Islamabad United will take on Peshawar Zalmi in the Eliminator 2, to decide the second finalist of the 2021 edition of the Pakistan Super League. Multan Sultans have already sealed their spot with a win over Islamabad in the Qualifier.
Usman Khawaja and Colin Munro are in terrific form, and a lot will hinge on how well they perform at the top. Having joined Islamabad exclusively for the UAE leg of the tournament, Khawaja has scored 236 runs at a strike rate of 154.
Khawaja’s 40-ball 70 was the lone bright spot in Islamabad’s 31-run defeat to Multan. Batting first, Multan rode on a half-century from Sohail Maqsood, coupled with blitz from Johnson Charles and Khushdil Shah, to post 180 on the board.
In reply, Islamabad could only manage 149 as none barring Khawaja rose to the challenge. Both Munro and captain skipper Shadab Khan failed to score, and Hussain Talat was the only batter –apart from Khawaja – to reach 20.
Peshawar, on the other hand, were buoyed after an emphatic win against Karachi Kings in Eliminator 1. An all-round batting display, led by a stunning half-century from Hazratullah Zazai, helped them glide past a 175-run target with a ball to spare.
Zazai made 77 of 38 balls, and the rest of the batters too chipped in with handy contributions. Imam-ul-Haq has been rusty throughout the campaign, but Peshawar do have an explosive lower middle-order in Sherfane Rutherford and Rovman Powell.
Head to Head
Both teams are tied with seven wins each.
Probable XIs
Islamabad United: Usman Khawaja, Colin Munro, Muhammad Akhlaq (wk), Iftikhar Ahmed, Shadab Khan (c), Hussain Talat, Asif Ali, Faheem Ashraf, Akif Javed, Hasan Ali, Mohammad Wasim
Peshawar Zalmi: Hazratullah Zazai, Kamran Akmal (wk), Haider Ali, Shoaib Malik, Khalid Usman, Sherfane Rutherford, Rovman Powell, Wahab Riaz (c), Umaid Asif, Mohammad Irfan, Mohammad Imran
Prediction:
Islamabad to win this match.