Preview

Two-time champions, Islamabad United, will take on Peshawar Zalmi in Eliminator 2 of PSL 2021 on Tuesday night with the winner to clash with Multan Sultans for the ultimate glory.   

Islamabad United were found wanting in the Qualifier against Multan Sultans and crumbled during the run-chase. They succumbed against the Sultans’ bowling attack after conceding too many crucial runs in the latter overs of the first innings. We haven’t seen blemishes like this from Shadab Khan’s side in this year’s edition. They had been highly impressive in the group stages, topping the points table with 8 wins from 10 outings. They have got another opportunity to mend their previous mistakes and come back firing. Islamabad United have got the firepower, both in the batting as well as the bowling departments, and they have showcased it time and again in the competition. 

Peshawar Zalmi, on the other hand, secured a nail-biting victory against Karachi Kings in Eliminator 1. Hazratullah Zazai’s inclusion at the top of the order has been a blessing in disguise for the Men in Yellow. The southpaw from Afghanistan wreaked havoc on the Kings’ bowling attack with a whirlwind 77 and will be eager to emulate his performance in the clash against the United, too. Peshawar Zalmi would ideally want a more disciplined performance from their bowlers and consistent contributions from the rest of their batting line-up if they are to overhoul the mighty Islamabad United. 

Match Detail

Peshawar Zalmi v Islamabad United 

Date & Time:

 June 22, 2021 - 9.00 PM PST.

Venue:

 Sheikh Zayed Stadium, Abu Dhabi

Predicted Playing XIs

Peshawar Zalmi:

 Kamran Akmal (wk), Hazratullah Zazai, Imam ul Haq, Shoaib Malik, Rovman Powell, Sherfane Rutherford, Wahab Riaz, Umaid Asif, Mohammad Imran, Mohammad Irfan and Khalid Usman

Islamabad United:

 Usman Khawaja (c), Colin Munro, Brandon King, Asif Ali, Akhlaq Mohd (wk), Iftikhar Ahmed, Hussain Talat, Zafar Gohar, Fawad Ahmed, Hasan Ali and Akif Javed

Fantasy XI 

Kamran Akmal, Shoaib Malik (vc), Colin Munro, Asif Ali (c), Imam ul Haq, Umaid Asif, Shadab Khan, Faheem Ashraf, Wahab Riaz, Hasan Ali and Mohammad Imran

Pitch Report and Weather Conditions

No pattern has emerged in Abu Dhabi as far as the 2nd leg of PSL 2021 is concerned. A glimpse at recent results suggests that the mercurialness of the tracks on offer is a factor to consider. With the start of play-offs on Monday, fresher batting tracks are expected which could be even more conducive to batting. Both captains are, however, still likely to prefer chasing in these conditions with the dew factor becoming much more prominent later in the night. As far as the weather conditions are concerned, temperatures are usually high during daytime and begin to fall to lower 30s (degrees Celsius) in night.