PSL 2025: Islamabad United off to Storming Start in Pakistan Super League

Published on 23/04/2025 by Devesh Jaganath | Modified on 23/04/2025 at 03:39 by Devesh Jaganath

Islamabad United Aiming For Back-To-Back PSL Titles

The 10th edition of the Pakistan Super League is in full flight, and with 12 games now complete, it is the defending champions, Islamabad United, who have set their stall out as the team everyone is trying to beat again this season.

ISLU have been flawless across their first four games in the competition, and currently sit atop the league standings with the maximum eight points under their belt, along with a healthy net run rate of +2.544, while they are also the only team yet to taste defeat this year.

Kicking off their title defence, Shadab Khan’s side proved far too good for the Lahore Qalanders, winning the opening match of the tournament by eight wickets and with 14 balls to spare before crushing Peshawar Zalmi by a mammoth 102 runs in their second match.

A victory over Multan Sultans - the team with the highest win-loss ratio for any T20 side across the globe - followed for United, as they posted a formidable target of 203 and bowled out the Sultans for 155, with West Indian pacer Jason Holder bagging 4/25.

However, arguably Islamabad’s most commanding performance to date came on Sunday, when Shadab and Azam Khan navigated their team to a six-wicket victory and 17 balls to spare, with the skipper leading the charge, finishing on 47 runs of 40 deliveries.

Islamabad’s bowling unit was equally impressive in the victory, as Naseem Shah sent Kings’ captain David Warner back to the pavilion for just three runs, and he was soon followed by the in-form James Vince, who was dismissed for only four runs by Holder.

While there is still plenty of cricket to be played in this season’s competition, it’s clear that Islamabad United have been head and shoulders better than the rest to date, and they will be determined to solidify their status as the league leaders when they travel to Multan to face the Sultans again on Wednesday.

Be sure to keep an eye out for our cricket predictions leading up to the knockout stages of the PSL!

Islamabad Dominate Green and Maroon Cap Standings

psl_jason_holder

Similar to the Indian Premier League (IPL), which is ongoing in neighbouring India, the PSL offers individual accolades to players who finish as the leading run-scorer (green cap) and highest wicket-taker (maroon cap) in the competition.

Given Islamabad’s dominance over the first third of the tournament, it is perhaps unsurprising to see that both the green and maroon caps are donned by United players in the form of Sahibzada Farhan and Jason Holder, respectively.

Farhan has been sensational at the top of the order for ISLU, currently on 214 runs in his four innings at a strike rate of 166, while he also has the highest individual score in the competition to date of 106, which he posted in the team's dismantling of Peshawar Zalmi in match five.

Holder, on the other hand, has notched up 11 wickets in just 14 overs, including a best of 4/25 at an average of 10.00, while skipper Khan is in third place with eight wickets, two behind Karachi Kings pace bowler Hasan Ali.

PSL Green Cap Standings

Pos	Player	Team	Runs	Mat	Avg	H.S	SR	4s	6s
1	Sahibzada Farhan	ISL	214	4	53.50	106	165.89	25	11
2	Mohammad Rizwan	MUL	190	4	63.33	105	163.79	17	8
3	James Vince	KAR	186	5	37.20	101	172.22	22	5
4	Fakhar Zaman	LAH	176	4	44.00	76	166.04	15	11
5	Mohammad Haris	PES	173	4	43.25	87	178.35	22	7

PSL Maroon Cap Standings

Pos	Player	Team	Wkts	Mat	Ovs	BBI	Balls	Avg	Econ
1	Jason Holder	ISL	11	4	14	4/25	84	10.00	7.86
2	Hasan Ali	KAR	10	5	20	4/28	120	16.00	8.00
3	Shadab Khan	ISL	8	4	14.2	3/25	86	10.88	6.07
4	Rishad Hossain	LAH	8	3	12	3/26	72	12.75	8.50
5	Abbas Afridi	KAR	8	5	17	3/30	102	20.38	9.59

Don't forget, our IPL predictions will be available throughout the remainder of the Indian Premier League as well, right here on SportyTrader!