PSL 2025: Islamabad United Stuttering After Incredible Start to Season
Islamabad United PSL Playoff Hopes In Danger
After defying the odds to beat the Multan Sultans in the Pakistan Super League final last season, Islamabad United carried that momentum into the 2025 campaign and racked up consecutive wins in their first five matches, which saw them installed as tournament favourites by most of the best online betting sites.
The defending champions made a massive statement in their first match, securing a comfortable eight-wicket victory over the Lahore Qalanders and followed up with another big result, taking down Peshawar Zalmi in game two by 102 runs, thanks to a masterful innings of 106 (52) by Sahibzada Farhan.
Islamabad then did the double over the Multan Sultans either side of a six-wicket victory against the Karachi Kings, and at that point, they were leading the league standings with 10 points and looked a class above the rest in the competition.
However, game six broke the trend, with Lahore turning the tables to beat Sherus by a massive 88 runs after bowling them out in just 16.5 overs, and that result proved to be the turning point for the champs, albeit for all the wrong reasons.
Following that defeat, ISLU posted an underwhelming target of 143/9 against PZ and lost the match by six wickets last Friday before Quetta added to their woes, edging United to a two-wicket victory with just one ball to spare 24 hours later.
The loss to the Gladiators marked Islamabad’s third defeat in a row and forced them to relinquish top spot in the league standings, while also tossing their Playoff hopes into doubt with two rounds of matches in the group stage still to go.
As it stands, Sherus trail Quetta by one point and are level on 10 points with third-placed Karachi, while Lahore (9 points) and Peshawar (8 points) need just one more victory to potentially leapfrog them in the standings.
ISLU need to win at least one of their two remaining games to reach the knockout rounds of the 2025 PSL, but they have two difficult fixtures on the horizon, set to face the league-leading Gladiators later today before taking on the Kings in their final group-stage match on Saturday.
Green and Maroon Cap Standings Ahead of Final Two Rounds
Despite enduring a dismal season, having only won a single match and already out of Playoff contention, the Multan Sultans have had one major reason to cheer, and that has been the performance of star batter Mohammad Rizwan.
The Pakistan international kicked off his PSL campaign with a remarkable innings of 105* in just 63 deliveries against the Karachi Kings and notched up 76* against Lahore on April 26. He now dons the Green Cap with 363 runs in nine matches, with a strike rate of 139.08
In the bowling category, things are a little tighter with West Indies paceman Jason Holder and Karachi Kings quick Abbas Afridi both locked on 15 wickets apiece in the Maroon Cap standings, while Hasan Ali is just one scalp behind on 14.
Holder, Afridi and Ali’s best bowling figures this season are 4/25, 4/27 and 4/28, respectively, but the standout record to date belongs to sixth-placed Faheem Ashraf, who bagged 5/33 against Peshawar Zalmi on April 27.
PSL 2025: Leading run-scorers
| Pos | Player | Team | R | Mat | BF | Avg | H.S | SR |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Mohammad Rizwan | MUL | 363 | 9 | 261 | 60.50 | 105 | 139.08 |
| 2 | Sahibzada Farhan | ISL | 320 | 8 | 211 | 40.00 | 106 | 151.66 |
| 3 | Fakhar Zaman | LAH | 309 | 9 | 202 | 34.33 | 76 | 152.97 |
| 4 | James Vince | KAR | 294 | 8 | 194 | 42.00 | 101 | 151.55 |
| 5 | Abdullah Shafique | LAH | 254 | 9 | 172 | 31.75 | 66 | 147.67 |
PSL 2025: Leading wicket-takers
| Pos | Player | Team | Wkts | Mat | Ovs | BBI | Balls | Avg |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Jason Holder | ISL | 15 | 7 | 26 | 4/25 | 156 | 15.27 |
| 2 | Abbas Afridi | KAR | 15 | 8 | 27 | 4/27 | 162 | 16.80 |
| 3 | Hasan Ali | KAR | 14 | 7 | 26.3 | 4/28 | 159 | 16.79 |
| 4 | Abrar Ahmed | QUE | 12 | 8 | 28.3 | 4/42 | 171 | 18.17 |
| 5 | Alzarri Joseph | PES | 12 | 8 | 30 | 3/15 | 180 | 22.00 |
