Islamabad United produced a disciplined, all-round display to crush Lahore Qalandars by nine wickets in their PSL 2026 encounter at Karachi’s National Stadium on Thursday, April 9. After winning the toss and opting to field, United struck early momentum through Imad Wasim, whose sharp burst included a quick double-wicket spell that unsettled the Qalandars’ chase.
Skipper Shadab Khan then made his impact in the field as well, pulling off a spectacular leap at mid-off to send Abdullah Shafique back. From there, the bowling kept applying pressure at regular intervals: Chris Green removed Haseebullah Khan, and Shadab accounted for Rubin Hermann as the Qalandars struggled to build any consistent rhythm.
Sikandar Raza and Asif Ali offered a brief period of stability with a 31-run stand, with Raza contributing 25 and Asif Ali adding 15. Yet just as the innings appeared to find a footing, Lahore suffered a serious collapse, sliding from 72 for 4 to 100 all out. Green finished with three wickets, while Shadab also claimed two. Seamer Richard Gleeson wrapped up the tail end, bowling the Qalandars out with the innings ending halfway through the 19th over.
Chasing the target, Islamabad got off to a steady start despite losing Sameer Minhas early. That early wicket proved to be the only real disruption, as Devon Conway and Mohammad Faiq took charge during the Powerplay. They amassed 51 runs in that phase, and once the scoring rate was set, it became only a question of when the finish would arrive.
Boundaries arrived at regular intervals, and Conway then accelerated further by punishing Raza in the 10th over, smashing a 22-run burst. That effort carried him to his maiden PSL half-century. With the match effectively level at the halfway point of the chase, Faiq sealed the outcome with a boundary, ensuring Islamabad United stretched their winning run to a third consecutive victory.
Brief Scores: Lahore Qalandars 100 all out in 18.3 overs (Sikandar Raza 25; Chris Green 3-19, Imad Wasim 2-13, Shadab Khan 2-18) lost to Islamabad United 104/1 in 10.2 overs (Devon Conway 59*, Mohammad Faiq 34*) by 9 wickets.
