The PSL social media channels had built a rivalry between the twin cities of Islamabad and Rawalpindi all day before the first-ever meeting between Islamabad United and Rawalpindiz. But from the evidence of Islamabad’s rollicking seven-wicket win with nearly six overs to spare, there’s still some time before this become a rivalry worth the name.

The contest was defined by contrasting powerplays. Islamabad on the back of a terrific 36-ball 70 from their young opener Sameer Minhas helped them score 62 for 1 in the first six while Rawalpindiz made only 35 for 2.

Minhas carried his form from Islamabad’s last game against Quetta Gladiators, in which he made a sparkling 82 not out and this time made light work of the 157-run target on another good batting surface of the Gaddafi Stadium. He laid the platform even as Devon Conway struggled from the other end and blasted boundaries around the park from the second over. The shot of the day came at the start of the third over when he pulled a Mohammad Amir bouncer for a six over mid-wicket. In the 58-run first-wicket stand between the pair, 47 belonged to Minhas. His dismissal at the start of the ninth over did not cause any drama as Haider Ali (26 not out off 16) and Mark Chapman (24 not out off 7) finished the job commandingly.

Shadab Khan expected Islamabad’s bowlers to make the most of the moisture in the pitch after an evening shower delayed the start by 40 minutes. Richard Gleeson made the ball swing both ways and removed both opener Yasir Khan and Mohammad Rizwan in the second and fourth overs while Imad Wasim’s immaculate lines tightened the screws from the other end. Rawalpindiz were reeling at 15 for 2 after four overs, but Kamran Ghulam’s three fours off Salman Irshad in the sixth over breathed life into the innings.

His fighting 50 off 36 provided some respite and seemed to put Rawalpindiz on course to a challenging total. But the batters after him failed to get going until the last over when Dian Forrester, playing his first PSL game, smashed Irshad for two sixes and two fours in the last over.

Rawalpindiz have now lost each of their first three games while it was also Rizwan’s 13th defeat in 14 PSL games as a captain, a run stretching as far back as the final in 2024.