PAKISTAN SUPER LEAGUE 2019 PREVIEW: Can Islamabad United defend their title?

Ahead of the 2019 PSL, The Cricketer previews Islamabad United and whether they can continue to dominate the tournament...

Statistically the most successful team in the PSL, Islamabad United will be looking for a third title after winning the tournament in the inaugural year in 2016 and then again in 2018.

Holding a 59.67% success rate in the tournament after winning 19 out of the 32 matches played over the past three editions, United are under new leadership this year after Misbah-ul-Haq’s move to Peshawar Zalmi, with Luke Ronchi now the man looking to bring yet more success to the holders.

Islamabad United will open the fourth season of the PSL when they face the Lahore Qalandars in Dubai.

Who are the star players?

British eyes will be on new signings Ian Bell and Phil Salt after they were added to the Islamabad roster.

Bell averaged 187 against spin in T20s last year and has been brought in to try and counter the plethora of spinners on show for the other sides, while Salt could be set for a role as an opener or a finisher after scoring 433 runs at a strike rate of 173.20 in the shortest format in 2018.

Allrounder Samit Patel will also be involved in his second PSL after taking 13 wickets in his nine games, and South African duo Wayne Parnell and Cameron Delport their first. 

Islamabad United will also hope Ronchi’s added responsibility does not hinder him from replicating his 2018 PSL form.

The Kiwi topped the charts for most runs in the last edition, scoring 435 at a strike rate of 182. 

Faheem Ashraf will also be looking to reproduce similar performances to last year when he took 18 wickets, the joint most in the tournament along with Zalmi’s Wahab Riaz.

^{Phil Salt and Ian Bell will be playing for Islamabad United}

Who is in charge?

Islamabad United’s coach is Dean Jones, the former Australian batsman who led the franchise to glory in 2016 and 2018.

Mohammad Sami will captain the side with Shadab Khan as his vice-skipper.

What are their strengths?

Tight bowling is one the most difficult skills to execute in T20 cricket, but Islamabad seem to have it in abundance.

Five of their bowlers, Samit Patel, Zafar Gohar, Faheem Ashraf, Mohammad Sami and Rumman Raees all have a PSL average lower than 20 and have taken 91 wickets between them.

Shadab Khan may have been on the slightly more expensive side but his nine wickets in 12 games went a long way in supporting the successes of Sami and Ashraf.

^{Faheem Ashraf is one to watch}

What are their weaknesses?

New faces can often bring new challenges, and while Ronchi’s average of 43.50 last year set him well on the way to becoming the tournament’s leading runscorer, the addition of Bell, Delport and Salt could bring hidden problems.

Hussain Talat holds the next best PSL average of 33.50, and therefore change at the top and the middle order may not be as successful even though their stats abroad may be to the contrary.

What’s their history in the competition? 

2016 – Champions 

2017 – Eliminator

2018 – Champions  

Prediction – Champions

PAKISTAN SUPER LEAGUE 2019 SQUADS