Khan Research Laboratories vs MIT Solutions, PAKPRT, Today Match Prediction

KRL vs MIT Match Prediction & Analysis

Khan Research Laboratories and Markhor IT Solutions will play each other in the 6th game of the 2026 President Trophy on Friday, 18th September. The venue for this match is Shoaib Akhtar Cricket Stadium, Rawalpindi and the scheduled start time is 10:30 IST. 

Both Markhor IT Solutions andKhan Research Laboratories played a draw in their tournament opener but had different positives. KRL came close to defeating Ghani with a big lead in the first innings and MIT couldn’t deny the follow-on. Both teams would eye to get a maiden victory in the tournament. 

H2H history: Markhor IT Solutions and Khan Research Laboratories will play each other for the first time in the President’s Trophy. Markhor IT Solutions earned the promotion to Grade 1 from Grade 2 this year. 

Standings: Khan Research Laboratories are standing at third spot with 13 points and Markhor IT Solutions are placed at seventh with 8 points. 

TEAMS PREVIEW

Khan Research Laboratories Preview

Khan Research Laboratories (KRL) head into the contest on the back of an impressive performance in the tournament opener. They secured a 206-run lead in the first innings and set a target of 457 runs against Ghani. The opposition survived the scare but KRL gained 13 points from this game. Fakhar Zaman continued his solid domestic form and scored a century, including 77 in the second innings. Imran Rafiq also notched up a hundred to help KRL post 547 runs in the first innings. 

Fakhar Zaman could be one of KRL’s key players. He scored his third century in the current domestic season. He was the leading run-scorer in the Champions Cup, 269 runs in just 3 innings. Saad Baig was a major contributor last season of the President's Trophy, accumulating 369 runs with three half-centuries. Waqar Ahmed scored 368 runs, while Imran Rafiq added 367 runs, including a century and a half-century. KRL will hope this experienced batting group can provide a strong foundation this season.

The bowling attack, meanwhile, received a major boost with the return of Shaheen Shah Afridi to first-class cricket after seven years. Afridi arrives in impressive form after starring in the Champions Cup, where he claimed a seven-wicket haul in the final. Pakistan ODI skipper bagged four wickets in first innings. His presence adds considerable firepower and international experience to KRL’s pace attack.

Mohammad Hamza will also remain a key asset with the ball. He was KRL’s leading wicket-taker in the previous edition, claiming 47 wickets in 13 innings at an average of 14.74. Arshad Iqbal also made a significant contribution, taking 26 wickets in nine innings at an average of 19.30. 

With Afridi returning to the longer format and a strong pace attack already in place, KRL will be hoping their bowling unit can help them get momentum in the 2026 President’s Trophy. KRL are looking to improve on their fourth-place finish in the previous edition. The Laboratories won three of their seven matches last season. 

Khan Research Laboratories Predicted Playing XI:

Abdul Faseeh, Shahzaib Khan, Fakhar Zaman, Iftikhar Ahmed (c), Imran Rafiq, Mohammad Faiq, Asim Ali †, Shaheen Shah Afridi, Mohammad Junaid, Arshad Iqbal, Mohammad Hamza

MIT Solutions Preview

Markhor IT Solutions head into the contest on the back of a disappointing start to the campaign in the 2026 President's Trophy. MIT survived a defeat against Kingsmen Academy despite facing a follow-on. In reply to Hyderabad's 565 runs, MIT were bowled out for 330. They were asked to bat again and escaped an innings defeat. They set a target of 150 runs for the Kingsmen and the opposition failed to cross the line in the given time limit. The match ended in a draw. 

Meanwhile, they had an impressive performance in the Grade-II Gold tournament. They won the trophy after beating Kingsmen Academy in the final and secured promotion to the President’s Trophy 2026. Husnain Nadeem will lead the side but will be without key batter Abdullah Shafique, who was MIT’s standout performer in the Grade-II Gold competition, finishing as the tournament’s leading batter with 851 runs in eight matches.

In his absence, Husnain Nadeem and Mohammad Farooq will be expected to provide a solid start at the top. Farooq scored a fine century in the first innings and half-century in the second innings. He was the only batter who showed character in pressure games. Khubaib Khalil and Samama Riaz also scored half-centuries for MIT in the 2nd innings to deny the innings defeat. The last two wickets of MIT added 89 runs and it proved vital. 

With the ball, Khubaib Khalil is a standout performer. He picked up three wickets in the final and was among MIT’s leading contributors during their promotion-winning campaign. Muhammad Irfan is another key bowler, having claimed 38 wickets in the tournament, while Sumama Riaz took 21 wickets.

MIT Solutions Predicted Playing XI:

Afaq Ahmed, Husnain Nadeem (c), Sajjad Ali, Zahid Mansoor, Abuzar Tariq, Bismillah Khan (wk), Samama Riaz, Khubaib Khalil, Muhammad Irfan, Mohammad Imran Jnr, Tauqeer Abbas

Weather Conditions

The weather at Rawalpindi on 18th September is expected to be mostly sunny with a high of 32°C and a low of 21°C, along with a 0% chance of rain and north winds at 5 kph. 

KRL vs MIT Pitch Report

The surface at Shoaib Akhtar Cricket Stadium, Rawalpindi, is generally good for batting, although it could become tougher to bat on during the second innings under the lights. Spinners are expected to come into play during the middle overs, while pacers could get some assistance with the new ball.

In the last five List-A matches at this venue, the average first-innings score has been 262. Overall, it is a decent batting surface, but batters will need to play sensibly and build their innings rather than taking unnecessary risks.

Score prediction: 

If MIT bat first - 270-280 runs 

If KRL bat first - 300-320 runs 

Toss: To Bat

In the last five Men's List-A played at this venue, chasing sides have won two matches. The surface is pretty good to bat on. A 300-plus score is still not attainable on this track. 245 is the lowest total defended by a team in this competition. Both teams have enjoyed success while batting first in the past, so they are likely to prefer setting a target in this fixture as well. 

Toss Prediction: MIT Solution to win the coin toss.