Islamabad United facts for kids

Quick facts for kids
Islamabad United

اسلام آباد یونائیٹڈ
Nickname(s)	ISLU Sherus
League	Pakistan Super League
Personnel
Captain	Shadab Khan
Coach	Mike Hesson
Batting coach	Ashley Wright
Bowling coach	Ian Butler
Owner	Leonine Global Sports Hum Network
Manager	Naveed Akram Cheema
Team information
City	Islamabad, Pakistan
Founded	2015; 10 years ago (2015)
Home ground	Rawalpindi Cricket Stadium
Capacity	18,000
History
PSL wins	3 (2016, 2018, 2024)
Official website	isbunited.com
Home kit Away kit
Image:Cricket current event.svg 2024 Islamabad United season

Islamabad United (Urdu: اسلام‌آباد یونائیٹڈ) is a professional cricket team from Pakistan. They play in the Pakistan Super League (PSL), which is a big Twenty20 cricket tournament. The team is based in Islamabad, the capital city. It was started in 2015 for the very first PSL season.

The team is owned by Leonine Global Investments. Islamabad United won the first PSL title in 2016. They beat Quetta Gladiators in the final match. They won their second title in 2018, defeating Peshawar Zalmi. Islamabad United is the most successful team in PSL history with three championship wins, including their latest in 2024.

The team's home ground is the Rawalpindi Cricket Stadium. Mike Hesson is the coach, and Shadab Khan is the captain. Shadab Khan became the youngest captain in PSL history when he took on the role before PSL 5. Ashley Wright is the batting coach, and Ian Butler is the bowling coach.

Colin Munro has scored the most runs for the team. Shadab Khan has taken the most wickets.

Team History

In 2015, the Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) announced the first Pakistan Super League season. It would take place in February 2016 in the United Arab Emirates. The PCB introduced the owners of five city-based teams on December 3, 2015. Leonine Global Sports bought the Islamabad team.

2016 Season: Champions

Islamabad United had a tough start in the 2016 Pakistan Super League. But they finished third in the group stage and made it to the knockout rounds. They won four out of eight matches.

They played against Karachi Kings in the eliminator match. Islamabad won by nine wickets. Mohammad Sami was the best player, taking five wickets. Brad Haddin and Dwayne Smith both scored half-centuries.

In the second qualifier, Islamabad played Peshawar Zalmi. Sharjeel Khan scored 117 runs, which was the first century in PSL history. Islamabad scored 176 runs. Peshawar Zalmi was bowled out for 126. Islamabad's spinner Imran Khalid took four wickets. This win sent United to the final against Quetta Gladiators.

Islamabad won the 2016 Pakistan Super League Final by six wickets. United chose to bowl first. The Gladiators scored 174 runs. Andre Russell took three wickets. He was the top wicket-taker in the tournament. In response, Dwayne Smith scored 73 runs and Brad Haddin scored 61 not out. United reached the target with eight balls left, winning their first title.

2017 Season

For the 2017 Pakistan Super League, United kept most of their players. They added Ben Duckett, Zohaib Khan, and Shadab Khan. Later, Steven Finn joined the team.

Islamabad United won their first game of the 2017 season against Peshawar Zalmi. But they lost their next game to Lahore Qalandars. Misbah ul Haq scored 61 runs not out in that match.

In Sharjah, United beat Quetta Gladiators. They chased 149 runs and won with five wickets left. Sam Billings scored 78 runs. However, they then lost to Karachi Kings. United won a close game against Peshawar Zalmi. Dwayne Smith scored 72 runs. After this, they lost to Lahore Qalandars by one wicket. Shadab Khan scored 42 runs.

Back in Dubai, United had an exciting win against Quetta Gladiators. They scored 166 runs. The Gladiators almost won, but United took many wickets at the end. United won by one run, which secured their spot in the play-offs.

Just like in 2016, Islamabad played Karachi in the eliminator. Karachi scored 126 runs. Islamabad was expected to win easily. But Karachi's bowlers performed very well. Mohammad Amir, Imad Wasim, and Usama Mir each took three wickets. Islamabad was bowled out for only 82 runs. This was their lowest score in the tournament at that time. The defending champions were knocked out.

2018 Season: Champions

United started their 2018 season with a loss to Peshawar Zalmi. They were chasing 176 runs but fell short. They bounced back in the next game against Multan Sultans, winning by five wickets. Hussain Talat scored 48 runs not out.

In Sharjah, the team lost to Quetta Gladiators. United's vice-captain, Rumman Raees, got a knee injury. However, in the next game, they won a thrilling match against Lahore Qalandars. The game went to a Super Over after both teams scored 121 runs. Andre Russell hit a six on the last ball to win the Super Over. In the next game, they beat Karachi Kings by 8 wickets. Luke Ronchi scored 71 runs from 37 balls. This win helped them qualify for the final.

In the 2018 Pakistan Super League Final, Islamabad United won against Peshawar Zalmi. Peshawar batted first and scored 148 runs. Shadab Khan took three wickets. Islamabad's Luke Ronchi started very fast, scoring 52 runs from just 26 balls. He and Sahibzada Farhan (44 runs) had a great opening partnership. But then Islamabad lost six wickets quickly. Faheem Ashraf hit a six when only one run was needed, winning the match for Islamabad.

2019 Season

In the first match of the season, United beat Lahore Qalandars. They chased 171 runs and won by five wickets. They then lost their next two games. Against Peshawar Zalmi, Islamabad scored 158 runs. Ian Bell and Cameron Delport helped the team. Peshawar Zalmi struggled to chase the runs. Islamabad won by 12 runs after captain Mohammad Sami took a hat-trick in the last over.

Captain Mohammad Sami was injured, so young Shadab Khan led the team for the first time. United continued their winning streak against Karachi Kings. Luke Ronchi scored 67 runs from 35 balls. In their next match against Multan, they were bowled out for 121 runs and lost. However, they won their next game against Kings. Kings started well while batting. United's bowlers, especially Faheem Ashraf and Rumman Raees, bowled well at the end. Asif Ali scored 70 runs from 38 balls, helping United chase the target.

2020 Season

Before the 2020 season, Misbah-ul-Haq became the head coach. He replaced Dean Jones. Shadab Khan was named the team captain. He became the youngest captain in PSL history.

2021 Season

2022 Season

2023 Season

2024 Season

2025 Season

Team Identity

The team's logo and name were shown on December 22, 2015. The logo has a lion. The team's main colors are red, orange, and a light brown.

Fawad Khan was the team's star ambassador from 2016 to 2018. Ali Zafar was an ambassador for the 2016 season. The team also focuses on empowerment. Momina Mustehsan joined as their Empowerment Champion in 2017. The team's first anthem was "Chakka Choka" sung by Ali Zafar. In 2017, new anthems were released: "Cricket Jorray Pakistan" by Momina Mustehsan and "Kitna Rola Daalay Ga" by Abdullah Qureshi.

Dostea was the main sponsor in 2016. WWF Pakistan are official partners. Mocca is the team's food partner. Dunya News and FM 101 are news and entertainment partners. PTV Sports is a brand and media partner. For the second season, JS Bank became the title sponsor and Q Mobile a main partner. Other partners include PTCL, Yayvo, and Igloo.

Before the 2019 Pakistan Super League, the team changed its kit design. The new kit for PSL 2019 featured more red and less gold.

Current Squad

No.	Name	Nationality	Birth date	Category	Batting style	Bowling style	Year signed	Notes
Batsmen
46	Haider Ali	Pakistan	(2000-10-02) 2 October 2000 (age 24)	Gold	Right-handed	—	2024
82	Colin Munro	New Zealand	(1987-03-11) 11 March 1987 (age 38)	Silver	Left-handed	Right-arm medium-fast	2020
51	Sahibzada Farhan	Pakistan	(1996-03-06) 6 March 1996 (age 29)	Supplementary	Right-handed	—	2025
All-rounders
7	Shadab Khan	Pakistan	(1998-10-04) 4 October 1998 (age 26)	Platinum	Right-handed	Right-arm leg break	2017	Captain
9	Imad Wasim	Pakistan	(1988-12-18) 18 December 1988 (age 36)	Diamond	Left-handed	Left-arm orthodox	2024
27	Mohammad Shehzad	Pakistan	(2004-02-05) 5 February 2004 (age 21)	Supplementary	Right-handed	Right-arm medium-fast	2025
29	Saad Masood	Pakistan	(2004-07-12) 12 July 2004 (age 21)	Emerging	Right-handed	Right-arm medium	2025
67	Salman Ali Agha	Pakistan	(1993-11-23) 23 November 1993 (age 31)	Gold	Right-handed	Right-arm off-break	2024
98	Jason Holder	West Indies	(1991-11-05) 5 November 1991 (age 33)	Diamond	Right-handed	Right-arm medium-fast	2025
21	Mohammad Nawaz	Pakistan	(1994-03-21) 21 March 1994 (age 31)	Silver	Left-handed	Slow left-arm orthodox	2025
Wicket-keepers
14	Andries Gous	United States	(1993-11-24) 24 November 1993 (age 31)	Silver	Right-handed	—	2025
23	Azam Khan	Pakistan	(1998-08-10) 10 August 1998 (age 26)	Diamond	Right-handed	—	2022
Bowlers
26	Riley Meredith	Australia	(1996-06-21) 21 June 1996 (age 29)	Supplementary	Right-handed	Right-arm fast	2025
31	Ben Dwarshuis	Australia	(1994-06-23) 23 June 1994 (age 31)	Gold	Left-handed	Left-arm medium-fast	2025
71	Naseem Shah	Pakistan	(2003-02-15) 15 February 2003 (age 22)	Platinum	Right-handed	Right-arm fast	2024	Vice Captain
72	Hunain Shah	Pakistan	(2004-02-04) 4 February 2004 (age 21)	Emerging	Right-handed	Right-arm fast	2025
99	Salman Irshad	Pakistan	(1995-12-03) 3 December 1995 (age 29)	Silver	Right-handed	Right-arm fast	2025

Management and Coaching Staff

Position	Name
Manager	Naveed Akram Cheema
Head coach	Mike Hesson
Batting coach	Ashley Wright
Bowling coach	Ian Butler
Performance coach	Hanif Malik
Analyst	Ben Jones
Team doctor	Jason Pilgrim

Team Captains

Team Performance in PSL

Overall Results

• Tie+W means matches tied and then won in a tiebreaker (like a "Super Over").
• Tie+L means matches tied and then lost in a tiebreaker.
• The win percentage does not count matches with no result. Ties are counted as half a win.

Head-to-Head Record

Player Statistics

Most Runs Scored

Most Wickets Taken

Related Cricket Teams

• Multan Sultan
• Karachi Kings
• Lahore Qalandars
• Peshawar Zalmi
• Quetta Gladiators