KARACHI: Karachi Kings' captain Imad Wasim once again clarified that Babar Azam's departure will not affect their team in the Pakistan Super League (PSL) season 8.
Speaking to media here on Monday, Imad said it was team owner's decision to release Babar and he has nothing to do with it.
"I have already said this, Babar's departure will not affect our team. Players come and go, but team remains committed to its performance," he said.
"Babar's trade has nothing to do with me. It was our team owner's decision. He gave him the captaincy last year and he was the one who traded him this year. Being a member of franchise, our job is to make sure to win matches and nothing else," he added.
Aggressive brand of cricket
Imad said his style of captaincy is aggressive because he thinks T20 cricket demands bold decisions.
"Everyone has their own style of captaincy," responded Imad when he was asked about his experience while playing under Babar's captaincy in last year's PSL.
"I believe you need to be aggressive as captain, especially in T20 cricket. This year, I will try my best to continue leading my team from the front and bring back the title," he maintained.
It must be noted here that, under Imad, Karachi won their maiden PSL title back in 2020. They beat Lahore Qalandars in the final with Babar bagging Player of the Tournament award in that season.
Rivalry with Peshawar
Imad sees no rivalry with Peshawar in this year's PSL despite the fact that their former captain, Babar, will lead them.
"We don't feel any rivalry with Peshawar. There is a rivalry between Karachi and Lahore but that too only between the cities and not players. And to be honest, we enjoy that," he shared.
"Otherwise, we take every team as a challenge because being professionals, our franchise demands from us to win the games for them," he added.
Since Babar joining Peshawar as captain, there has been a lot of talk about rivalry between Peshawar and Karachi.
Last year, Karachi lost nine out of 10 matches under the leadership of Babar and they finished last in the six-team tournament.
Muzamil Asif