Islamabad United will face Peshawar Zalmi in the first Eliminator of the ongoing Pakistan Super League (PSL) season eight at the Gaddafi Stadium in Lahore on Thursday (today).
The winner of today’s match will qualify for the second Eliminator, which is set to take place tomorrow at the same venue.
In yesterday’s Qualifier, Multan Sultans defeated Lahore Qalandars to book their spot in the final of PSL 8. However, the defending champions will get another chance to qualify for the final in the second Eliminator.
Peshawar will be led by Pakistan’s prolific batter Babar Azam, meanwhile all-rounder Shadab Khan will be in charge of the two-time champions Islamabad.
In terms of head-to-head, both teams won one match each during the league stage of PSL 8.
“It has been an exciting season for us, but now we are focused on what lays ahead. As a captain, I am pleased at how the players have performed and especially at how youngsters have raised their hands in tough situations. The results are not something you can control, but as a team, it is important to remain consistent in your processes and know what you are playing for,” said Shadab.
“I am pretty confident with our chances. We have lifted the PSL trophy twice and there is no doubt that we can do it for the third time,” he added.
Meanwhile, Azam stated: “I am very happy to see how the youngsters in Peshawar Zalmi have stepped up and made their potential known to the world. Saim Ayub, Muhammad Haris, Haseebullah and Arshad Iqbal have been outstanding and I am backing them to continue to perform and deliver in the Playoffs.
“While our batting has done wonderfully well, we need to fix some of the loopholes in our bowling department and I am sure that we will also emerge as a strong bowling unit in Lahore.”
Squads
Islamabad United: Shadab Khan (c), Paul Stirling, Alex Hales, Sohaib Maqsood, Asif Ali, Colin Munro, Hassan Nawaz, Faheem Ashraf, Mubasir Khan, Tom Curran, Mohammad Waseem Jr, Rahmanullah Gurbaz (wk), Azam Khan (wk), Fazalhaq Farooqi, Zafar Gohar, Rumman Raees, Zeeshan Zameer, Hasan Ali, Abrar Ahmed, Gus Atkinson
Peshawar Zalmi: Babar Azam (c), Wahab Riaz, Arshad Iqbal, Danish Aziz, Mohammad Haris (wk), Bhanuka Rajapaksa, Mujeeb Ur Rehman, Aamer Jamal, Saim Ayub, Salman Irshad, Haseebullah Khan, Khurram Shahzad, Richard Gleeson, Sufyan Muqeem, Tom Kohler-Cadmore, Usman Qadir, Jimmy Neesham, Haris Sohail