Islamabad United vs Peshawar Zalmi PSL Tips - United to march on

An all-round performance in the first match gave Islamabad a perfect start to their tournament. They looked dominating in all three aspects of the game, extending their winning record in PSL matches. Peshawar were ambushed by Quetta Gladiators in a stunning loss that highlighted their gaping problems. It could be a chance for Islamabad to keep winning, and I am putting my money on their victory.

Historical records put this fixture at even keel, as Islamabad and Peshawar have 12 wins each from the 24 meetings between them in this tournament.

Last season saw these teams meet three times, with two wins for Islamabad. The second of those wins came in Eliminator 2.

Islamabad got their title defence off to a perfect start, defeating Lahore Qalandars by eight wickets with 14 balls left at this venue on Friday.

Jason Holder sparkled on his debut with 4 for 26, while Shadab Khan revived memories of his leg-spin brilliance with 3 for 25, as Islamabad restricted Lahore to 139 in 19.2 overs.

The chase could have proven tricky, but Colin Munro (59 off 42) and Salman Agha (41 off 34) added an unbeaten 80 runs for the third wicket to run riot.

Andries Gous didn’t have a great game on Friday, and Islamabad have Matthew Short on the bench. Will Short be replacing Gous? Don’t be surprised if he does, while Rassie van der Dussen may have to wait for his turn.

Peshawar endured the biggest defeat of the first three matches of this season when they were beaten by Quetta Gladiators by 80 runs on Saturday in a day game at this venue.

Bowling first, Zalmi’s bowlers struggled to contain the Quetta hard-hitters, conceding 216 for 3. Mohammad Ali and Alzarri Joseph combined for figures of 8-0-110-1, negating the efforts of others.

The chase never took off, and Zalmi were bowled out for 136 in 15.1 overs. Saim Ayub scored 50 off 38, while Mitchell Owen and Hussain Talat scored aggressive 30s. Captain and talisman Babar Azam was out for a two-ball duck.

Zalmi needs to treat the first match defeat as a nightmare and move on quickly. They can look at including George Linde in Alzarri’s place to bring some control to their bowling unit.