PSL 2020, Match 7, Lahore Qalandars vs Islamabad United, Preview – Both sides line up against each other to register their first win of the tournament

Both the teams lost their season opener in PSL 2020.

Published - 22 Feb 2020, 19:00 IST | Updated - 22 Feb 2020, 19:00 IST

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Lahore Qalandars suffered a massive defeat in their campaign opener against Multan Sultans by five wickets. It would have been an eye-opener for them that this edition of Pakistan Super League is going to be quite competitive in comparison to its previous seasons.

Their batting line up was exposed against spin bowling of Sultans as their spinner managed to grab a total of four wickets out of seven wickets that feel excluding the run out in that game. It was an alarming call for Qalandars that they are expected to be prepared for any and every type of conditions going into the next games of PSL.

Islamabad United also got off to a similar-looking start as they suffered defeat in their curtain-raiser against defending champions Quetta Gladiators. However, they got some positives from that game and might have learnt from the mistakes that United had committed in their campaign opener.

In batting, only Dawid Malan managed to click good knock with the bat whereas the other players struggled throughout the game. The voids in their side were exposed against Gladiators as their middle-order looked pretty helpless in front of the quick bowling. Now, in the upcoming clash, the management of Islamabad United can opt for some changes against Lahore Qalandars.

Playing Combination

Lahore Qalandars

Lahore Qalandars will most probably go with the opening pair of Chris Lynn and Fakhar Zaman, who can exploit any bowling line up with their batting. Once they got a good start, the duo is quite capable of converting it into big scores. Mohammad Hafeez is also likely to take the field as he is quite a utility all-rounder, who has earned a good reputation of match-winner across the globe in his decade-long career. The management can take a tough call as they can pick one between Ben Dunk and Dane Villas.

Meanwhile, they will go with the same bowlers, who did quite a decent job against Gladiators. Haris Rauf, Shaheen Shah Afridi and Dilbar Hussain will lead the fast bowling attack followed by Usman Shinwari. They are short of a spinner in their side so they might pick Samit Patel for the upcoming match which means Ben Dunk or Dane Villas will have to warm the bench. David Wise is expected to get another chance to prove his worth with the bat and ball.

Probable XI: Sohail Akhtar (C), Chris Lynn, Fakhar Zaman, Mohammad Hafeez, Ben Dunk (wk)/Dane Vilas, Samit Patel, David Wiese, Haris Rauf, Usman Shinwari, Shaheen Shah Afridi, Dilbar Hussain

Islamabad United

Islamabad United although suffered a defeat in their opening game against Multan Sultans but there is nothing much to worry for them going into the further games. It was just a bad day for their batsmen, who failed to click big scores with the bat.

For the upcoming match, Luke Ronchi and Colin Munro are contenders to open the innings for their team followed by Dawid Malan, who scored a half-century in the previous game, Colin Ingram and Asif Ali. Even Faheem Ashraf can also come out and smack some big sixes with his willow. They are fully equipped with a strong batting order that is one of the positive prospects for their side.

The bowling unit still needs some tuning and Islamabad United will have to find a like partner for Muhammad Musa in the bowling unit. It is one place where they have to work hard and bring the best out of their bowlers. Muhammad Musa grabbed a three-fer in the curtain-raiser but he didn’t get much support from the other end.

The team management might put Ruman Raees as a replacement for Hussain Talat, who failed to score big in the opening match. Moreover, there is already a long list of high profile batsmen in the team which means he might have to warm the bench in the upcoming clash against Lahore Qalandars.

Probable XI: Luke Ronchi (WK), Colin Munro, Dawid Malan, Colin Ingram, Asif Ali, Faheem Ashraf, Shadab Khan (c), Akif Javed, Rumman Raees/Hussain Talat, Muhammad Musa Amad Butt.

The focus will be on

Chris Lynn (Lahore Qalandars)

Chris Lynn, the Aussie international doesn’t need an introduction. He has already earned his name as one of the hardest-hitting batters across the globe. There is no doubt that he is an extraordinary opener, who can win the game for his team quite easily. He has so far played for many teams in franchise cricket and has ended up scoring bucketloads of runs with his wooden sword. So, Lynn is expected to do the same for Lahore Qalandars in the upcoming games.

Dawid Malan (Islamabad United)

Dawid Malan is scoring runs quite impressively with the bat. He is in red hot form since the recently Bangladesh Premier League 2019-20 season. He has emerged as one of the T20I specialist batsmen operating across the globe.

In BPL 2019-20, he muscled 444 runs in 11 games for Cumillia Warriors at an average of around 50. The left-handed batsman replicated his form well as he scored a brilliant fifty in the opening game for his side. However, he ended on the losing side.