KARACHI: Islamabad United captain Shadab Khan won the toss and elected to field first against home side Karachi Kings in the 25th match of the Pakistan Super League (PSL) 11 at the National Bank Stadium on Thursday evening.
With the pitch expected to offer some early assistance to bowlers, Shadab had no hesitation in opting to bowl first, putting the Kings under pressure in front of their home crowd.
𝐓𝐡𝐞 𝐊𝐢𝐧𝐠𝐬 𝐚𝐫𝐞 𝐮𝐩 𝐚𝐠𝐚𝐢𝐧𝐬𝐭 𝐔𝐧𝐢𝐭𝐞𝐝.
Can Karachi Kings comeback to winning ways or will Islamabad United emerge victorious?#HBLPSL11 | #NewEra | #KKvIU | #GoPink 🎀 pic.twitter.com/09JJkxVCaP
— PakistanSuperLeague (@thePSLt20) April 16, 2026
Head-to-Head: United hold commanding lead
The two sides have met 24 times in PSL history, and the numbers heavily favour the Islamabad United camp:
| Statistic | Record |
| Matches Played | 24 |
| Islamabad United Wins | 18 |
| Karachi Kings Wins | 6 |
The three-time champions (United) have dominated the rivalry, while the 2020 winners (Kings) have managed just six victories.
Their most recent encounter came in the landmark 10th edition of the marquee league, where United prevailed by 79 runs. The Kings’ last victory over United dates back to 2020.
Form guide: Similar momentum
Both sides enter this contest with three victories each from their opening six matches.
Islamabad United form (most recent first)
Loss Win Win Win No Result
- Lost to Multan Sultans and Hyderabad Kingsmen
- One fixture against Peshawar Zalmi was washed out due to rain in Lahore
Karachi Kings form (most recent first)
Loss Loss Win Win Win
- Made a flamboyant start with three straight wins against Quetta Gladiators, Lahore Qalandars, and Rawalpindiz
- Suffered back-to-back defeats against league leaders Peshawar Zalmi and debutants Hyderabad Kingsmen
Islamabad United win the toss and opt to bowl first 🪙🏏#HBLPSL11 | #NewEra | #KKvIU | #GoPink 🎀 pic.twitter.com/hm2kwLOXt8
— PakistanSuperLeague (@thePSLt20) April 16, 2026
Squads
Islamabad United Squad
Shadab Khan (c), Salman Irshad, Andries Gous, Devon Conway, Faheem Ashraf, Mehran Mumtaz, Mark Chapman, Nisar Ahmed, Mir Hamza Sajjad, Sameen Gul, Sameer Minhas, Imad Wasim, Richard Gleeson, Haider Ali, Mohammad Hasnain, Dipendra Singh Airee, Mohammad Faiq, Mohsin Riaz, Chris Green, Mohammad Salman Mirza
Karachi Kings Squad
Hasan Ali, Mohammad Abbas Afridi, Khushdil Shah, Saad Baig, Moeen Ali (c), Azam Khan, Salman Ali Agha, Shahid Aziz, Mir Hamza, Adam Zampa, Hamza Sohail, Aqib Ilyas, Jason Roy, Haroon Arshad, Reeza Hendricks, Ihsanullah, Rizwanullah
