Pakistan Super League 2022: Peshawar Zalmi vs Islamabad United, Match Prediction- Who will win today's match?

An upbeat Peshawar Zalmi would be locking horns with Islamabad United in Match 5 of the Pakistan Super League (PSL) 2022 at National Stadium in Karachi on Sunday. While Peshawar would be looking forward to registering back-to-back wins under their belt, Islamabad would be eager to start their campaign on a winning note. Zalmi had got the better of Quetta Gladiators in their tournament opener on Friday night by five wickets in the final on the back of splendid knocks from middle-order batter Hussain Talat and skipper Shoaib Malik.

While Peshwar Zalmi did win their first encounter of this season, their opponents on Sunday i.e. Islamabad United would be up for the challenge as they have a balanced side that can test Malik & Co. in the first of the double-headers. Meanwhile, Islamabad would also be hoping to avenge their loss in the Eliminator 2 of the last season that ended their dreams of sealing a final berth.

Match Details

Peshawar Zalmi vs Islamabad United, Match 5

Venue: National Stadium, Karachi

Date & Time: January 30th, at 2:30 PM IST and 3:00 PM Local Time

Live Streaming: Sony Sports Network

Pitch Report

The Karachi surface has been a good batting wicket so far except for the opening encounter between Karachi Kings and the defending champions Multan Sultans where the hosts were restricted to 124. The team winning the toss would preferably bowl first. However, considering that it is an afternoon game, it should not be surprising that a captain would decide to bat after calling it right at the toss.

Probable Playing XIs for Peshawar Zalmi vs Islamabad United

Peshawar Zalmi

Tom Kohler-Cadmore (wk), Imam ul Haq, Shoaib Malik (c), Mohammad Haris, Sherfane Rutherford, Ben Cutting, Hussain Talat, Sohail Khan, Usman Qadir, Matt Parkinson, Mohammad Umar

Islamabad United

Alex Hales, Colin Munro, Paul Stirling, Muhammad Akhlaq (wk),  Asif Ali, Shadab Khan (c), Muhammad Musa, Hasan Ali, Zafar Gohar, Zahir Khan, Faheem Ashraf

Peshawar Zalmi vs Islamabad United Head-to-Head

Matches-16, Peshawar Zalmi-8, Islamabad United-7, N/R-1

Probable Top Performers

Probable best batter of the match

Shoaib Malik- Peshawar Zalmi

Shoaib Malik had played a captain’s role to perfection as he finished off the proceedings with the bat for Peshawar Zalmi while chasing a stiff total of 191 in their season opener against the Quetta Gladiators on Friday. The veteran all-rounder played a match-winning knock of a 32-ball unbeaten 48 at a strike rate of 150. Malik brought the asking rate in control by clobbering Australian left-arm pacer James Faulkner for 22 runs in the penultimate over and helped Zalmi get past the finish line with a couple of balls to spare.

Probable best bowler of the match

Usman Qadir- Peshawar Zalmi

Usman Qadir was the pick of the bowlers for Peshawar against the Gladiators as he finished his spell with figures of 2/20 from his four overs at an economy rate of five. Qadir’s economic spell especially in the middle and death overs prevented Quetta from posting a total in excess of 200. Qadir accounted for a well-set Ahsan Ali and then removed number three batter Ben Ducket without troubling the scorers. He would be expected to play a similar role against Islamabad United on Sunday.

Disclaimer: This prediction is based on the understanding, analysis, and instinct of the author. While making your prediction, consider the points mentioned, and make your own decision.