PSL 2026: Sameer Minhas, bowlers star as Islamabad United hammer Rawalpindiz by 7 wickets

Islamabad United inflicted the third successive defeat of the Pakistan Super League 2026 (PSL 2026) on Rawalpindiz on Saturday, April 4 at Gaddafi Stadium, Lahore. After being put in to bat first, Rawalpindiz struggled to post a good score and somehow managed to reach 156/7 in their allotted 20 overs, riding on a half-century from Kamran Ghulam.

In reply, Islamabad chased down the target in 14.2 overs with Sameer Minhas leading the run chase with his heroic innings. Earlier, Rawalpindiz were rocked in the powerplay, as Richard Gleeson removed Yasir Khan (2 off 4) and Mohammad Rizwan (2 off 8) cheaply.

After two early blows, Daryl Mitchell (19 off 15) and Kamran Ghulam (50 off 39) stitched a 51-run stand for the third wicket off 37 balls. Following their dismissals, Dian Forrester (44* off 19) and Abdullah Fazal (23 off 16) guided their team above the 150-run mark.

In reply, Sameer Minhas got his team off to a terrific start, while Devon Conway (6 off 11) struggled at the other end, and was eventually dismissed by Mohammad Amir in the sixth over. However, Minhas continued his onslaught at the other end and brought up his half-century off 25 balls.

He was finally dismissed for 70 (36) in the tenth over by Jalat Khan. However, Haider Ali (26* off 16) and Mark Chapman (24* off 7) ensured there were no more hiccups in the chase with their unbeaten 45-run stand off 17 balls for the fourth wicket and took Islamabad over the line quite comfortably. 

Best Batter of the Match

Best Bowler of the Match

Player of the Match

Sameer Minhas took home the Player of the Match award for his magnificent innings. He got Islamabad's chase off to a rollicking start with a 25-ball half-century. His innings almost sealed the match in his team's favour, giving them the perfect platform to chase down a paltry score.

Turning Point

Kamran Ghulam was batting well on his half-century in the first innings, having rescued Rawalpindiz from an early collapse. However, his dismissal against Faheem Ashraf came at a crucial time, allowing Islamabad to claw their way back into the game. Had he stayed at the crease for a bit longer, it would've made a significant difference to Rawalpindiz's score.

What did the captains say:

Winning Captain, Shadab Khan (Islamabad United):

It was a complete performance [after a comprehensive team win]. I think the way our bowlers executed really worked in our favour - especially Gleeson’s spell, and the start provided by Maddie (Imad), along with Faheem’s contribution, gave us a cushion with the ball so we didn’t have to go too hard later. The bowling unit deserves a lot of credit, particularly Gleeson. Winning the toss helped, but execution was the key, and our bowling combinations - in terms of variety and pace - are shaping up really well. In the last couple of matches too, we’ve been strong till around the 16th over, though we still need improvement in the death overs. Overall, this was a crucial win for us. With the bat, consistency from me and Sameer has helped, and that’s why we promoted the middle order - someone like Haider wasn’t getting enough time in the middle, and with limited practice during a tournament, it’s important to back players who can win you key moments and give them match exposure. Facing pressure situations repeatedly helps you grow as a batter. As for Mark Chapman, he really enjoys playing in Pakistan and against Pakistani bowlers, so that was also a factor in backing him.

Losing Captain, Mohammad Rizwan (Rawalpindiz):

Losing three out of three is obviously tough to digest - no team likes losing [team currently on a losing streak]. The key learning is that things have been a bit different this time; in the last two matches, our batting clicked, but today our powerplay didn’t go as planned. Credit to the opposition as well, but more than just the powerplay, I think the real damage was done early when they got swing and picked up wickets - we were probably 20–30 runs short right there. Overall, it’s about gradually fixing things; three games have gone by, and it’s not easy to point out one issue because when you cover one area, problems can arise elsewhere. What we really need is one win - that can change momentum and things start falling into place. We will keep working on our mistakes, like in the previous games where our depth was helping us, but today we had to adjust differently. At this stage, it’s about showing courage and bouncing back - that’s what champion teams do. We do have experienced players in the dugout, and while we’ve made changes in every game based on the opposition, injuries to key players [like Naseem Shah and Zaman Khan] have affected our balance. That said, we’re not using that as an excuse - the changes are tactical, based on the opposition, and we will keep adapting as we move forward.