PSL Eliminator: PZ vs IU Preview

Peshawar Zalmi and Islamabad United will be face-to-face in the Eliminator match of the Pakistan Super League 2022. It promises to be an exciting contest as it will be a knockout match and both teams will look to put in everything to proceed to the second qualifier. 

Peshawar Zalmi have been in exceptional form as they have won 4 out of their last 5 games and will be very high on confidence coming into this game. Zalmi finished at the 3rd position with 6 wins and 4 defeats after struggling a little in the initial matches. Mohammad Haris, Shoaib Malik, Ben Cutting are their main batters but the likes of Haider Ali, Hazratullah Zazai, and Kamran Akmal need to take responsibility in this match. Wahab Riaz, Salman Irshad have been brilliant for them and Arshad Iqbal and Amad Butt bowled really well in the last game and are expected to be in the XI for this match. Peshawar are in great form and rhythm by winning matches and will look to win this game and move one step closer to the PSL 2022 final.

Islamabad United are struggling big time with injuries and unavailability of their star players. One ray of hope for them will be that Alex Hales is back after withdrawing from the PSL a few days ago. The star opener will boost their batting fire power. The status of Shadab Khan and Colin Munro is still unknown and we’ll have to wait for the toss to know if they’re playing or not. It is a do or die game so they push a little and try to be in the eleven. United are struggling really badly with their batting and bowling as well. Azam Khan is their best batter at the moment but he has been very inconsistent. Asif Ali is badly out of form while no other batter is giving a lot of confidence either. Mohamamd Wasim Jr has been out of form while Hasan Ali is injured. Shada Khan’s absence is making things worse for them. Islamabad needs a solid turn around in this game and have to be at their best to win the match.

Probable XI 

Islamabad United: Mohammad Huraira, Alex Hales, Shadab Khan/Danish Aziz, Azam Khan (wk), Liam Dawson, Asif Ali (c), Faheem Ashraf, Mohammad Wasim Jr, Hasan Ali, Merchant de Lange/Zahir Khan, Waqas Maqsood

Peshawar Zalmi: Mohammad Haris, Hazratullah Zazi, Kamran Akmal (wk), Haider Ali, Shoaib Malik, Ben Cutting, Amad Butt, Wahab Riaz (c), Salman Irshad, Arshad Iqbal, Usman Qadir

Head to Head

Overall: Peshawar leads 9-8
Last 5 matches: Peshawar leads 3-2
This Season: Both won 1 game each
Average Score: PZ 162.2, IU 167.1

Match Ups

Peshawar Zalmi
Malik vs Shadab: 89 runs off 86 balls with 2 dismissals
Cutting vs Hasan Ali: 7 runs off 6 balls with 2 dismissals
Malik vs Hasan Ali: 74 runs off 44 balls with 2 dismissals

Islamabad United
Azam Khan vs Wahab: 19 runs off 16 balls with 2 dismissals
Asif Ali vs Wahab: 23 runs off 25 balls with 2 dismissals
Gurbaz vs U Qadir: 22 runs off 6 balls with no dismissals
Shadab vs Cutting : 19 runs off 10 balls with 2 dismissals
Asif vs Salman: 32 runs off 14 balls with 1 dismissal

Key Players

Peshawar Zalmi

● Shoaib Malik: Malik has been brilliant this season. He has scored 346 runs and his average is 43.25 with a strike-rate of 138.95. Malik has held one end and has played till the end. He can roll his arm over for an over or two as well. He scored 32 and picked up Fakhar Zaman for a duck in the last match. 

● Mohammad Haris: The young new sensation has added life to the Zalmi side. He has exploited the power play to the fullest and played very aggressively. He has 154 runs at an average of 43.25 and his strike-rate is 190.12. He scored 70 against Islamabad last time these two sides met. 

● Wahab Riaz: Riaz after struggling in the first few games has done really well with the ball. He has picked 2 wickets each in 4 out of last 5 matches. He bowls mainly in the death overs and is one of the best pacers of the tournament. 

Islamabad United

● Alex Hales: Alex Hales returns for Islamabad and it will be a huge boost for them. Hales has 255 runs in 7 matches and with a strike-rate of 156.44. His average is 42.50. He scored 82 in the first match against Peshawar and will look to do the same in this game as well. 

● Azam Khan: Azam Khan has been average this season with the bat. He has 228 runs in 9 innings and is averaging 28.50 and his strike-rate is 143.39. Azam scored 85 in the last match against Peshawar and Islamabad will be hoping for a similar performance in this game as well. 

● Liam Dawson: Dawson has done well in the last two games. He was promoted at number 4 and he scored 22 runs and then picked 3 wickets as well. It will be a test for the English all-rounder as an overseas player and he’ll be eyeing a good performance as well. 

Fantasy Tips

Top captain and vice-captain options: 

● Alex Hales
● Mohammad Haris
● Shoaib Malik
● Liam Dawson (Risky)
● Wahab Riaz
● Azam Khan

Dream11 Team

Disclaimer:  This team is based on the author's understanding of the game and does not guarantee to win fantasy cricket. Users are advised to create their own teams with the information provided.