Islamabad United vs Hyderabad Kingsmen, Eliminator 2, Pakistan Super League 2026 - CommentaryISU vs HYDK, Eliminator 2, Pakistan Super League 2026 - Commentary

Hunain Shah had 13 to defend against Peshawar in the final over and couldn't. Tonight he had 5 and won it by 2 runs for his side. That's cricket in a nutshell. His heroics have taken his side to the final against a rampant Peshawar side. The final will happen on 3rd May (Sunday). We will be there for that one nice and early. Do join us then. For now we are taking leave. It was a great game tonight and hope you enjoyed it all. On behalf of everyone here, it's bye bye and good night.

Marnus Labuschagne | Hyderabad Kingsmen captain: "I don’t have words to describe what we have done today. I mean, this team, we are providing entertainment that's for sure. It looked like we were going to win it relatively comfortably, and then we don't. And then all of a sudden, it looks like it's over - pack our bags, we are gonna go home. And then Hunain Shah defends six and goes for what? Four? Three. Three in the last over to win the game, with four fielders out. Yeah, I can’t describe what we’ve just done. Where we’ve come as a team - I’ve got goosebumps just talking about it. Everything, the ownership - I’ve said this numerous times - but everything that they have put in - the faith, the trust and selecting each person in this squad for a reason that might not have been clear to the outside. And every person has shown their skill in spades over the tournament. I keep coming back to Usman Khan - like eight games he was struggling, and all of a sudden, he's just pulled this back, 66 off 30 on a wicket which we felt like was a bit two-paced. We were talking about 170-180 out there, and he played unbelievably. And then the bowlers to once again get those breakthroughs in the powerplay. I mean they’ve been fantastic. We’ve spoken about this before but Hunain Shah bowled an over that was expensive, and I just knew that moment would build. I think it was actually perfect, the fact we had only four fielders out - cos it just made it simple. Have everyone straight and just try and bowl six yorkers. So, I don’t really know what else to say."

Shadab Khan | Islamabad United captain (translated from Urdu): Yes, absolutely. If you look at the lapses we made from the start, those small mistakes at the end of the day reduce your margin. So obviously, death bowling was a concern. Throughout the tournament, we didn’t bowl that well in the death overs, and today it was somewhat similar. I think we conceded 10-15 more. (what went wrong in the chase?) I think wickets fell at crucial moments. Especially speaking about myself, I feel I could have played better and carried the momentum. We were waiting for momentum, and whenever we got a bit of it, we lost wickets. At the end of the day, it’s also a mind game. In the last over, I think we could have read the game situation better and played accordingly. (thoughts on the season) It was a very good tournament overall. As we saw Sameer in batting, we already knew he was an exceptional talent, but the way he performed on the big stage under pressure was outstanding. I think everyone contributed. Chappie, we know how he likes playing in Pakistan. Also, our three spinners bowled really well in the middle overs. So overall, it was a good team performance. Obviously, it’s disappointing that we didn’t qualify for the final, but at the end of the day, the team that plays better wins.

Hunain Shah | Player of the Match (translated from Urdu): I was just thinking to believe. As they say, cricket is a game where anything can happen. I kept in mind that if Faheem bhai got out, things could become easier for us. So I just focused on believing and on execution - where to bowl the ball. (on executing the yorker) Yes, absolutely right. When I went to bowl the last over, I told Marnus that I won’t miss - I will bowl all six deliveries properly. We'll keep the fielding sharp, and after that, whatever happens is not in our hands. I kept my mind clear. I kept believing till the very end, and by Allah’s will, it happened. (how good does it feel?) It feels amazing, really great. Thanks to Allah a lot. As you said, we lost four matches - it takes time to build the right combination, and it did take time. But after that, in every match a different player became Man of the Match, and everyone stepped up in different situations. When different players in your team perform, it becomes very difficult for the opposition to plan against you. So in every match a different player performed, and that is the secret of our success.

Mohammad Ali: "Well, it's very difficult to describe this moment in the words. I'm completely speechless after bowling such a bad over. All the credit goes to Hunain. The way he bowled the last over, keep his composure and keep us in the game till the last ball. After bowling that over, I was a bit down, but still I believe in Hunain because the way he bowled throughout the whole tournament is superb and tremendous. Well, I'm really proud of himself because the game in which he bowled the last over against Peshawar Zalmi, he had to save 14 runs, but he was unable to save those 14 runs. And today, I think that it's his hard work and the great Rahul Dravid says that luck always comes to those who really work hard."

22:46 Local Time, 17:46 GMT, 23:16 IST: Hunain Shah had practiced bowling yorkers a lot ahead of this PSL season - exactly for this final-over scenario - and boy has it worked or not for him tonight. The previous over had gone for 22 and the game was almost gone as Islamabad needed 6 off 6 with Chris Green and Faheem Ashraf had all the momentum. But Hunain turned up and how. He nailed every single delivery in that final over and nothing much Islamabad could've done about that. Maybe they could have looked for singles but full credit to Hunain. More celebrations - Hunain leapt and punched the air after running away while Mohammad Ali too was running in celebration. Shadab in the Islamabad camp just closed his face with his shirt. Contrasting emotions. Coming back to the chase: The in-form Minhas fell early as did Mohsin but Conway and Shadab strung a stand before they fell in quick succession. Haider and Chapman added a crucial stand and after the former went, Faheem came out and 41 were needed off 18 and then 28 off 12. 22 came off the penultimate over and it looked like the game was done. Enter Hunain and the rest is history. Looking back how crucial was that four saved on the boundary by Hassan Khan? Who also fielded so well in taking his catches. A game-changing moment that boundary save. Islamabad were well behind for most parts but got back into it with fine hitting. Stay tuned for the post-match stuff....

4 off 1. Don't think they can run three here. So Super Over looks unlikely. What a finish we have on our hands. Can Chris Green do something special and hit this for a four? Or can Hunain Shah nail another one?

5 off 2. Again Hunain Shah round the wicket. Imad the man on strike.

5 off 2.

Hunain Shah to Faheem Ashraf, THATS OUT!! Caught!!

Three superb deliveries so far. Can Hunain Shah continue this?

5 off 4. Hunain Shah from round the wicket. He is tying his shoelaces. Mindgames? Maybe. Tense faces all around.

5 off 5. Deep extra-cover, a straight long-off. Long-on and deep mid-wicket are the fielders back.