Babar Azam rates BBL higher than IPL; fans react to statement

Pakistan captain Babar Azam chose Big Bash League (BBL) ahead of Indian Premier League (IPL) when asked about his preference between two T20 leagues.

In a video shared by Cricket Pakistan on Wednesday, the anchor asks, "IPL ya Big Bash, kya pasand hai? (IPL or Big Bash, which one do you like?'). The Peshawar Zalmi captain takes a pause before rating BBL higher than IPL.

'IPL offers same Asian conditions'

"The conditions over there in Australia are different. The pitches over there are really fast and you get to learn a lot. Whereas in IPL, you get the same Asian conditions,'' Babar said.

Babar, the third ranked T20I batter in the world, has never played an IPL match till date. Pakistan players are not allowed to play in the cash-rich league because of the political tensions between the two countries.

The 28-year-old is currently playing in the Pakistan Super League (PSL) 2023. He has played nine matches in the tournament so far and scored 52 runs at an average of 52 and a strike rate of 146.47. Overall, he is second on the list of highest run-scorers in the ongoing season. His Pakistan opening partner Mohammad Rizwan has scored 516 runs at an average of 57.33 and a strike rate of 142.54.

Babar Azam rested, Shadab Khan given T20I captaincy

Amid rumours of split captaincy in Pakistan cricket, Babar has been rested for the team's upcoming 3-match T20I series against Afghanistan starting March 25 in Sharjah. Shadab Khan will lead the Pakistan side which has four uncapped players.

Coming back to Babar's 'BBL better than IPL' comment, here is how fans have reacted to the viral clip: