Defending champions Islamabad United are all set to face Peshawar Zalmi in the second Eliminator of the Habib Bank Limited (HBL) Pakistan Super League (PSL) season four on Friday.
The high octane match will take place at the historic National Stadium in Karachi.
United had a great evening on Thursday as they survived the challenge of home side Karachi Kings in the first Eliminator. Now they have a mountain to climb when they face 2017 champions Zalmi.
The Zalmi were out done by the Quetta Gladiators in the qualifier thanks to a combined team effort. Now this will be their last chance to make it to the final of the tournament and book another date with the Gladiators.
Peshawar finished at the top of the table at the end of the round games while Islamabad ended up on the third spot.
Players to watch out for
With the inclusion of Alex Hales, United now have even more depth and fire power in their batting line up. Their top four, Luke Ronchi, Cameron Delport, Alex Hales and Chadwick Walton, are more than enough to destroy any bowling attack.
They are followed up by local talent of Hussain Talat, Asif Ali, Shadab Khan and Faheem Ashraf giving them an extra edge over the opposition.
Their emerging star, Mohammad Musa made the headlines in the league with his brilliant bowling and showed great temperament on crunch situations.
Meanwhile, Peshawar Zalmi are equipped with tonnes of experience in shape of Misbahul Haq, Captain Darren Sammy — who led West Indies to two World T20 triumphs — Keiron Pollard and Kamran Akmal.
The experience is followed up with young talent in shape of Imamul Haq and Liam Dawson.
In terms of their bowling department, they have variety of options available in shape of Hasan Ali, Wahab Riaz, young leg-spinner Ibtisam Sheikh, Chirs Jordan and Sameen Gul.
Conditions
The pitch in Karachi has so far proven to be, more or less, batsmen’s paradise with high-scoring encounters, during the Pakistan leg of HBL PSL matches.
Probable lineups
Islamabad United: Luke Ronchi, Alex Hales, Cameron Delport, Chadwick Walton, Asif Ali, Hussain Talat, Shadab Khan, Faheem Ashraf, Mohammad Sami, Mohammad Musa and Rumman Raees.
Peshawar Zalmi: Kamran Akmal, Imamul Haq, Umer Amin, Misbahul Haq, Keiron Pollard, Darren Sammy, Liam Dawson, Hasan Ali, Wahab Riaz, Sameen Gul, and Chirs Jordan.