2021 Pakistan Super League – Islamabad United vs Lahore Qalandars Preview & Prediction
THE FACTS
When is Islamabad United vs Lahore Qalandars taking place? Thursday 4th March, 2021 – 14:00 (UK)
Where is Islamabad United vs Lahore Qalandars taking place? National Stadium, Karachi, Pakistan
Where can I get tickets for Islamabad United vs Lahore Qalandars? Visit this website for the latest ticket information
What channel is Islamabad United vs Lahore Qalandars on? This match will be televised live in the UK on Sky Sports Cricket
Where can I stream Islamabad United vs Lahore Qalandars? Sky Sports subscribers can stream the match live via the Sky Go app
THE TEAM NEWS
ISLAMABAD UNITED
- Islamabad United had to cope with the absence of Fawad Ahmed due to a positive COVID test and the postponement and subsequent rescheduling a day later of their game with Quetta Gladiators but it did not phase them on Tuesday as they won their third game in four.
- The big positive from that game was the ruthless hitting by Irish international Paul Stirling who blasted 56 to ease them to a comfortable victory and he looks set to keep his place but it will be interesting to see if Islamabad consider bringing Lewis Gregory or Phil Salt back in.
- Hasan Ali continues to be a standout performer with the ball as he is proving miserly as well as a wicket-taker along with Faheem Ashraf and Mohammad Wasim as their bowling attack is arguably the best performing unit in the competition right now.
LAHORE QALANDARS
- Lahore Qalandars sit on the same points as Islamabad having also won three of their opening four games and they come off an excellent run chase over Karachi Kings where they hit their target of 187 with four balls and six wickets to spare despite losing their first two wickets without a run on the board.
- While Mohammad Hafeez failed for the first time in the tournament, it was left to Ben Dunk and David Wiese to produce the goods and the duo smashed their way to victory and that will give the team even more confidence with that trio along with Fakhar Zaman looking formidable with the bat.
- Shaheen Shah Afridi continues to thrive having now taken nine wickets in the four games so far but the bowling unit is somewhat limited aside from him especially without Rashid Khan who has departed the PSL.
THE PREDICTION
These two teams are relatively well-matched on paper and based on their opening four matches so this could be a close-fought game. Both sides have strong batting line-ups with good depth while it is Islamabad who have the edge in terms of bowling. They have the better options all-round which the Qalandars lack and that could be the decisive factor in this game. Of course, with 13 of the 14 chasing sides winning the matches played so far, batting second will certainly be the preference and could swing the game that way, but Islamabad are otherwise marginally preferred pre-toss.
