Riding on a five-match winning streak, Islamabad United will clash against Multan Sultans on 21 June, in Qualifier of the Pakistan Super League (PSL) 2021 at the Sheikh Zayed Stadium, Abu Dhabi.
Islamabad won eight out of their 10 league matches. Usman Khawaja and Colin Munro are in red-hot form since the resumption of the tournament in the UAE. Faheem Ashraf, who missed out on few games due to an injury, has returned to the lineup. Hasan Ali and Mohammad Wasim Jr are their key wicket-taking options.
Multan have secured five wins, four of which came in the Abu Dhabi leg. Shahnawaz Dhani leads the most wicket-takers chart, with 21 scalps at 8.19, averaging 13.65. Mohammad Rizwan (470 at 131) is the key batter for Multan. He is at second place in the most run-scorers list behind Babar Azam (501 at 134).
The two sides met a couple of days ago. Despite resting key players like Khawaja, Munro and Hasan Ali, Islamabad beat Multan by four wickets. Wasim Jr was adjudged Player of the Match that night, for figures of 4-31. Chasing 150, Shadab Khan (35) and Hussain Talat (34) guided Islamabad to reach the target with two balls to spare.
Head to Head
Islamabad have played Multan eight times. They have won five and lost three.
Probable XIs
Islamabad United: Usman Khawaja, Colin Munro, Shadab Khan (c), Asif Ali, Brandon King, Muhammad Akhlaq (wk), Iftikhar Ahmed, Hussain Talat, Hasan Ali, Fawad Ahmed, Akif Javed
Multan Sultans: Shan Masood, Mohammad Rizwan (c & wk), Sohaib Maqsood, Johnson Charles, Rilee Rossouw, Khushdil Shah, Sohail Tanvir, Blessing Muzarabani, Shahnawaz Dhani, Imran Khan, Imran Tahir
Prediction
Islamabad to win the contest.