Babar Azam's Midnight Escapes: Karachi Kings Owner Reveals Surprising Habit

Pakistan’s star batter Babar Azam has been under scrutiny lately for his poor form in international cricket. After a forgettable Champions Trophy campaign, he continued to struggle in the ODI series against New Zealand. But now, all eyes are on him as he prepares to lead Peshawar Zalmi in the upcoming Pakistan Super League (PSL).

Ahead of the tournament, Babar’s former franchise Karachi Kings has made a surprising revelation about his off-field habits during earlier seasons.

"He Would Leave the Hotel at Night" – Salman Iqbal Drops the Bombshell

In a recent interview, Salman Iqbal, the owner of Karachi Kings, shared an interesting anecdote about Babar Azam’s time with the team. According to Salman, Babar had a habit of leaving the team hotel late at night — and surprisingly, no one ever stopped him.

“Babar Azam used to go out of the team hotel late at night, and no one stopped him,” Salman revealed. “He would even take other players along with him.”

The Reason Behind the Late-Night Escapades? Karahi!

So why was Babar heading out in the middle of the night?

Turns out, the Pakistan skipper has a serious love for local food, especially Lahori Karahi. Salman said the team management never restricted him when it came to indulging in his favorite dish.

“He’s very fond of eating local food,” Salman said. “We never stopped Babar from eating Karahi. Whenever he wanted it, we made sure he got it.”

Karahi is a rich and spicy meat dish that’s wildly popular in Pakistan, especially in Lahore — and clearly, it’s Babar’s culinary weakness.

A Big Test Awaits Babar in PSL

Now leading Peshawar Zalmi, Babar Azam has a point to prove. Zalmi’s owner is Javed Afridi, and the legendary Darren Sammy is serving as the head coach. The team lifted their only PSL trophy in 2017 but has since fallen short in two finals — in 2019 against Quetta Gladiators and in 2021 against Multan Sultans.

With a solid squad and Babar at the helm, Zalmi hopes to finally break their title drought. Whether or not Babar’s love for Karahi continues during this season remains to be seen, but on the field, he’ll need to serve something special to silence his critics.