ISLAMABAD: Babar Azam, one of the leading batsmen of world and captain of Pakistan cricket team, has been handed over the reins of Peshawar Zalmi for the eighth edition of Pakistan Super League (PSL). Babar Azam, who joined Peshawar Zalmi last month, said in a statement that the leadership of Peshawar Zalmi was an honour for him and he was excited about the new challenge. “Peshawar Zalmi is one of the best teams of PSL and has performed consistently”, he added. Chairman of Peshawar Zalmi Javed Afridi said that Babar Azam was currently the best batsman in the world in all three formats of the game and the pride of Pakistan cricket. “Peshawar Zalmi will perform brilliantly in the PSL 8, under his captaincy”, he said. He said that Babar’s world-class batting and captaincy experience would help Peshawar Zalmi. Peshawar Zalmi’s management also thanked former captain and the most successful bowler of PSL history Wahab Riaz, expressing the hope that Wahab would continue to give match-winning performances in the PSL 8 as he did in the past. Meanwhile, With Babar Azam joining Peshawar Zalmi, Karachi Kings have announced their captain for the upcoming HBL PSL season 8. Imad Wasim will lead Karachi Kings in the eighth edition of the Pakistan Super League, which will be played in 2023. The 34-year-old was a successful captain for the Kings, winning the HBL PSL 2020 edition after defeating the underdogs Lahore Qalandars to lift the trophy for the first time. Previously, Imad Wasim led Karachi Kings for three straight seasons (2018-2021) after being replaced by Babar Azam. During his captaincy, Kings won 20 out of 41 matches. Imad has played 64 matches in HBL PSL and scored 616 runs, including two fifties. With the ball, Imad Wasim took 41 wickets. Reminder for all is that the 2023 season is set to start on February 9 across four venues – Lahore, Karachi, Rawalpindi, and Multan – with the final on March 19.