Islamabad United’s journey in PSL X came to an unceremonious end against Lahore Qalandars last night. Once the pace-setters, Shadab Khan’s men seemed primed for a repeat as champions when they raced to five wins on the trot to open their season. Things quickly fell apart from there, and the team now finds itself looking for answers—just like hundreds of thousands of their fans across Pakistan.
Islamabad United came into PSL X with high expectations, a solid squad on paper, and arguably the most balanced T20 setup in the league. They had the coaching staff to match any franchise, the talent to upstage any squad, and the swagger of the defending champions, which no one else in the league could boast. But when the dust settled, they were left with more questions than answers, no wins in Lahore, a revolving door of player changes, and a season that fell far short of its promise.
So, what exactly went wrong for the only three-time (as of now) PSL champions?
Continuity in sports is often overlooked but is a crucial part of any team’s success. Perhaps the biggest issue was Islamabad United’s lack of stability. They made far too many changes—or were at least forced to—in the playing XI. Injuries, availability issues, and strategic overthinking meant the team rarely looked settled. There was little time for combinations to gel, and in a tournament where momentum is everything, United never found theirs.
While rotation is often necessary in modern T20 cricket, Islamabad didn’t name the same XI for two games running, with constant chopping and changing unsettling the rhythm of the side. The lack of a consistent core, barring Shadab Khan, Sahibzada Farhan, Imad Wasim, and Naeem Shah, left the team searching for answers deep into the tournament.
Counter that with Quetta and Lahore, who rarely tinkered with their combinations, and you can perhaps unearth why they are contesting the final.
Midway through the PSL, apropos of nothing, PCB decided to name Islamabad United’s head coach Mike Hesson as the next coach of Pakistan’s national team. Within that time frame, the Kiwi had to finalise a squad for Pakistan’s upcoming series against Bangladesh, which may have caused an unnecessary distraction.
The team was on a roll when he got the gig, and shortly after the announcement, Islamabad’s slide began. There is also a case to be made that Hesson shouldn’t have overplayed his hand with data analytics and should have trusted his gut more—but these are questions for him to answer.
In case anyone forgot, Pakistan did go to war with India during the PSL, which prompted the competition to be halted. The foreign players left, and Islamabad United, just like the five other teams, suffered as a result. While Ben Dwarshuis returned and Islamabad managed to bring back Rassie van der Dussen, Alex Hales, and Tymal Mills, the absences of Colin Munro, Jason Holder, and Riley Meredith played a part in their downfall.
It disrupted not just team plans but also morale in the dressing room.
If you look at the PSL X schedule, you can point to exactly when things started going wrong for Islamabad United this year. On April 30, with a five-match win streak under their belt, Islamabad faced off against Lahore Qalandars at Gaddafi Stadium and ended up being shellacked by 88 runs. Zalmi and Gladiators (twice) beat them in Lahore as well, meaning they lost four out of four in the city.
Unfortunately for Islamabad, more misery was in store for them in Lahore as the playoffs were scheduled there as well. Another loss to Quetta in the Qualifier followed before the Qalandars finished the job, meaning they lost every single match they played at this venue in PSL X.
Whether it was slow pitches that didn’t suit their attack or simply being outplayed, they couldn’t buy a win in the Punjab capital. The losses in Lahore became symbolic of a season where nothing clicked when it mattered. Every time they looked close to turning things around, they stumbled.
Naseem Shah’s struggles perfectly encapsulate Islamabad United’s season—a side brimming with potential but failing to find it.
The pacer was supposed to lead Islamabad’s attack with the ball but ended up being the most liable piece in their attack. In 10 matches this year, Naseem gave up at least 34 runs in six of those matches. He finished with just 9 wickets at an economy rate of 9.30 and an average of 40.33, with best figures of 2/29.
In his last three innings, he was smacked for at least fifty runs with just one wicket to show for his efforts. A few niggles and lack of match fitness may have played a part, but Islamabad paid the price for their reliance on a player who simply wasn’t at his best.
His place in Pakistan’s squad is already being questioned, and he has little time left to prove the selectors right.
Until Mike Hesson ever addresses the reasons, we will never know what happened with Islamabad United this year. But for United, PSL X will go down as a season of missed opportunities and avoidable mistakes. Despite having talent, experience, and depth, the franchise couldn’t overcome the self-inflicted chaos and external disruptions that plagued their campaign.
There will be time for reflection—and plenty of it. Questions will be asked of the management, the team strategy, and how such a promising squad failed to make an impact. For now, Islamabad United are left watching the final from the sidelines, wondering how it all slipped away.
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