Shadab Khan Leads Islamabad United Into Psl Eliminator 2 Bowls First
Islamabad United won the toss and chose to bowl first in psl 2026 Eliminator 2 against Hyderabad Kingsmen at Gaddafi Stadium in Lahore. In a knockout game, that call set the first tactical move before a ball was bowled.
The decision came with Shadab Khan leading Islamabad United, while Marnus Labuschagne captained Hyderabad Kingsmen. The match carried direct survival stakes in the playoff race, so the toss carried more weight than usual.
Gaddafi Stadium lineup sheet
Islamabad United named Devon Conway, Sameer Minhas, Mohsin Riaz, Shadab Khan, Mark Chapman, Haider Ali, Faheem Ashraf, Chris Green, Imad Wasim, Salman Mirza and Richard Gleeson in their XI. Conway was listed as the wicketkeeper for Islamabad United.
Hyderabad Kingsmen responded with Maaz Sadaqat, Saim Ayub, Marnus Labuschagne, Usman Khan, Kusal Perera, Glenn Maxwell, Hassan Khan, Irfan Khan, Hunain Shah, Mohammad Ali and Akif Javed. Usman Khan was listed as the wicketkeeper for Hyderabad.
Knockout pressure at Lahore
Eliminator 2 is part of the knockout stage of PSL 2026, so the toss choice shaped the opening phase of a game with no margin for error. Islamabad United will try to use the ball first, while Hyderabad enter needing to handle the early overs on a surface they now have to read quickly.
The match was also set to be unavailable on live television in India because of political tensions between India and Pakistan. That left the Lahore contest centered on the field itself, with the playoff stakes and the team sheets now carrying the weight of the day.
