Preview of Islamabad United and Karachi Kings

The fourth match of the Pakistan Super League (PSL) season 8 will see Karachi Kings face Islamabad United at the Multan Cricket Stadium on Thursday. The previous match saw Karachi Kings losing by two runs, and they will be looking for a return to form in the upcoming game. Imad Wasim-led Karachi Kings will rely on the experience of James Vince and Matthew Wade to challenge United. The squad also features much-hyped bowlers in Imran Tahir and Mohammad Amir. However, the Kings have been dealt a blow with pacer Mir Hamza's injury ruling him out of the league. Akif Javed will replace Hamza in the squad.

Shadab Khan-led Islamabad United, on the other hand, will kick start their PSL8 campaign with today’s game. They have packed their top order with power hitters but will miss Alex Hales and Rahmanullah Gurbaz this time. Azam Khan is the top run-scorer for Islamabad United, having scored 284 runs from his last 10 matches with an average of 31 and a strike rate of 144. Shadab Khan has been the team's best bowler, having picked up 18 wickets from his last 7 matches with an economy rate of 6.25 and a strike rate of 8. Faheem Ashraf has also picked up 7 wickets from his last 8 matches.

In the last five head-to-head matches, Islamabad United has won four, while Karachi Kings has won only one. The result of their last clash saw Karachi Kings losing to Islamabad United by one run. The National Stadium, Karachi, has seen 49 PSL matches, with 17 wins for the team batting first and 32 for the team batting second. The average score while batting first is 172, with Islamabad United recording the highest score of 238/3 and Karachi Kings recording the lowest score of 113/1.