongoing edition of the tournament. 

The other five players are Shaheen Afridi, Mohammad Rizwan, Shadab Khan, Hasan Ali, Hassan Khan, and Haris Rauf. Babar Azam signed a single-season deal rather than a multi-year contract with the Sydney Sixers, enabling the Pakistan batter to feature in his maiden BBL season. 

For the first time, Azam has participated in a franchise T20 league outside Asia, the Caribbean, and England, having previously featured in the PSL, BPL, CPL, LPL, and the Vitality T20 Blast. 

Early Struggles in his debut BBL Season

When Babar Azam was signed by the Sydney Sixers in the ongoing BBL season, there was much anticipation among Pakistan fans to watch their star batter make a mark in Australia's premier T20 league. However, the former Pakistan had a poor start to the season. In Sydney's opening match against Perth Scorchers, the 31-year-old was dismissed for just runs. 

In his following outing against Adelaide Strikers, Babar Azam once again flopped with the bat as he scored just nine runs. However, the right-handed batter made a comeback in the Sydney Sixers' third match against Sydney Thunder, scoring 58 off 42 balls. His innings guided Sixes to a respectable total of 198/5 before defeating Thunder by 47 runs.

Inconsistent Performances

After scoring a fifty against the Sydney Thunder, Babar Azam flopped again after he was dismissed for just two runs against the Melbourne Stars. In the following against the Melbourne Renegades, Babar recorded the slowest fifty in the history of BBL, reaching a half-century in 44 balls, surpassing his previous record of 42 balls to fifty in the tournament, which he had set earlier in the season. 

Overall, Babar Azam has not had an ideal campaign in his debut BBL season, amassing just 129 runs, including two fifties, at an average of 32.25 and a strike rate of 117.27 in five matches.  

Babar's inconsistent performances appeared to have impacted the Sydney Sixers' quest for the fourth title, as they are currently sixth on the points table with two wins and three losses, while accumulating just 4 points. 

Babar Azam's BBL Salary

Sydney Sixers' franchise acquired the services of Pakistan star batter Babar Azam through a pre-draft international circuit and signed him for AUS$420,000. Converting to Indian currency, the deal amounts to roughly ₹2.3 crore. With this, Babar Azam became the most expensive overseas signing under current contractual rules. 

As per BBL contractual rules, clubs are allowed to pre-sign an overseas player before the draft at a designated salary band and can have up to three overseas players on their primary squad list each season.

Babar Azam's BBL Salary Almost Same as IPL Base Price

Babar Azam's BBL salary with the Sydney Sixers is just slightly higher than the base price of players who were auctioned at the IPL 2026 Auction in December 2025. The base price of INR 2 crore is the highest among the eight brackets at the IPL 2026 mini-auction. 

Compared to Babar Azam's BBL salary, his one-season earnings are marginally above the IPL 2026 base price of ₹2 crore, highlighting the relative modesty of his Big Bash deal despite his superstar status.

However, Babar received the most lucrative contract at the BBL compared to other T20 leagues he has participated in. In PSL, the former Pakistan captain earned around $220,000, which is approximately INR 1.88 crore, playing for Peshawar Zalmi in the 2025 season, making his BBL deal one of the most lucrative of his career compared to other franchise earnings.