PSL Match 27: LQ vs IU Preview

Lahore Qalandars are at the 2nd position with 5 wins and 3 losses after 8 matches. They are one of the strongest teams in PSL 2022. They lost their last game in a rather upsetting manner against the Karachi Kings. Lahore’s bowlers did a good job restricting Karachi for just 149 in their 20 overs. Superstar Rashid Khan picked 4 wickets while emerging player Zamaan Khan picked 4 as well. Their batter’s had an off day as none of them could get going and they managed to score only 127 and fell short by 22 runs. The Qalandars have qualified for the play-offs but will look to win this game and seal a top two position for themselves. Their batters will have to bounce back strongly after a rare poor outing in the last game. The bowlers have been brilliant and will look to continue their good performance in the upcoming games. 

Islamabad United have had a mixed kind of campaign so far in PSL 2022. They are at the 4th position with 4 wins and 4 defeats in 8 matches. They lost their last game by 10 runs against Peshawar Zalmi. Their star players like Alex Hales and skipper Shadab Khan were not playing as Hales has withdrawn from PSL 2022 while Shadab was injured. They were without Hasan Ali and Mohamamd Wasim Jr who are their main bowlers. Azam Khan, Rahmanullah Gurbaz were their best batters. Their bowling looked depleted without the main bowlers as they conceded 206 runs in the first innings. Islamabad too have qualified for the play-offs but they can finish in the top two if they can win their remaining two matches, including this one. It’ll be near impossible without the likes of Shadab, Hasan Ali, etc and whether they’ll play this game or not, we’ll get to know at the toss.

Probable Playing XI

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

Islamabad United: Azam Khan (wk),Muhammad Akhlaq, Danish Aziz, Mubasir Khan, Asif Ali (c), Faheem Ashraf, Liam Dawson, Mohammad Wasim Jr/Muhammad Musa,, Waqas Maqsood, Merchant de Lange, Zahir Khan

Pitch Report

The pitches at PSL 2022 have been terrific to bat on. 190 has been scored 3 times in the last five games here at Lahore. The pitch for this game will be an excellent one for batting. It’s expected rain fours and sixes as two of the strongest teams of PSL 2022 will be against each other. The pitch is flat and the dimensions of the ground are short. Batters will love their time on the crease. Expect teams to chase. The average first inning score at this venue in PSL 2022 is 180 runs.

Head to Head

Overall: Islamabad leads 9-4
Last 5 matches: Islamabad leads 3-2
This Season: Qalandars won by 8 runs

Match Ups

Lahore Qalandars
Asif Ali vs S Afridi: 57 runs off 26 balls with 2 dismissals
Hales vs S Afridi: 21 runs off 8 balls with 1 dismissal
Shadab vs H Rauf: 31 runs off 12 balls with 2 dismissals
Asif vs H Rauf: 33 runs off 21 balls with no dismissals
Azam khan vs H Rauf: 25 runs off 12 balls with no dismissals

Islamabad United
Fakhar vs Faheem: 33 runs off 30 balls with 2 dismissals
Hafeez vs Faheem: 32 runs off 15 balls with no dismissals
Salt vs De lange: 35 runs off 14 balls with no dismissals
Fakhar vs Shadab: 32 runs off 31 balls with 4 dismissals
Hafeez vs Shadab: 34 runs off 40 balls with 2 dismissals

Key Players

Lahore Qalandars

● Fakhar Zaman: It was Fakhar’s first failure in PSL 2022. He has been super consistent and is the highest run scorer of the tournament with 470 runs in 8 matches. His average is 58.75 at a strike-rate of 162.62. Zaman has 5 fifties in 8 matches. 

● Rashid Khan: Rashid Khan showed why is the best leg-spinner in the shortest format, in the last game. He conceded only 17 runs in his four overs and picked up 4 wickets. He’ll look to repeat the same in this game. 

● Zamaan Khan: Zamaan Khan has been the find for Lahore in this season. The youngster has picked 12 wickets in 8 games at an economy of 8.11. He bowls with the new ball and in the death overs. Zamaan picked 4 wickets in the last game. He will be a crucial player for the Qalandars. 

● Shaheen Afridi: Shaheen Afridi is the strike bowler for his side and will look to lead from the front. He has 12 wickets to his name in PSL 2022. Afridi is known for providing early wickets and will look to do just that in this important game. 

Islamabad United

● Azam Khan: Azam Khan was promoted to number 4 in Shadab’s absence and he grabbed the opportunity with both hands scoring 85 runs in just 45 balls. He decimated the bowlers and almost took his team home. Azam will be a key batter for Islamabad in Shadab’s absence. 

● Rahmanullah Gurbaz: Gurbaz showed how aggressive he can be in the first 6 overs as he scored46 off just 19 deliveries including 5 sixes and 3 fours. The onus will again be on him to provide a good start to his side. 

● Faheem Ashraf: Faheem Ashraf bowled really well and took 4 wickets in the last game. He bowls majorly in the power plays but did well in the death overs of the last match. He can contribute with the bat as well and has scored a half-century and a brisk 30 off just 10 deliveries respectively in the two games before the last one. 

● Liam Dawson: Dawson hasn’t been at his best in the tournament but he is a good player who brings stability to the side with his all-round attributes. He will bat at 5 and will bowl 4 overs as well. Dawson will be a key player for Islamabad.

Fantasy Tips

Top captain and vice-captain choices:

● Azam Khan
● Faheem Ashraf (Bowling first)
● Fakhar Zaman
● Rashid Khan
● Zamaan Khan 
● Shaheen Afridi 

Dream11 Team