Lahore Qalandars will be bidding to record their second consecutive win in the Pakistan Super League 2023 when they will go one-on-one against Peshawar Zalmi. The 15th match of the competition will be played at the Gaddafi Stadium in Lahore.
Playing under the leadership of Shaheen Shah Afridi, Lahore Qalandars are enjoying a terrific ride in PSL 2023. They have two wins to their name from three league games. Bowling has been the key for the team as in two of three games, Lahore restricted the opposition to scores of 174 and 135 runs, respectively. Meanwhile, the batters have also done well and equally contributed to the team’s success by scoring over 170 runs in two games.
As far as Peshawar Zalmi is concerned, they are slightly lagging in the tournament. The team needs to find a way to make a comeback after losing two out of four games. The team has a stunning batting line-up, including the likes of Babar Azam, Mohammad Haris, Tom Kohler-Cadmore, and others. However, they are yet to showcase their full potential with the bat.
What has happened so far?
Lahore Qalandars are currently occupying third place in the points table with two wins to their name from three league games. They started the tournament with a one-run victory over Multan Sultans, only to lose the next game against Karachi Kings by 67 runs. It was a poor batting show by Qalandars as they collapsed at 118 runs while chasing 186 runs against Karachi.
However, the defending champion did not take much time to make a comeback to the winning ways. They hammered Quetta Gladiators in their last game in a stunning fashion to score a big win by 63 runs. Batters deserve all the credit for the win as they hammered 198 runs in 20 overs.
Coming to Peshawar Zalmi, they are fourth in the points table with four points from two wins and as many losses. The team has been winning every alternate match and thus needs to work on its consistency.
They are coming into the Sunday game after scoring a defeat against Islamabad United. Zalmi ended up with only 156 runs in 20 overs and it was an easy target for the United as they reached the finishing line in 14.5 overs only.
Head to Head Record
Peshawar Zalmi has an edge over Lahore Qalandars in the head-to-head records
Lahore Qalandars and Peshawar Zalmi have faced each other a total of 15 times in the history of the tournament so far. Peshawar Zalmi is leading the head-to-head records with a total of nine wins to their name, while the remaining six games saw Qalandars emerging as the winners.
In the 2022 season, both teams equalled the score by winning a game apiece against each other.
Key Players
Shaheen Afridi (Lahore Qalandars)
The seamer Shaheen Afridi is doing wonders in the T20 Championship as he has played a major role in Lahore Qalandars’ fine run. The youngster has featured in three matches so far and has picked a total of five wickets at an average of 17.60.
He was the man of the match in Lahore’s last game against Quetta Gladiators, with three wickets under his belt at an economy rate of 5.5.
Babar Azam (Peshawar Zalmi)
The skipper Babar Azam will be the most crucial player for Peshawar Zalmi on Sunday during their encounter against Lahore Qalandars. He is currently the top run-getter for the team and third overall in the esteemed list with 171 runs to his name in four games.
Zalmi lost its last game against Islamabad United by six wickets but Babar Azam made headlines with his knock of 75 runs off just 58 balls.
Predicted Playing XIs
Lahore Qalandars: Fakhar Zaman, Mirza Tahir Baig, Kamran Ghulam, Shai Hope (wk), Hussain Talat, Sikandar Raza, David Wiese, Rashid Khan, Shaheen Afridi ©, Haris Rauf, Zaman Khan
Peshawar Zalmi: Mohammad Haris (wk), Babar Azam ©, Saim Ayub, Tom Kohler-Cadmore, Dasun Shanaka, James Neesham, Wahab Riaz, Arshad Iqbal, Sufiyan Muqeem, Usman Qadir
Prediction
Both Lahore Qalandars and Peshawar Zalmi will be giving a tough fight to each other on Sunday since they have good players in the squad.
However, Qalandars is expected to do slightly better and score their third win in the Pakistan Super League 2023. The team secured a big win over Quetta Gladiators in the last game by 63 runs and that will act as their morale-booster.
Peshawar Zalmi, on the other hand, struggled in their last game of the tournament as they were beaten by Islamabad United by six wickets.