PSL Eliminator 2: IU vs LQ Preview

The second eliminator of the Pakistan Super League will be played between the Lahore Qalandars and Islamabad United. The winner of this match will advance to the finals of the tournament against Multan Sultans.

Lahore Qalandars were defeated by the Multan Sultans in the Qualifier by 28 runs. They finished the league stage in second position. Lahore’s overdepency on the top order and their fragile middle-order got exposed in the qualifier and it’s a big issue for them. Fakhar Zaman is the pillar of their batting and no one apart from him has been promising with the bat for Lahore. Philip Salt is batting in the middle-order while opening is his spot. The likes of Mohammad Hafeez, Kamran Ghulam, Harry Brook, etc will have to step-up in this do or die encounter. Lahore has done well in the bowling department with Shaheen Afridi, Haris Rauf, Zamaan Khan and the others doing well. Lahore needs a team performance in this game if they are to play in the finals.

Islamabad United did well in the last match as their star players were available for this game. The likes of Shadab Khan, Alex Hales, and Hasan Ali returned to the eleven while Will Jacks was a new face for them in the qualifier. They defeated Peshawar Zalmi in the last game by 5 wickets. Alex Hales starred with a brilliant knock of 62 on his return. Faheem Ashraf continued his good form with the ball and picked a wicket and scored 19 vital runs. Hasan Ali got 3 wickets as well. Shadab scored 22 and picked up a wicket. It was a team performance from Islamabad United and they’ll look to continue the same in this game as well.

Probable Playing XI 

Islamabad United: Will Jacks, Alex Hales, Shadab Khan (c), Azam Khan (wk), Liam Dawson, Asif Ali, Faheem Ashraf, Mohammad Wasim Jr/Athar Mahmood, Hasan Ali, Zahid Mahmood, Waqas Maqsood 

Lahore Qalandars: Fakhar Zaman, Abdullah Shafique, Kamran Ghulam, Mohammad Hafeez, Harry Brook, Philip Salt (wk), Samit Patel, David Wiese, Shaheen Afridi (c), Haris Rauf,, Zaman Khan

Pitch Report

The pitch overall has been a very good one for batting but it has assisted the spinners as well in the last few games. There has been some reverse swing as well for the pacers in the second innings with the old ball. Teams will look to win the toss and bat first. 170-180 is a winning total on this wicket.

Head to Head

Overall: Islamabad leads 9-4
Last 5 matches: Islamabad leads 3-2
This Season: Lahore won both the games

Match Ups

Islamabad United
Jacks vs Shaheen: 34 runs off 17 balls with no dismissals
Hales vs Shaheen: 21 runs off 8 balls with 1 dismissal
Asif vs Shaheen: 57 runs off 26 balls with 2 dismissals
Shadab vs H Rauf: 31 runs off 12 balls with 2 dismissals
Faheem vs H Rauf: 15 runs off 14 balls with 2 dismissals
Asif vs Zaman: 7 runs off 10 balls with 2 dismissals

Lahore Qalandars
Fakhar vs Hasan: 51 runs off 38 balls with 2 dismissals
Fakhar vs Shadab: 32 runs off 31 balls with 4 dismissals
Hafeez vs Shadab: 34 runs off 40 balls with 2 dismissals
Wiese vs Hasan: 34 runs off 19 balls with no dismissals
S Patel vs Hasan: 10 runs off 6 balls with 2 dismissals
Fakhar vs Faheem: 38 runs off 36 balls with 2 dismissals
Hafeez vs Faheem: 33 runs off 18 balls with no dismissals
Wiese vs Faheem: 20 runs off 9 balls with 2 dismissals

Key Players

Lahore Qalandars

● Fakhar Zaman: Fakhar has been in the form of his like. He is the highest run-scorer of the tournament 584 runs in 11 games. He scored his 7th fifty of this season and has a century to his name as well. His average is 53.09 with a strike-rate of 155.32. 

● Mohammad Hafeez: Hafeez is a veteran for Pakistan and will be a key player for his side. He has 226 runs at an average of 25.11 and his strike-rate is 127.68. He has picked 4 wickets as well. Hafeez with his experience will look to take the Qalandars through to the finals. 

● Shaheen Afridi: Shaheen Afridi is the best bowler in the tournament and his doing well is an absolute necessity for his team. Shaheen has 15 wickets at an economy of 7.54. Afridi will have to pick early wickets with the new ball for the Qalandars and lead from the front. 

Islamabad United

● Alex Halex: Hales scored a match-winning 62 in his returning game and took his side to the second eliminator. Hales is a very attacking opener and has scored 317 runs at an average  45.28 with a strike-rate of 149.52. Hales at the top has strengthened the struggling batting unit of Islamabad. 

● Shadab Khan: Shadab Khan scored 22 runs and picked a wicket as well in the last match. He has been a superstar for his side and has led them from the front. He has 254 runs and is averaging 36.28 with a strike-rate of 161.78.  Shadab is the highest wicket-taker with 18 wickets in 8 matches. 

● Faheem Ashraf: Faheem continued his good all-round form and scored a quickfire 19 and picked up a wicket as well. He has been brilliant for the United in the last three matches and there will be a lot expectations from him in this game.

Fantasy Tips 

Top captain and vice-captain options: 

● Shadab Khan
● Alex Hales (Chasing)
● Fakhar Zaman
● Hasan Ali (Bowling First)
● Mohammad Hafeez 

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.