Islamabad United
 | |
| League: | Pakistan Super League |
|---|---|
| Captain: | Misbah-ul-Haq |
| Coach: | Dean Jones |
| City: | Islamabad |
| Colours: |
 |
| Owner: | Leonine Global Sports Ltd (Ali Naqvi & Amna Naqvi) |
| Founded: | 2015 |
| PSL wins: | 1 |
| Official website: | islamabadunited.com |
Islamabad United (Urdu: اسلامآباد یونائیٹڈ) is a Pakistani professional Twenty20 franchise cricket team that competes in the Pakistan Super League. The team is nominally based in Islamabad, the capital city of Pakistan and was formed in 2015 to compete in the first season of the Pakistan Super League. The franchise is owned by Leonine Global Investments through its sports entity Leonine Global Sports.[1]
The team is currently playing under Pakistan's most successful test captain Misbah-ul-Haq and coached by former Australian player Dean Jones. The team director is former Pakistani fast bowler Wasim Akram.[2][3] United won the inaugural PSL edition under Misbah-ul-Haq's captaincy.
Franchise history
In 2015, the Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) announced that the inaugural season of the Pakistan Super League would take place in February 2016 in the United Arab Emirates.[4] On 3 December 2015, the PCB unveiled the owners of five city-based franchises. The Islamabad franchise was sold to Leonine Global Sports for US$15 Million.[1]
2016 season
After a poor start to the 2016 Pakistan Super League tournament Islamabad United finished third in the round robin group stage, qualifying for the knock out stage of the tournament. The team won four matches out of eight, finishing with eight points from their group games.
They faced fourth placed Karachi Kings in the eliminator, winning by nine wickets thanks to Mohammad Sami's man of the match performance of five wickets for eight runs from four overs. Brad Haddin and Dwayne Smith each scored fifties as United achieved their target of 111 in the 15th over.[5]
In the second qualifier match Islamabad met Peshawar Zalmi. Sharjeel Khan scored 117 from 62 balls, the first century scored in the Pakistan Super League. It proved to be the difference between the teams as United posted 176 for 3 and Zalmi were bowled out for 126 with two full overs to go. United, spinner Imran Khalid took four wickets for 20 runs and Andre Russell three for 37. The win took United through to the final against Quetta Gladiators.
The 2016 Pakistan Super League Final was won by Islamabed by six wickets.[6] United opted to bowl first after winning the toss and the Gladiators scored 174-7 in their 20 overs. Andre Russell, who finished the tournament as the leading wicket-taker, took three for 37. In reply United started well with Dwayne Smith scoring 73 runs and Brad Haddin an unbeaten 61, allowing United to score 174 for four with eight balls remaining and win the title.[7][8]
2017 season
In 2017 PSL draft United retained 17 players from their previous squad. The team picked Ben Duckett, Zohaib Khan and Shadab Khan to complete their 20 men squad.[9]
Team identity
The team logo and name was revealed on 22 December 2015 in a ceremony held at the Polo Club in Islamabad. The logo features a lion.[10] The team's primary colours are red and orange.[11]
The team's theme song, Chakka Choka, was performed by Ali Zafar, the star brand ambassador of the team. The second brand ambassador was Fawad Khan.[12]
Dostea is the main sponsor and shirt sponsor of the team while Cinepax and GLO Merchandise were merchandise sponsors in the first season of the PSL.[13] Dunya News and FM 101 are their news and entertainment partners respectively in first season.[14]
Current squad
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Players with international caps are listed in bold.[15]
- denotes a player who is currently unavailable for selection.
- denotes a player who is unavailable for rest of the season.
- As of 20 October 2016
| Name | Nat. | Batting Style | Bowling Style | Joined | Notes | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Batsmen | ||||||
| Sharjeel Khan |  | Left-hand | Right-arm leg spin | 2016 | ||
| Misbah-ul-Haq | | Right-hand | — | 2016 | Captain | |
| Khalid Latif | | Right-hand | Right-arm off Spin | 2016 | ||
| Hussain Talat | | Left-hand | Right arm medium | 2016 | ||
| Asif Ali | | Right-hand | Right-arm Medium-Fast | 2016 | ||
| All-Rounders | ||||||
| Shane Watson |  | Right-hand | Right arm fast medium | 2016 | First overseas player picked in PSL[16] | |
| Shadab Khan | | Right-hand | Right-arm Leg-break | 2017 | ||
| Dwayne Smith |  | Right-hand | Right-arm Medium | 2016 | Overseas | |
| Zohaib Khan | | Right-hand | Slow Left-arm Orthodox | 2017 | ||
| Andre Russell | | Right-hand | Right arm Fast | 2016 | Overseas | |
| Wicket-keepers | ||||||
| Sam Billings |  | Right-hand | — | 2016 | Overseas | |
| Ben Duckett | | Left-hand | Right-arm offbreak | 2017 | Overseas | |
| Brad Haddin | | Right-hand | — | 2016 | Overseas | |
| Bowlers | ||||||
| Saeed Ajmal | | Right-hand | Right arm off Spin | 2016 | ||
| Mohammad Irfan | | Right-hand | Left arm fast | 2016 | ||
| Mohammad Sami | | Right-hand | Right arm fast | 2016 | ||
| Samuel Badree | | Right-hand | Right arm leg spin | 2016 | Overseas | |
| Rumman Raees | | Right-hand | Left arm medium fast | 2016 | ||
| Amad Butt | | Right-hand | Right arm fast | 2016 | ||
| Imran Khalid | | Left-hand | Left arm orthodox spin | 2016 | ||
Management and coaching staff
| Name | Position |
|---|---|
| Leonine Global Sports | Owner |
| Wasim Akram |
Director/Bowling Coach |
| Dean Jones |
Head Coach |
| Tauseef Ahmed |
Assistant Coach |
| Darren Berry |
Fielding Coach |
| Rehan ul Haq |
Co-Manager |
| Hasan Cheema |
Co-Manager |
Captains
| No. | Nat | Player | From | To | Mat | Won | Lost | tie | NR | % |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | |
Misbah-ul-Haq | 2016 | Present | 9 | 6 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 66.67 |
| 2 | |
Shane Watson | 2016 | 2016 | 2 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 50.00 |
Result summary
| Year | Pld | Won | Loss | NR | Tied | SR(%) | Position | Summary |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2016 | 11 | 7 | 4 | - | - | 63.63% | 1 | Champions |
Head-to-head record
| Opposition | Span | Mat | Won | Lost | Tied | NR | Success Rate |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
 Karachi Kings | 2016–present | 3 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 100.00% |
 Lahore Qalandars | 2016–present | 2 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 100.00% |
 Peshawar Zalmi | 2016–present | 3 | 1 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 33.33% |
 Quetta Gladiators | 2016–present | 3 | 1 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 33.33% |
References
- 1 2 "Pakistan Super League: Seven Companies fight it out to buy franchises". Express etribune. 3 December 2015. Retrieved 3 December 2015.
- ↑ "Pakistan Super League, Day 1: Younis Khan unsold as Misbah ul-Haq picked by Islamabad United". Zee News.
- ↑ Ali, Sarah. "Islamabad United". HBL Pakistan Super League. Retrieved 1 January 2016.
- ↑ "Pakistan Super League T20 in UAE seeks to rival India's IPL". Retrieved 22 December 2015.
- ↑ http://en.dailypakistan.com.pk/sports/islamabad-united-beat-karachi-kings-by-nine-wickets/, ""Daily Pakistan"" 2016-02-21. Retrieved 2016-02-21.
- ↑ http://dunyanews.tv/en/Cricket/324085-Islamabad-United-all-set-to-face-Quetta-Gladiators/, ""Dunya News"" 2016-02-21. Retrieved 2016-02-22.
- ↑ http://espncricinfo.com/pakistan-super-league-2015-16/content/story/975697.html/, ""ESPN Cric Info"" 2016-02-23. Retrieved 2016-02-24.
- ↑ http://tribune.com.pk/story/1053169/islamabad-crowned-psl-champions/, ""Express Tribune"" 2016-02-23. Retrieved 2016-02-24.
- ↑ https://www.thenewstribe.com/2016/10/20/psl-2017-islamabad-united-final-squad-psl-second-edition/""The News Tribe"" 2016-10-20. Retrieved 2016-10-20.
- ↑ "LGS unveils Islamabad United's logo for PSL". Aaj News.
- ↑ http://tribune.com.pk/story/1093733/proposed-changes-in-psl-to-face-resistance/, The Express Tribune, 2016-04-29. Retrieved 2016-04-29.
- ↑ http://thenewstribe.com/2016/01/28/islamabad-united-partners-with-the-ali-zafar-fawad-khan/, The News Tribe, 2016-01-28. Retrieved 2016-01-28.
- ↑ http://shop-glo.com/collections/islamabad-united-official-merchandise/, ""Shop-GLO"" 2016-01-28. Retrieved 2016-01-28.
- ↑ http://dunyanews.tv/en/Cricket/320358-Islamabad-United-unleashes-kit-anthem/, ""Dunya News"" 2016-01-28. Retrieved 2016-01-28.
- ↑ Islamabad United all set to take PSL on, Dunya News, 2016-01-04. Retrieved 2016-01-27.
- ↑ "PSL T20 2016 draft". Cricket Country. Retrieved 24 December 2015.
- ↑ "PSL Points Table 2016". PSL T20. Retrieved 2016-02-07.
External links
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| Finals | ||
| Squads | ||
| Teams | ||
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| Lists | ||
| Related topics | ||
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