Shadab confident Islamabad United will lift PSL trophy again

• Shadab Khan said his side Islamabad United will again win the new edition of the Pakistan Super League. 
• Islamabad United will continue working on the same methodology as it did in the previous editions. 
• Islamabad United has won the PSL trophy three times. The seventh edition is going to take place next month. 

KARACHI: Shadab Khan, the captain of Islamabad United, is confident of lifting the PSL trophy for the third time as his side prepares for the seventh edition of the Pakistan Super League.

In a statement sent to Geo, Shadab said that Islamabad United will continue to follow the same method that it had been following in the past – the method of data and evidence.

“There is a method at Islamabad United, a method based on evidence and data, we believe if you follow the method, results will eventually come. We will try to give it our all this season to win our third PSL trophy,” he said.

“Our plans are in place and as always, they are flexible,” he said.

Shadab recalled that finishing at the bottom was difficult for him but the players and management of the team had backed each other and it helped the team regroup and fight back in the next tournament.

“Through my tough times, this team has always supported and backed me. When I have fallen, they have picked me back up. When we finished bottom of the table in PSL 5, the team still showed their faith in my captaincy. The management stayed calm under those circumstances,” he recalled.

“When the leadership is calm, the players are also calm. That faith meant we won 8 out of 10 group games in PSL 6, unfortunately we couldn’t do well in the playoffs,” he observed.

The young all-rounder said that as captain he doesn’t believe in winning only, his mantra is to bring innovation and that’s what United is going to do this season.

“We prepare for each match and each opponent differently. As a captain, I have freedom to improvise. We don’t only believe in winning but we believe in innovation as well,” he said.

“You can clearly see that in our flexible batting orders, our matchups approach and our use of low-value-wickets. We never shy away from trying new things. Through Islamabad United we want to pave the way for innovative modern cricket in Pakistan,” Shadab concluded.

The seventh edition of the PSL starts on January 27.