Islamabad United's PSL Victories: How Many Times Have They Won?

Islamabad United has won the PSL two times as they are the joint-highest winners of the Pakistan Super League alongside Lahore Qalandars. They were, in fact, the maiden winners of the PSL title in the inaugural season in 2016, when they defeated Quetta Gladiators in the summit clash.

Formed in 2015, the Islamabad United T20 franchise represents the capital city of Pakistan and is owned by Leonine Global Sports, the sports entity of Leonine Global Investments. Islamabad United won their second PSL title in 2018 by beating Peshawar Zalmi in the final. Islamabad United and Lahore Qalandars are the only teams to have won the PSL title more than once, making them the most successful teams in PSL.

One of the two most successful franchises in the T20 league, Islamabad United won both their titles under former Pakistan skipper Misbah-ul-Haq.

Islamabad United wins PSL 2016

After a challenging start to the inaugural 2016 Pakistan Super League (PSL), Islamabad United managed to secure a third-place finish in the round-robin group stage, thereby earning a spot in the tournament's knockout stage. The team had won four out of eight league stage matches, accumulating just eight points from the available 16.

In the first eliminator match, Islamabad United faced yet another struggling side Karachi Kings, who had finished in fourth place. The team emerged victorious by nine wickets, propelled by Mohammad Sami's outstanding performance who claimed five wickets and conceded just eight runs in four overs. Brad Haddin and Dwayne Smith also contributed with fifties as United successfully chased down the target of 111 in the 15th over.

Moving on to the second qualifier against Peshawar Zalmi, Sharjeel Khan played a remarkable innings of 117 runs from just 62 balls, which was the first-ever century in the history of the Pakistan Super League. This crucial knock helped United post a steep target of 177 runs as they lost just three wickets.

In response, Zalmi was wrapped out for just 126 runs with two full overs remaining. The pick of the bowlers was spinner Imran Khalid, who scalped four wickets after conceding just 20 runs. Apart from Khalid, West Indian all-rounder Andre Russell also pitched in with three wickets, thus securing United's place in the final against Quetta Gladiators.

Two convincing victories had given the side all the confidence they needed as the 2016 Pakistan Super League Final saw Islamabad United emerge victorious by six wickets. Opting to bowl first, United didn’t have the best session as the Gladiators posted a target of 175 runs in 20 overs, with Russell yet again taking a three-fer while also conceding 37 runs.

However, ISU was soaring high and they were provided a strong start by Dwayne Smith (73 runs) and Brad Haddin (61 runs) the path thereafter was a cakewalk as United chased down the target with eight balls to spare and lost just eight wickets. Dwayne Smith was named the ‘Man of the Match” in the final for his crucial knock.

Islamabad United wins PSL for the second time - 2018

The defending champions were eliminated in the eliminator in PSL 2017 but captain Misbah-ul-Haq came back stronger the following season. The 2018 season for Islamabad United, however, commenced on a challenging note with a loss to Peshawar Zalmi. Pursuing a target of 176 runs, the team were quickly reduced to 25/4 within the powerplay itself and a comeback was almost impossible as they fell short by 34 runs.

However, the side quickly turned the tide in the subsequent match against Multan Sultans by securing a five-wicket victory. With the league stages moving to Sharjah subsequently, Islamabad United again faced a setback as they lost to Quetta Gladiators by six wickets. To further compound their woes, United's key player and vice-captain, Rumman Raees, suffered a knee injury during the match casting his unavailability for the remainder of the season.

ISU desperately required another morale-boosting win to get back on track and it came against Lahore Qalandars in a thrilling encounter. The match extended to a super-over after United managed to restrict the Qalandars to the level score of 121 ruins. The super-over target of 16 runs was dramatically achieved by Andre Russell with a last-ball six.

The subsequent game saw Islamabad United ending Karachi Kings' unbeaten run as they won by 8 wickets in a chase of 154 runs. This time, Luke Ronchi's aggressive innings of 71 runs off 37 balls played the game-changing role as United made their way to the second PSL final.

In the summit clash with Peshawar Zalmi, Islamabad United emerged victorious by chasing a target of 149. Opting to bat first, Peshawar Zalmi was never in control of the game as they lost early wickets with Kamran Akmal being dismissed for just one run off eight balls. For ISU, Shadab Khan's three-wicket haul further put Zalmi on the backfoot as they ended their innings on just 148 runs.

Luke Ronchi was again the wrecker-in-chief for United as he hit five sixes in the first five overs to score a lightning-quick 45 runs in 15 balls. Though a mid-innings collapse kept things interesting in the final match, Sahibzada Farhan's knock and eventually a decisive six from Faheem Ashraf saw Islamabad United conquer the title for the second time. Ronchi was adjudged the “Man of the Match '' in the PSL 2018 final as he provided the foundation of ISU's victory.