Pakistan Super League 2020, Peshawar Zalmi vs Lahore Qalandars: Preview, predicted XIs, where and when to watch and live stream details
Peshawar Zalmi and Lahore Qalandars are all prepared to face off for the second time in this year’s Pakistan Super League (PSL). While the first match of the season between these two teams took place in Rawalpindi, the second edition of their rivalry will be held in Lahore’s home ground, Gaddafi Stadium.
The previous match saw the Zalmi score 132 for 7 in 12 overs in a rain-affected game. Lahore fell short by 16 runs while chasing a total requiring 13 runs per over. It’s interesting to note here that the Qalandars have only defeated the Zalmi once in the nine matches they’ve played against each other. This makes the Zalmi the natural favourites as Lahore has once again struggled badly in this season of the PSL, making it their fifth consecutive disappointing season.
Peshawar have gone through a lot of change during this season as their captain Darren Sammy was removed from the team and made the coach of the side mid-season while Wahab Riaz took the leadership reigns.
The experiment of including Imam-ul-Haq into the team as an opener failed badly for the Zalmi, and they will likely get Tom Banton back into the XI. Umar Amin is another batsman who deserves a chance and could make it to the middle order. Apart from that change, their batting has looked much more solid in this season as compared to their bowling, and we will likely see another big score from their batsmen.
Hasan Ali, Wahab Riaz, and Rahat Ali will all need to do better with the ball and they could benefit from Lahore’s struggling top order. Lewis Gregory’s inclusion into the team has been a good one and he has managed to deliver with both the bat and ball till now.
Lahore Qalandars opted for Salman Butt in place of the struggling Fakhar Zaman, but he couldn’t do much except provide the team with a lethargic start. Zaman found his way back and did a decent job against Karachi Kings. Their batting hasn’t impressed all season even after Muhammad Hafeez made a promising 98 in the initial phase of the tournament, but Ben Dunk has been the star for them.
Dunk and Samit Patel have been the only two other high scorers in the side, and it looks like the team will need to focus on the same bunch to perform once again.
Their bowling hasn’t been all too bad as Shaheen Afridi and Dilbar Hussain have given some great performances, but it's been a one-man show once Dunk has been out in the middle batting. Their captain also seems to be doing the right thing coming at the top and his performance against Karachi Kings in the previous match was extremely good.
Even though the Zalmi have not had the greatest of tournaments yet, they still are doing much better than the Qalandars in this tournament. The Qalandars have picked themselves up again at the final moment, and they will look to steamroll their way into the playoffs. This will be an interesting clash!
Match details
Tournament: Pakistan Super League Season 5, 2020
Venue: Gaddafi Stadium, Lahore
Date: 10th March 2020
Time: 7.00 PM PST onwards
Pitch report
With no forecast of rain, fans can hope for a full contest as they’d like to see their home team perform well on their home ground. The Zalmi have always been a favourite of the fans, and we will definitely spot some Zalmi supporters in the crowd.
The pitch has been slower in Lahore as compared to the other stadiums, and the grass patches have allowed spinners to restrict the run flow. Samit Patel and Muhammad Hafeez could do better on this track and give the Qalandars and outside chance.
Kamran Akmal, Shoaib Malik, and Liam Livingstone are great players of spin, therefore the spin conditions could also help the batsmen to force the opposition to put in the wrong bowlers.
This could end up being a low-scoring clash but things are expected to go down to the final ball which will be a treat to watch!
Predicted XIs
Peshawar Zalmi: Tom Banton, Kamran Akmal (Wicketkeeper), Haider Ali, Liam Livingstone, Shoaib Malik, Umar Amin, Liam Dawson, Lewis Gregory, Wahab Riaz (Captain), Hasan Ali and Rahat Ali.
Lahore Qalandars: Fakhar Zaman, Sohail Akhtar (Captain), Mohammad Hafeez, Ben Dunk, Dane Villas (Wicketkeeper), Samit Patel, Seekkuge Prasanna, Muhammad Faizan, Shaheen Shah Afridi, Dilbar Hussain, and Salman Irshad.
Where to watch the matches in Pakistan?
Peshawar Zalmi v Lahore Qalandars will be telecast LIVE on PTV Sports and Geo Sports.
Live stream details
The live stream for Peshawar Zalmi v Lahore Qalandars will be available on Cricingiff and Cricketgateway.