Islamabad United vs Karachi Kings: Live Guide & Rivalry
The PSL’s most one-sided big-city rivalry — how to follow it live, the full head-to-head record, the star players and the venues that host it.
Last updated: 11 October 2026
The rivalry in numbers
United vs Kings at a Glance
Verified head-to-head figures, current through PSL 11.
PSL meetings
Every encounter since the league began in 2016.
United lead
Islamabad have won 19 of the 25 clashes; Karachi 6.
Kings’ last win
Karachi have not beaten United in this fixture since 2020.
Highest team total
Islamabad’s 251 is the highest score in the rivalry; Karachi’s best is 201.
Start here
In This Guide
Never miss a ball
How to Watch Islamabad United vs Karachi Kings Live
An honest note: we do not publish invented live scores. These are the genuine sources.
When the two sides meet during the PSL season (the league typically runs February–March; PSL 11 was played in April 2026), live coverage is everywhere in Pakistan:
- TV: PTV Sports, A Sports, Geo Super and Ten Sports broadcast every PSL match in Pakistan.
- Streaming: Tamasha, Tapmad and Myco carry official live streams.
- Ball-by-ball scores: ESPNcricinfo and the PCB’s official website (pcb.com.pk) provide genuine live scorecards.
Outside the PSL window there is no live match to follow — any page showing a “live score” for this fixture out of season is not showing real cricket. The PCB announces each season’s fixtures on pcb.com.pk.
25 matches, one story
Head-to-Head Record
Islamabad’s dominance of this fixture is the most lopsided among PSL’s big-city rivalries.
| Statistic | Islamabad United | Karachi Kings |
|---|---|---|
| Matches played | 25 | |
| Matches won | 19 | 6 |
| Highest total | 251 | 201 |
| Lowest total | 82 | 75 |
| At National Stadium, Karachi | 7 wins (8 games) | 1 win |
| At Rawalpindi Cricket Stadium | 3 wins (4 games) | 1 win |
| PSL titles | 3 (2016, 2018, 2024) | 1 (2020) |
Recent results tell the story: in PSL 10 (2025) United beat the Kings by 79 runs in Karachi; in PSL 11 (April 2026) they won by 8 wickets at the National Bank Stadium after winning the toss and bowling first. Karachi’s last victory in the fixture dates back to the 2020 edition — the year they won their only title.
How it unfolded
The Story of the Rivalry
From United’s early supremacy to a decade of Karachi frustration.
The tone was set in the very first PSL season: in 2016 United won all three meetings, including a 9-wicket demolition and a 2-run thriller. Karachi hit back in 2017 with three wins of their own, but since 2018 the fixture has belonged to Islamabad — a run that includes a 1-run classic in 2022 and back-to-back comfortable wins in 2023 and 2024.
What makes the rivalry compelling despite the one-sided record is the cities behind it: the capital against the country’s biggest metropolis, with Karachi’s passionate home crowd at the National Stadium watching their team lose there 7 times in 8 attempts. The 2020 season — when Karachi finally beat United twice and went on to lift the trophy — remains the Kings fans’ golden memory of this fixture.
The protagonists
Players Who Defined the Fixture
Captains, centurions and match-winners on both sides.
Shadab Khan
Islamabad’s long-serving captain and the fixture’s defining figure — leading United through their dominant run across PSL 10 and 11.
Babar Azam
Karachi’s former captain and batting mainstay; his duels with United’s attack were the fixture’s marquee battles for years.
Moeen Ali
Karachi’s captain in PSL 11 — the England all-rounder tasked with ending the six-year winless run against United.
Hasan Ali
Karachi’s spearhead; his new-ball spells have produced some of the Kings’ rare bright moments in this fixture.
Colin Munro
United’s explosive opener in PSL 10 — the kind of batter who has repeatedly taken Karachi’s attack apart in the powerplay.
The century club
Karachi batters have scored a hundred in this rivalry; remarkably, no Islamabad batter had managed one against the Kings through PSL 11.
Home advantage?
Venues: Karachi vs Rawalpindi
United win everywhere — including in Karachi’s own backyard.
National Stadium, Karachi (now the National Bank Stadium) should be Karachi’s fortress, but in this fixture it has been anything but: 8 meetings, 7 Islamabad wins. United seem to relish silencing the home crowd. Rawalpindi Cricket Stadium, Islamabad’s home, tells a similar story: 4 meetings, 3 United wins. The sides have also met at Gaddafi Stadium, Lahore, and at neutral UAE venues in the early PSL seasons. Wherever they play, the pattern holds — which is exactly why Karachi’s next win in this fixture, whenever it comes, will be an event.
Quick answers
Frequently Asked Questions
How can I watch Islamabad United vs Karachi Kings live?
Who has won more matches: Islamabad United or Karachi Kings?
When did Karachi Kings last beat Islamabad United?
How many PSL titles have Islamabad United won?
Where do Islamabad United and Karachi Kings play their home matches?
What is the highest score in Islamabad United vs Karachi Kings matches?
Follow Every Ball of the Rivalry
Live-score guides, head-to-head deep dives and venue records — our companion guides keep you across United vs Kings without the fake-score noise.
Feature Pakistan’s cricket guides are researched from PCB announcements, official scorecards and ESPNcricinfo records, and reviewed for accuracy. Fixtures change with each PSL season — this page was last verified on 11 October 2026. We never publish invented scores.