In the following PSL 8 game, Peshawar Zalmi will face Islamabad United. On Sunday, March 12, the game is set to begin at 2 p.m. local time (9 a.m. GMT). This match will be held at the Rawalpindi Cricket Stadium in Rawalpindi.
PSL 2023 Eliminator 1
Islamabad United enters this match in strong form, having won six of their last nine games to sit in third place (on a net run rate) and guarantee their spot in the knockout rounds. Yet in their most recent game, they were defeated by Lahore Qalandars by 119 runs. While Peshawar Zalmi has struggled to piece victories together, going 4-5, they secured their playoff spot on Saturday night after Quetta Gladiators fell to Multan Sultans.
Also Read: Multan Sultans beats Lahore Qalandars in Qualifier 1 of PSL 8
Zalmi can only place fourth, but she wants to enter the knockout rounds on a winning note. In their matchup in February, Islamabad United triumphed by a margin of six wickets. Azam Khan and Colin Munro are two of Islamabad United’s most potent players. In PSL8, Munro has 279 runs scored at a strike rate of 182.35 while Khan has 280 runs scored at a rate of 162.79. Given Peshawar Zalmi’s recent performance, one could anticipate that both of those players are rubbing their hands together in joy. Babar Azam’s team has lost their last two games after giving up 487 runs and failing to hold on to totals of 240 or more on both occasions.
Also Read: PSL8: Karachi Kings betas Lahore Qalandars by 86 runs, PSL Season 8 Match 30
Sufiyan Muqeem has been his team’s most frugal bowler, with an economy rate of 8.44, therefore a high-scoring match could be expected. This might spell more trouble for Zalmi’s bowlers. Azam Khan was forced to leave the second innings of the game between Islamabad United and Lahore Qalandars after suffering a left-hand injury. His colleagues and supporters alike will be relieved when Islamabad United subsequently tweeted that he had not fractured any bones. With no injuries to worry about, Peshawar Zalmi will likely keep their new opening tandem of Babar Azam and Saim Ayub, who have both been scoring runs recently.
Also Read: PSL8: Peshawar Zalmi Beat Islamabad United By 13 runs, PSL Season 8 Match 29
Squads
Islamabad United: Shadab Khan, Asif Ali, Mohammad Wasim Jnr, Azam Khan, Faheem Ashraf, Hasan Ali, Colin Munro, Paul Stirling, Alex Hales, Rahmanullah Gurbaz, Fazalhaq Farooqi, Abrar Ahmed, Sohaib Maqsood, Rumman Raees, Zeeshan Zamir, Hassan Nawaz, Moeen Ali (available from March 14), Mubasir Khan, Tom Curran, Zafar Gohar, Gus Atkinson (partial replacement for Rahmanullah Gurbaz), Tymal Mills (partial replacement for Alex Hales), Rassie van der Dussen (partial replacement for Moeen Ali)
Peshawar Zalmi: Babar Azam, Sherfane Rutherford, Wahab Riaz, Mohammad Haris, Aamir Jamal, Salman Irshad, Tom-Kohler Cadmore, Bhanuka Rajapaksa, Rovman Powell, Mujeeb ur Rahman, Danish Aziz, Arshad Iqbal, Saim Ayub, Usman Qadir, Suifyan Muqeem, Haseeb Ullah, Jimmy Neesham, Khurram Shahzad, Haris Sohail, Richard Gleeson (partial replacement for Rovman Powell), Peter Hatzoglou (partial replacement for Mujeeb ur Rahman), Shakib Al Hasan (available until February 26)