PSL 2020: Match 20, Peshawar Zalmi vs Islamabad United, Preview – Zalmi firm favourites but Shadab Khan and Co. look confident after beating Qalandars

Both the teams will have their eyes on two important points.

Published - 06 Mar 2020, 16:37 IST | Updated - 06 Mar 2020, 16:37 IST

4 Min Read

PSL 2020 has completed its halfway journey and the teams have now started getting the smell of play-offs even as they have raised the bar of their performances. Islamabad United, who is currently on 2nd position, will look to grab the top spot in the league table by winning their upcoming encounter. The difference between them and league toppers is of just one point.

And, everything can be changed if they managed to pull off a victory against Peshawar Zalmi. It is interesting to watch that their players have finally regained their peach form due to which the United have managed to reap good results in previous games.

Peshawar Zalmi registered an amazing win by 30 runs against defending champions Quetta Gladiators in the previous game. They are fully equipped with some of the big names in their side that can help them in winning the upcoming clash. Earlier, these two teams came face to face against each other but the match got abandoned due to rain. This time both the sides might come out all guns blazing to grab two important points.

Team Combinations

Islamabad United

Luke Ronchi and Colin Munro will open the innings for Islamabad United. The duo stitched an amazing partnership of 103 runs against Lahore Qalandars. Their brilliance helped their side in posting a mammoth total. In the middle order, Shadab Khan, Colin Ingram and Asif Ali will look to compile some good runs if their openers failed to score. Even Shadab has produced some outstanding all-round performances in the previous games. So, he will look to continue with the same form in the upcoming clash.

In bowling, they have Rumman Raees, Akif Javed, and Dale Steyn, who has done an impressive job with the ball. Even, Raees took a three-fer against Qalandars. He registered brilliant bowling figures of 3/29 that helped his team in winning that encounter. The chances are quite slim that the team management will tinker their winning combination.

Probable XI: Luke Ronchi (WK), Colin Munro, Rizwan Hussain, Colin Ingram, Shadab Khan (C), Asif Ali, Hussain Talat, Dale Steyn, Zafar Gohar, Akif Javed, Rumman Raees.

Peshawar Zalmi

Peshawar Zalmi experimented to replace Imam ul Haq with Tom Banton backfired as the left-hander got dismissed after scoring just 7 odd runs in his first PSL 2020 appearance. The chances are quite high that the team management will bring back the England international back in the team. Kamran Akmal is the leading run-scorer for his team with the bat. And, he will continue to ply his trade as an opener in the team.

The biggest positive for Zalmi is middle order’s form, which has managed to hit its peach form at the right time. Shoaib Malik scored his 2nd fifty in this edition of the tournament. Moreover, Haider Ali has also played some cameos in the previous games for the Zalmi. In the bowling unit, they have the services of Wahab Riaz, Rahat Ali and Hasan Ali, who forms a formidable pace attack whereas Yasir Shah will lead the spin bowling department.

Playing XI: Kamran Akmal (WK), Imam ul Haq/Tom Banton, Haider Ali, Liam Livingstone, Shoaib Malik, Lewis Gregory, Liam Dawson, Yasir Shah, Wahab Riaz (C), Hasan Ali, Rahat Ali

Focus will be on

Shoaib Malik (Peshawar Zalmi)

Shoaib Malik didn’t get off to a good start in PSL 2020 as he was struggling with his form. But, the veteran has managed to hit his peach form that has been the biggest positive for Peshawar Zalmi. The right-hander has smacked back to back fifties for his team and it will be interesting to see if he can score his third half-century of the season. His performance will play a crucial role when Peshawar Zalmi will come face to face against Islamabad United.

Luke Ronchi (Islamabad United)

Luke Ronchi, the coach cum opener of Islamabad United is in red hot form with the bat. His sublime hitting has turned out to be vital for his team. So far he has mustered 242 runs in his six games with a strike rate of 156.12. His form is making it easier for United to outclass their opposition with sheer dominance. As far as his recent performances are concerned, a big knock is not far away for Ronchi.