Desert Vipers, who were defending their title, bought Babar Azam at the ILT20 sale on October 2, 2026, for the new season, which starts on November 22, 2027. Along with Shadab Khan, Fakhar Zaman, and Naseem Shah, the Pakistani batter was picked at his base price of USD 80,000. Before the finals of the tournament on December 20, 2026, the auction took place.
During the sale, Desert Vipers CEO Phil Oliver talked about how the team planned to get Babar Azam. The Vipers’ decision-making team was made up of Freddie Wilde, who was the cricket analyst, Development Lead Jack Luffman, and Head of Operations Sam Charnley. He listed the exact traits about Babar that made him a must-sign for the team.
Babar Azam record in T20 internationals shows how valuable he is to the team.
The 31-year-old has scored 4,596 runs in 136 games, which is the most in men’s T20Is. His strike rate is 128. Babar has scored 4,380 runs in 109 games, which is the most in the Pakistan Super League. He finished the 2026 season as the top run scorer with 588 runs scored in 11 innings, including two centuries. He was also named captain of the PSL Team of the Tournament.
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The fact that Babar Azam is now an international player made him more available for franchise cricket. The batter for Pakistan hadn’t played in a T20I since the T20 World Cup in early 2026. Moreover, he wasn’t picked for Pakistan’s T20I team for the upcoming two-match series against Sri Lanka. His move to Desert Vipers is an important part of the team’s plans for the 2026–27 season.
