Pakistan Super League (PSL) 2017, 6th Match, Lahore Qalandars vs Peshawar Zalmi, Preview and Predictions

As of now after having played two games so far, Peshawar and Lahore are at No. 2 and No. 3 position respectively in the points table with 2 points each and differentiated by net run rate (NRR)

Peshawar Zalmi face Lahore Qalandars in Match 6 of the ongoing Pakistan Super League (PSL) 2017 at the Dubai International Cricket Stadium, Dubai. Both teams have played 2 games each in this season so far. Peshawar Zalmi lost their opening game against former champions Islamabad United but came back hard to defeat Karachi Kings. Lahore Qalandars too had a similar start to the tournament as they lost the opening game against Quetta Gladiators but went on to put a strong performance to defeat Islamabad United in the second game. Both teams having won their last encounter will hope to emerge victorious in Sunday’s game to carry on with the winning momentum and topple either of them in the points table.

The Darren Sammy-led Peshawar Zalmi had to face an unexpected defeat against the Misbah-ul-Haq-led defending champions Islamabad United by 7 wickets in the opening game. Batting first Zalmi’s posted 190 riding on wicketkeeper-batsman Kamran Akmal’s 88. Despite this, their bowlers failed to keep the United batsmen under check, in particular, Brad Haddin whose innings of 73 from just 39 deliveries turned the game in his team’s favour.

Nonetheless, they bounced back hard by defeating Karachi Kings in their second fixture. In the second game, Zalmi’s bowling department rattled through the star-studded Karachi Kings to restrict them to a low total which their batsmen chased down comfortably.

On the other hand, Qalandar batsmen had to undergo a defeat against Quetta Gladiators after they failed to chase 137. In the first game, none of their batsmen could even cross the 30-run mark. But Qalandar opener Jason Roy (60) went all guns blazing in their second game to chase 159. Despite having secured victory in the second game, Qalandar skipper Brendon McCullum will be worried about the dismal form of their batsmen.

In addition to this, Qalandar pacer Mohammad Irfan has been excluded from the squad as he is under investigation of spot-fixing which can increase the woes of bowling options in the forthcoming games. As of now after having played two games so far, Peshawar and Lahore are at No. 2 and No. 3 position respectively in the points table with 2 points each and differentiated by net run rate (NRR)

Teams:

Peshawar Zalmi: Mohammad Hafeez, Dawid Malan, Kamran Akmal (wk), Eoin Morgan, Haris Sohail, Darren Sammy (c), Shahid Afridi, Mohammad Asghar, Wahab Riaz, Chris Jordan, Hasan Ali, Andre Fletcher, Iftikhar Ahmed, Tillakaratne Dilshan, Imran Khan jnr, Junaid Khan, Khushdil Shah, Samit Patel, Marlon Samuels, Sohaib Maqsood.

Lahore Qalandars: Jason Roy, Brendon McCullum (c), Fakhar Zaman, Umar Akmal, Grant Elliott, Sunil Narine, Yasir Shah, Bilawal Bhatti, Aamer Yamin, Azhar Ali, Cameron Delport, James Franklin, Ghulam Mudassar, Chris Green, Mohammad Rizwan(wk), Saif Badar, Sohail Tanvir, Usman Qadir, Zafar Gohar, Mohammad Irfan Jnr