Peshawar Zalmi vs Islamabad United: Preview and Prediction

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Peshawar Zalmi has won 2 out of 3 matches so far

The 12th match of the 2023 Pakistan Super League will see Peshawar Zalmi taking on Islamabad United in Karachi’s National Stadium on Thursday.

Peshawar Zalmi will be happy with the start they have gotten in this tournament. The 2017 champions have won two of their first three matches. With four points to their account, Zalmi is currently placed second in the standings.

On the other hand, Islamabad United has played only two matches so far this season. The two-time winners have won one of those two games, and with two points to their name, are placed fourth in the points table.

What Have They Done So Far?

Peshawar Zalmi started their campaign with a match against Karachi Kings, where they batted first and scored 199 runs. In response, the Kings put up a good fight but could not take the last step, as they lost the match by only 2 runs.

The second match was poor from the perspective of Babar Azam’s team, as after conceding 210 runs against Mohammad Rizwan’s Multan Sultans, they could only reply with 154 runs. However, they bounced back to winning ways with a four-wicket win over Quetta Gladiators in the last match.

Like their opponents, Islamabad United also faced Karachi Kings in their first match. They bowled first and conceded 173 runs, but then did a superb job in chasing the target down with 10 balls to spare and four wickets in hand.

Again on a similar note, Islamabad suffered a defeat against Multan Sultans in their second match, just like Peshawar did. After conceding 190 runs, Shabad Khan’s team was bundled out for 138 as no one except Rassie van der Dussen could bat well.

Head to Head Record

There is nothing to separate these two teams, as the head-to-head records are in perfect equilibrium. Peshawar Zalmi and Islamabad United have met 19 times previously, where both teams have beaten each other on nine occasions, with one match getting abandoned.

The last meeting, which took place back in February 2022, saw Islamabad securing a five-wicket win. Batting first, Peshawar scored 169 runs as both Kamran Akmal and Shoaib Malik got half-centuries. However, it went in vain as Islamabad chased the total down in 19.3 overs, with Alex Hales playing a match-winning knock of 62 runs.

Key Players

James Neesham (Peshawar Zalmi): James Neesham is among the most experienced players in franchise T20 cricket, having played in several leagues all over the globe. In this season of the PSL, the New Zealand all-rounder is doing a fine job for Peshawar Zalmi.

James Neesham is one of Peshawar Zalmi’s most important players

James Neesham is one of Peshawar Zalmi’s most important players

Neesham has scored 66 runs at a strike rate of 150+, but that is not all, as he also has picked up 3 wickets. He picked up 2 wickets against Karachi Kings, and after being subdued against Multan Sultans, made a comeback with a 38-run knock and took an important wicket in the last game against Quetta Gladiators.

Colin Munro (Islamabad United): We could witness a fierce battle between two Kiwis in this match, as while Neesham is one of Peshawar’s most important players, Colin Munro is the trump card for Islamabad United. The powerful batter is currently the top run-scorer for his team with 89 runs at a strike rate of 174.50.

He scored a brilliant half-century in the match against Karachi Kings. Against Multan, where almost all of his teammates had an off-day, Munro managed to get a good start and score 31 runs in 23 deliveries before being dismissed by Usama Mir.

Predicted Playing XIs

Peshawar Zalmi: Mohammad Haris (wk), Babar Azam ©, Saim Ayub, Tom Kohler-Cadmore, Rovman Powell, James Neesham, Wahab Riaz, Dasun Shanaka, Sufiyan Muqeem, Usman Qadir, Arshad Iqbal.

Islamabad United: Paul Stirling, Hassan Nawaz, Colin Munro, Rassie van der Dussen, Azam Khan (wk), Shadab Khan ©, Faheem Ashraf, Tom Curran, Abrar Ahmed, Rumman Raees, Mohammad Wasim Jr.

Prediction

Though head-to-head records are lying in balance, we have predicted a Peshawar Zalmi win in this match on the basis of momentum, as they will be coming into this match on the back of a win while Islamabad United lost their last match.

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