IU vs HK: Hyderabad Kingsmen into PSL 2026 Final

Hunain Shah had the tough job of defending 6. He starts the over with a dot, concedes a single, then a dot and then a wicket. He nailed yorker after yorker. The 5th ball went for a single and then Chris Green was back on strike with 4 needed off the last ball. But couldn't do what was needed. A miraculous comeback from Hyderabad.

Chris Green has flipped the game on its head. He has come out and smashed 20 off 6. 22 comes off the penultimate over and now Islamabad needs 6 off 6 to win.

Chapman's gone and that could be it for Islamabad. Hunain Shah does the job but Chapman did his best, 43 (26). It wasn't his fault that the batters before didn't set up the game well.

Chapman and Faheem Ashraf have kept Islamabad in the game. 13 off the 16th over and now they need 41 off 18 to win.

Chapman was dropped on 32 by Irfan Khan. Luckily for Hyderabad, Mohammad Ali ends up taking a wicket after all as Haider Ali holes out. He had scored 31 (15) and was looking dangerous. This could be the breakthrough Hyderabad needed.

Haider Ali and Mark Chapman didn't have any option other than going hard. So far, they succeeded. Together, they have scored 44 off 23. The run rate has nearly touched 13. This duo needs to bat together for a couple of overs for Islamabad to have any chance.

Shadab has finally gone. He scores 22 off 24. In the grand scheme of things, it's good that he has gone back. Perhaps now Islamabad will get a move on. Although it's looking tougher and tougher.

Conway had to strike extra fast since Shadab couldn't get going. This has resulted in him walking back. Islamabad are in a hole. They need someone to replicate what Usman Khan did.

Conway has upped his intent just a bit but he and Shadab have together scored 36 (28). So far, Shadab has faced 14 balls and scored just 1 boundary. The run rate has jumped over 10 already.

Conway threads it through the gap with a textbook square cut 🏏✨#HBLPSL11 | #NewEra | #IUvHK
pic.twitter.com/IPq9233K7C

— Sports Pulse (@MominSyed21193) May 1, 2026

Shadab Khan and Devon Conway are trying to rebuild. However, Islamabad have to realise that if they don't maximise the powerplay, the task might get too tall for them.

Remember, Hyderabad scored 60 runs in the powerplay. That's why despite slowing down, they reached 186.

Mohsin Riaz departs as well. Another back of the length delivery that causes the wicket. Riaz tries to pull Mohammad Ali off the front foot but miscues it and Irfan Khan takes a easy catch at backward square-leg.

This was the last thing Islamabad wanted. In-form Minhas walks back. A back of the length that rises on him and induces an outside edge that goes to Marnus Labuschagne at mid-off. A perfect start for Hyderabad.

Sameer Minhas gets off the mark with a six. That's some way to kick things off.

Sameer Minhas opens his account in style 💥

Clips it beautifully over deep fine for a towering six to get going in emphatic fashion 🚀#HBLPSL11 | #NewEra | #IUvHK
pic.twitter.com/iMxxoBC9hY

— Sports Pulse (@MominSyed21193) May 1, 2026

In his last 4 innings, Usman has scored 2 fifties and 1 hundred. He's been one of the main reasons behind Hyderabad's success. Can this be enough for them to reach the final?

A solid last over from Faheem Ashraf all things considered but Usman and Perera have done their bit. Together they've taken Hyderabad from 85/4 in 11.4 overs to 186. That's 101 in 8.2 overs. They scored 65 runs in the last 30 balls. Hyderabad have the momentum now, can Islamabad fight back?

Usman Khan once again showing why he’s the best T20 batsmen in Pakistan.

Name any batsmen in Pakistan who can play such shots. pic.twitter.com/Uy1gm76Tdi

— yang goi (@GongR1ght) May 1, 2026

Another big over, 13 off it, as Usman Khan scores back-to-back fifties. This has to be one of the finest knocks of Usman's career.

Usman Khan the modern day Brendon McCullum ban. 🤯 pic.twitter.com/nOBgfQW2Pm

— Taimoor Zaman (@taimoor_ze) May 1, 2026

This is what Hyderabad needed. 18 come off the 17th over. Now, they are well on track to reach 180. Usman has flipped the game on its head. Perera has played his part extremely well as well.

Kusal Perera has joined the party. He's breaking free as we enter the death phase of the innings. If he and Usman stay put, 170-180 is very much gettable.

Usman Khan has done something other Hyderabad batters didn't do, put the pressure back. Yes, he was dropped but in his 13 ball stay so far, he has scored 26 runs. This intent was missing and now Hyderabad are back in it.

Usman Khan is piling up valuable runs for the Hyderabad Kingsmen 💥 pic.twitter.com/OUgm9gqZED

— Sports Pulse (@MominSyed21193) May 1, 2026

Glenn Maxwell holes out. 2 wickets in the space of 3 ball for Islamabad. A short ball and Maxwell hits it to short third. From 71/1, Hyderabad is now 85/4. It'll need to be a monumental task to recover from here.

Islamabad has wrestled control back. Imad Wasim has taken a wicket on the second ball of his spell. No idea what Labuschagne was trying to do but he holes out at long on.

The pressure was building. Something had to give. Ayub had enough. He charged down the ground and tried to clear long on but didn't get the distance. Mark Chapman takes a good high catch.

A very good welcome back innings from Saim Ayub.

- He departed for 38 in 27 balls. HH 73/2 in 9.2 overs pic.twitter.com/xCkugQSTrq

— Kashif (@KashifNdmCric) May 1, 2026

Shadab Khan and Chris Green have put a break on run-scoring. Since the end of the powerplay, Hyderabad have scored just 16 off 18. This phase could be game-defining for both teams.

Ayub and Labuschagne have scored 53 runs in 5.2 overs. The best part for Hyderabad is that Ayub looks in good touch. He's due a big innings and he might just come today.

Labuschagne cuts it with authority and finds the boundary 🔥#HBLPSL11 | #NewEra | #IUvHK
pic.twitter.com/6HcLPZd4y9

— Sports Pulse (@MominSyed21193) May 1, 2026

Saim Ayub, who has scored just 174 runs in 12 innings, looks in great touch. His highest score this season has been just 35 and he looks on track to go past that.Hyderabad would want that, considering he hasn't done much with bat or ball in PSL 2026.

Marnus Labuschagne and Saim Ayub have hit the ground running. The former is 14 off 9 and the latter is 9 off 5 after the third over.

Richard Gleeson starts with a wide but finds his line afterwards and sends Maaz Sadaqat back for a 4-ball duck. Sadaqat was itching to get off the mark and tried to pull a short ball from outside off. He doesn't time it and edges it to square leg. Great start for Islamabad.

"There is a little bit of a tinge of green, a terrific covering of grass. It's going to skid off nicely; maybe they have to bowl a little bit fuller than Karachi. It will be quick and bouncy."

Mike Haysman describes the pitch for the Eliminator 2.

Islamabad United: Devon Conway (wk), Sameer Minhas, Mohsin Riaz, Shadab Khan (c), Mark Chapman, Haider Ali, Faheem Ashraf, Chris Green, Imad Wasim, Salman Mirza, Richard Gleeson

Hyderabad Kingsmen: Maaz Sadaqat, Saim Ayub, Marnus Labuschagne (c), Usman Khan (wk), Kusal Perera, Glenn Maxwell, Hassan Khan, Irfan Khan, Hunain Shah, Mohammad Ali, Akif Javed

Islamabad United captain Shadab Khan has won the toss and opted to bowl first in Lahore.

The Gaddafi Stadium is usually known to assist batters. In the last few matches, scores of 180 to 200 have become the norm here. The new ball has also offered some assistance, but the captain winning the toss will be looking to bowl first, as the last 5 games played at this venue have been won by chasing teams.

Islamabad United	Hyderabad Kingsmen
Lost to PZ by 70 runs	Won against MS by 8 wickets
Won against MS by 4 wickets	Won against RP by 108 runs
Won over HK by 8 wickets	Lost to IU by 8 wickets
Lost to RP by 6 wickets	Won against MS by 4 wickets
Won against KK by 8 wickets	Won over RP by 5 wickets

Matches	2
Won (Islamabad United)	1
Won (Hyderabad Kingsmen)	1
Tied/No Result	0/0

Hyderabad Kingsmen: Maaz Sadaqat, Marnus Labuschagne (c), Usman Khan (wk), Saim Ayub, Kusal Perera, Glenn Maxwell, Hassan Khan, Irfan Khan, Hunain Shah, Mohammad Ali, Akif Javed, Hammad Azam, Syed Saad Ali, Sharjeel Khan, Riley Meredith, Shayan Jahangir, Maheesh Theekshana, Rizwan Mehmood, Tayyab Arif, Ahmed Hussain, Asif Mehmood

Islamabad United: Devon Conway (wk), Sameer Minhas, Mohsin Riaz, Shadab Khan (c), Mark Chapman, Haider Ali, Faheem Ashraf, Chris Green, Imad Wasim, Salman Mirza, Richard Gleeson, Dipendra Singh Airee, Sameen Gul, Andries Gous, Salman Irshad, Mohammad Hasnain, Mehran Mumtaz, Shamar Joseph, Mohammad Faiq, Hamza Sajjad, Nisar Ahmad

Hello and welcome to the live coverage of the Eliminator 2 of the PSL 2026 season between the Islamabad United and Hyderabad Kingsmen at the Gaddafi Stadium in Lahore.