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The Pakistan Super League is set to resume with a match between Lahore Qalandars and Islamabad United at Sheikh Zayed Cricket Stadium in Abu Dhabi on Wednesday.
The PSL 2021 was suspended after just 14 games due to the breach in the bio-secure bubble in Pakistan. Multiple Covid-19 cases were found among different franchise staffs and players.
The Pakistan Cricket Board has since made all the efforts to conduct the remainder of the season safely and shifted the tournament to the UAE.
After a long wait and multiple tweaks in the schedule, the sixth edition of the PSL is set to get underway in Abu Dhabi. Lahore Qalandars and Islamabad United are placed fourth and third, respectively, in the points table with 6 points each and separated by a narrow net run-rate. However, they are still sitting in comfortable positions as they’ve played one less game than the top 2 teams.
Both the teams have won three matches and have lost one so far in the season. This clash provides them an opportunity to get ahead of the pack in a six-team tournament.
Key Players
Mohammad Hafeez has been Qalandar’s most important batsman in the middle overs in PSL 2021 so far. He has rediscovered the aggressive side of his game, scoring 181 runs in the first 4 matches with a strike-rate of 175.7. He took the tournament by storm in February with two stand-out innings of 73* off 33 against Quetta Gladiators and 60 off 35 against Multan Sultans. The Qalandars will count on Mohammad Hafeez to resume the UAE leg in the similar fashion he left in the Pakistan leg.
Rashid Khan brings good news for the Qalandars as he is now all but confirmed to be a part of their squad for the UAE leg. Under normal circumstances, Rashid Khan was supposed to miss the remainder of PSL after the first two matches due to his international commitments. But since the tournament got postponed, it’s going to be a massive boost for the Lahore Qalandars to get their talisman back for the UAE leg. The Afghan leg spinner had been in significant form in the UAE last year, where he picked up 20 wickets in the IPL with a jaw-dropping economy rate of 5.38.
Shaheen Shah Afridi has quickly become one of the limited-overs superstars and the most reliable pacer for Pakistan. It’s no surprise he’s been Lahore Qalandar’s most valuable bowler in the Pakistan leg, picking up 9 wickets in just 4 matches with an economy rate of 7.06. Shaheen was the leading wicket-taker in last year’s PSL with 17 wickets in 12 matches, playing an important role in taking the Qalandars all the way to the final. With the tournament heading to the UAE, Shaheen will have flashbacks of his best bowling figures of 5/4 against Multan Sultans that came in the UAE in 2018.
Alex Hales was in a blistering form for Islamabad United in the Pakistan leg. He packed some serious punches in the powerplay, scoring 139 runs in 4 matches with a massive strike-rate of 171.6. Though Hales’ T20 numbers in the UAE doesn’t imply complete domination, he took the desert land by storm in the 2018 T10 challenge, where he scored 215 runs in 8 matches with a whopping strike rate of 192. Islamabad United will be counting on their Englishman to bring a similar form back to the UAE.
Hasan Ali has been the pick of the Islamabad United bowlers in the tournament so far. The Pakistani pacer has picked up 6 wickets in the first 4 matches with a stunning economy rate of just 5.56. Ali has been in good wicket-taking form this year with 13 wickets in 6 T20I matches he has played for Pakistan. He will be keen on maintaining the good run of form in the UAE leg as well.
Prediction
The rivalry between the two teams has been heavily dominated by the two-time PSL champions Islamabad United. In their last five clashes, the Qalandars have faced defeats on all five occasions at the hands of the United.
This season Lahore Qalandars has looked like a more all-rounded team with contributions from batters and bowlers. All three matches they won came while chasing, and the only loss came while defending the total. Islamabad United have also won all their matches while chasing, but they have relied on their bowlers a lot more.
With the tournament being moved to a neutral venue, both teams will have a fair opportunity in the contest. But with the return of Rashid Khan, the Qalandar’s bowling looks even stronger and will make the United’s life harder. As things stand, Lahore Qalandars look poised to break the losing streak against Islamabad United.
