PSL

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Match Details

Date: March 4, 2021

Time: 7:30 PM IST

Venue: National Stadium, Karachi

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Preview:

Islamabad United will lock horns with Lahore Qalandars in Match 15 of PSL 2021 on Thursday. Both the teams have had a very similar campaign so far. After winning the first two matches, they suffered their first defeat of the season and then bounced back in their previous contests. United and Qalandars currently occupy the second and third spots respectively, with 6 points in 4 matches.

Islamabad United are looking a very settled team this season. While Alex Hales has been consistently scoring runs at top of the order, they have a solid middle-order in the form of skipper Shadab Khan and Asif Ali. In the bowling department, Faheem Ashraf, Hasan Ali and Mohammad Wasim Jr. have taken 14 wickets between them. They look like a formidable trio and have certainly bowled well in tandem. Paul Stirling's explosive 56-run knock powered them to victory against the Gladiators.

Meanwhile, Lahore Qalandars are also looking like one of the possible contenders for 2021 title. With youngster Fakhar Zaman (189 runs) in red-hot form, they have experienced T20 stars in the form of Joe Denly and Mohammad Hafeez. In the previous contest, Ben Dunk (57*) and David Wiese (31*) made vital contributions as Sohail Akhtar’s side chased down 187 against Karachi Kings. Shaheen Afridi (9 wickets) has been phenomenal for them in the bowling department and would need some support from the other end to restrict the opposition.

In the first 13 matches of PSL 2021, all the teams that have batted second have eventually went on to win the match. Considering this trend, both United and Qalandars will certainly be hoping to get the result of all-important toss in their favor on Thursday. The stage is set for a blockbuster contest when two of the most impressive teams this season clash in Karachi.

Head to Head:

Matches: 10

Islamabad United: 7

Lahore Qalandars: 2

No Result: 1

Players to watch out for:

Fakhar Zaman:

Matches: 4 | Runs: 189 | Avg: 63 | SR: 143.18 | HS: 83

Alex Hales: 

Matches: 4 | Runs: 139 | Avg: 34.75 | SR: 171.60 | HS: 46

Shaheen Afridi:

Matches: 4 | Wickets: 9 | Avg: 12.56 | ER: 7.06 | Best: 3/14

Hasan Ali:

Matches: 4 | Wickets: 6 | Avg: 14.83 | ER: 5.56 | Best: 2/14

Probable Playing XI

Islamabad United:

Paul Stirling, Alex Hales, Rohail Nazir (wk), Shadab Khan (c), Faheem Ashraf, Iftikhar Ahmed, Hussain Talat, Asif Ali, Muhammad Musa, Hasan Ali, Mohammad Wasim Jr

Lahore Qalandars:

Fakhar Zaman, Sohail Akhtar (c), Joe Denly, Mohammad Hafeez, Ben Dunk (wk), Samit Patel, Zeeshan Ashraf, David Wiese, Ahmed Daniyal, Shaheen Afridi, Haris Rauf