3 Players Who Can Open For Peshawar Zalmi In PSL If Babar Azam Demotes Himself

Aashay Chopade

Babar Azam in PSL (Source:@@shaheenhive/X.com)Babar Azam in PSL (Source:@@shaheenhive/X.com)

The 10th edition of the Pakistan Super League has started off with a bang, with plenty of thrilling encounters coming our way. There are six teams in the league and Babar Azam is leading one of them, Peshawar Zalmi.

The talismanic Pakistan batter has not been in great form in PSL 2025, and has just 49 runs in four innings. 46 of those runs came in one innings at a poor strike-rate of 112.20. He is surely under pressure to get going and needs to find his groove quickly. Peshawar Zalmi though has other opening options at their disposal, and there is a chance that Babar can demote himself to number 3.

In such a case, here are the three opening options for Peshawar Zalmi in place of Babar Azam.

Mitchell Owen

Mitchell Owen grabbed the limelight in the 2024-25 Big Bash League final, where he smashed 108 off just 42 balls to take his team, Hobart Hurricanes, to the title win. He is known for his power-hitting and has shown great consistency as well. 

Mitchell Owen's Performance In BBL 2024-25 As Opener

Criterion
Data
Innings11
Runs452
Average45.20
Strike-Rate203.60

As the pitches are pretty flat in PSL, Mitchell Owen can make an impact at the top of the order and could help Peshawar Zalmi to get big scores. He has also shown decent form in PSL 2025 and has played some handy cameos with a strike-rate of 195.12 in four innings. Thus, Mitchell Owen is a great choice for Peshawar to utilize the powerplay restrictions and take on the opposition from the onset.

Mohammad Haris

Mohammad Haris is another aggressive opening option at Peshawar Zalmi's disposal in PSL 2025. He recently opened for Pakistan in the T20I series against New Zealand and has excelled at that position in domestic cricket.

Mohammad Haris In PSL 2025

Criterion
Data
Innings4
Runs
173
Average
43.25
Strike-Rate178.35

Also, he has been in good form in PSL 2025, and the move to the top of the order could help him make the most of it. The pairing of Haris and Saim Ayub at the top could also give some breathing space to Babar Azam at three. Thus, Haris being a natural opener and an aggressive starter, could be a good choice to replace struggling Babar Azam at the top of the order.

Tom Kohler-Cadmore

Tom Kohler-Cadmore is another natural opener in the Peshawar Zalmi side who can open if needed. He has been pretty successful as an opener in T20 leagues around the world. Recently, he opened in ILT20 where he scored 388 runs in just 10 innings and had an average of 55.43.

Tom Kohler-Cadmore In T20s

Criterion
Data
Innings227
Runs
5761
Average
28.37
Strike-Rate138.41

It shows that he has recently found success at the top of the order and could well replicate it for Peshawar Zalmi. In his PSL too, he has one fifty to his name, so he is also in form. Also, if Peshawar are looking for an experienced head to replace Babar Azam, Tom Kohler-Cadmore can be a good dependable option.