Babar Azam led Peshawar Zalmi to a PSL 2026 victory, ending a nine-year drought. However, his trophy celebration walk went viral, with fans on social media accusing him of poorly copying Rohit Sharma's iconic T20 World Cup celebration, sparking a wave of memes and comparisons.
Peshawar Zalmi captain Babar Azam has become the centre of attention after his trophy celebration with teammates went viral, following their PSL 2026 final victory against the Hyderabad Kingsmen at the National Cricket Stadium in Karachi on Sunday, May 3.
Babar Azam led Peshawar Zalmi to their second PSL triumph with a five-wicket win over the debutant Hyderabad Kingsmen in the final. Chasing a modest 129-run target, Aaron Hardie’s unbeaten 56-run knock alongside a crucial 85-run stand for the fourth wicket with Abdul Samad, who scored 48 off 34 balls, guided Zalmi to victory with 28 balls to spare.
Earlier, Aaron Hardie’s four-wicket haul, and Nahid Rana (2/22), Mohammad Basit (1/22), and Sufyan Moqim (1/23) helped Peshawar Zalmi to bundle out Hyderabad Kingsmen for 129, despite a fifty from Saim Ayub.
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Babar Azam’s Trophy Celebration Goes Viral
Peshawar Zalmi captain Babar Azam couldn’t be more excited as he successfully led his side to the PSL title win, ending their 9-year drought of a championship triumph in the tournament. However, what caught the attention of the fans on social media, especially X (formerly Twitter) was Babar’s trophy celebration with his teammates.
In a video that went viral on X, Babar Azam can be seen walking onto the podium with a celebratory stride, with his teammates on the other side of the stage excitedly awaiting the moment he would lift the trophy.
As soon as Babar took the trophy from the PCB chairman, Mohsin Naqvi, As soon as Babar took the trophy from PCB chairman Mohsin Naqvi, he lifted it in the air in celebration, as his teammates joined him on the stage.
However, the fans and cricket enthusiasts observed that Babar Azam was attempting Rohit Sharma’s iconic walk at the T20 World Cup 2024, where the former India captain did a slow, composed walk onto the podium before lifting the trophy, a moment that had gone viral worldwide.
Rohit’s iconic walk was reportedly inspired by WWE legend Ric Flair’s iconic strut-style walk, which eventually became popular for its slow, confident walk during celebrations and later influenced several sporting celebration trends.
‘Every Masterpiece Has a Cheap Copy’
Babar Azam’s trophy celebration quickly sparked reactions on social media, especially X (formerly Twitter), with fans and cricket enthusiasts trolling the Pakistani star batter for copying Rohit Sharma’s iconic trophy celebration walk.
Taking to their X handles, fans and cricket enthusiasts mocked the celebration, with many claiming Babar Azam and Iftikhar Ahmed attempted to imitate Rohit Sharma’s iconic trophy walk, calling it a ‘failed copy’, while others flooded social media with memes, sarcastic comments, and “cheap copy vs masterpiece” comparisons over the viral moment.
Apart from leading Peshawar Zalmi to the PSL 2026 title triumph, Babar Azam was also stand out batter of the tournament, with 588 runs, including two centuries and 3 fifties, at an average of 73.50 and a strike rate of 145.90 in 11 matches.
Meanwhile, Babar Azam headed to Bangladesh a day after the PSL 2026 final to join the national team camp ahead of the two-match Test series, with the opening match taking place on May 8.
