Islamabad United are the inaugural champions of the Pakistan Super League. Based out of Pakistan’s capital city Islamabad, the United became the tournament’s most successful franchise after winning their second title in PSL 3. Besides winning two titles, they have made it to the playoffs three times in six seasons. 2020 was the odd year, when the United not just failed to finish in the top four, but in fact, were the wooden spooners.
Islamabad United: Pakistan Super League Results With Captains
| YEAR | CAPTAIN | RESULT |
| 2015 – 2016 | Misbah-ul-Haq | Champions |
| 2016 – 2017 | Misbah-ul-Haq | Fourth place |
| 2017 – 2018 | Misbah-ul-Haq/JP Duminy | Champions |
| 2018 – 2019 | Mohammad Sami | Third place |
| 2019 – 2020 | Shadab Khan | Sixth place |
| 2020 – 2021 | Shadab Khan | Third place |
When the team was first formed in 2015, former captain Pakistan Misbah-ul-Haq was chosen for the leadership role. The United won four of their eight league matches, before eventually making it to the finals via the playoffs. They lifted the trophy after defeating Quetta Gladiators by six wickets in Dubai.
Quite unsurprisingly, Misbah continued to remain the captain for the next two seasons, post which he retired from all forms of cricket. In the 2016 – 2017 season, Islamabad finished fourth while the next year, in PSL 3, they won their second title. That season, however, JP Duminy captained the team in the final after Haq suffered an injury in one of the league games.
After Haq’s retirement, Mohammad Sami was made the captain of the United in PSL 4, when they finished third after being outdone by Peshawar Zalmi in the Eliminator 2. Next season, all-rounder Shadab Khan was made the captain of the team, but United finished right at the bottom of the table. The management persisted with Shadab as the captain next year in 2020 – 2021, when they finished third after losing yet another eliminator game to the Zalmi. Of all the captains in six seasons, Misbah was the most successful.
Islamabad United squad for PSL 2021-22
Batsman: Asif Ali, Athar Mahmood, Alex Hales, Colin Munro
Wicket-keeper: Azam Khan, Muhammad Akhlaq, Rahmanullah Gurbaz
All-Rounder: Danish Aziz, Faheem Ashraf, Mohammad Wasim, Mubasir Khan, Shadab Khan (captain), Paul Stirling, Zeeshan Zameer
Bowler: Marchant de Lange, Hasan Ali, Reece Topley, Zafar Gohar
Islamabad United’s squad this season is quite different from the one from last year. The likes of Ali Khan, Hussain Talat, Iftikhar Ahmed, Usman Khawaja, Brandon King and Chris Jordan are not in the squad this season. Additionally, a few players didn’t take part in the tournament due to Covid19 bio-bubble fatigue. For this season, they retained only eight players from last year – Asif Ali, Hasan Ali, Faheem Ashraf, Shadab Khan, Alex Hales, Azam Khan, Mohammad Wasim Junior and Paul Stirling. Colin Munro, meanwhile, was brought back in the auctions.
A lot will be expected from the likes of Hales, Munro, Shadab Khan and Hasan Ali. Hales and Munro will be playing the tournament after a hectic two months in the Big Bash League where they put up average individual performances. Gurbaz, a hard-hitting batsman, is another player to watch out for.
Islamabad United: PSL 2021-22 Fixtures
| DATE & DAY | FIXTURE | VENUE | TIME (IST) |
| Jan 30, 2022 Sunday | Peshawar Zalmi vs Islamabad United, 5th Match | National Stadium, Karachi | 2:30 PM |
| Feb 1, 2022 Tuesday | Islamabad United vs Multan Sultans, 8th Match | National Stadium, Karachi | 7.30 PM |
| Feb 3, 2022 Thursday | Quetta Gladiators vs Islamabad United, 10th Match | National Stadium, Karachi | 7.30 PM |
| Feb 5, 2022 Saturday | Islamabad United vs Lahore Qalandars, 12th Match | National Stadium, Karachi | 2.30 PM |
| Feb 6, 2022 Sunday | Karachi Kings vs Islamabad United, 14th Match | National Stadium, Karachi | 7.30 PM |
| Feb 12, 2022 Saturday | Islamabad United vs Quetta Gladiators, 18th Match | Gaddafi Stadium, Lahore | 7.30 PM |
| Feb 14, 2022 Monday | Islamabad United vs Karachi Kings, 21st Match | Gaddafi Stadium, Lahore | 7.30 PM |
| Feb 17, 2022 Thursday | Islamabad United vs Peshawar Zalmi, 24th Match | Gaddafi Stadium, Lahore | 7.30 PM |
| Feb 19, 2022 Saturday | Lahore Qalandars vs Islamabad United, 27th Match | Gaddafi Stadium, Lahore | 7.30 PM |
| Feb 20, 2022 Sunday | Multan Sultans vs Islamabad United, 29th Match | Gaddafi Stadium, Lahore | 7.30 PM |
Islamabad United: Stats
Batting Stats
Luke Ronchi played only two seasons for Islamabad United from 2018 to 2020, but is their all-time top run-scorer with 1020 runs at an average of 36.42 and strike rate of over 165. He was the tournament’s highest run-scorer in 2018, which was also his first PSL season, scoring 435 runs at an average and strike rate of 43.50 and 182. The New Zealander’s 52 off 26 balls in the final that year helped the United win their second title.
The highest individual score for the United has been scored by Cameron Delport (117*), while the record for the best strike rate is interestingly held by a bowler. Hasan Ali’s strike rate of 190 in four batting innings is the best for the United in six seasons.
Bowling Stats
All-rounder Faheem Ashraf, who has been with the United since 2018, is the team’s highest wicket-taker. The medium pacer has 55 wickets in 39 games at an economy of 7.84. The record for the best bowling figures in an innings is also held by Ashraf (4-0-19-6).
Team Stats
BBL 2020 is the only PSL season that United will want to forget. Apart from that, they have made it to three playoffs and have won two finals.
247 for 2 in PSL 6 is the highest total posted by the side, while 82 all out is their lowest total, which came in PSL 2. United’s largest victory (by runs) came in PSL 5, when they beat Lahore Qalandars by 71 runs.
Islamabad United: Rivalries
| Opponent | Match Played | Won | Lost | Win Percentage (%) |
| Peshawar Zalmi | 15 | 7 | 8 | 46.66 |
| Quetta Gladiators | 13 | 6 | 7 | 46.1 |
| Multan Sultans | 9 | 5 | 4 | 55.55 |
Peshawar Zalmi
Going by the head to head of Islamabad United and Peshawar Zalmi, it is clear that both teams have given tough competition to each other over the years. Interestingly, both the times when Islamabad lost the Eliminator 2 game, Peshawar were the winners. But United had their moment when they beat the Zalmi in the final of PSL 3. Of the overall 15 matches played between the two sides, Islamabad have won seven and lost eight.
Quetta Gladiators
Another team with which the United have a competitive head to head record are Quetta Gladiators. Of the 13 matches played between the two, the United have won six and the Gladiators seven. The rivalry, however, began in the inaugural season itself, when United beat the Gladiators by six wickets in the final to claim the coveted silverware.
Multan Sultans
Multan Sultans, who became a part of the PSL in 2018, are United’s newest rivals. Of the nine matches played between the two seasons, the United have won five and the Sultans 4. The two sides have played some interesting games over the last three seasons.
Road Ahead for Islamabad United
The most successful team in the PSL is well equipped for a third title this season, if all their big names deliver. Shadab Khan and Hasan Ali will be expected to play big roles in the bowling department and they are well capable of doing that. Colin Munro, one of the most destructive T20 batsmen and Alex Hales, who found form in the last few games of BBL 11, will be the team’s biggest bets in the batting department.
