PSL 2018, Match 28: Quetta Gladiators vs Islamabad United – Match Predictions

The Islamabad United side are expected to secure a victory despite the odds.

Published - 15 Mar 2018, 12:10 IST | Updated - 15 Mar 2018, 12:10 IST

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Both Quetta Gladiators and Islamabad United have qualified for the playoffs, but they wouldn’t be satisfied just yet as they would want to be in top 2 at the end of the Round Robin stage of the league. Being in top 2 allows the teams to afford one loss in the playoffs, a luxury which is not available to them if they finish at no. 3 or no. 4.

If Islamabad wins today, they will surely finish at the top of the table, however, if Quetta wins, it will make it that bit interesting because they will have 6 wins to their names in that scenario and Karachi can also reach the tally of 6 wins by winning their next two games. All kinds of permutations and combinations are coming into the picture as the tourney is reaching its climax and every result is extremely vital from here on.

Probable nature of the pitch

It’s a night game and will take place on a used pitch with the evening game already being held on it. However given the kind of pitches we have seen in PSL of late, 40 overs of play should not put any effects on the surface at all and it should remain a belter.

Batting first has fetched great dividends for the teams right through the tourney and it’s hard to foresee that trend changing in the upcoming games. The captains are likely to follow the trend which is to bat first, score big and apply the squeezing game at the opposition. Whoever gets it right at the toss should be batting first.

Playing Combination

Quetta Gladiators

Quetta tried Jason Roy in the previous game and he came good straightaway as he gave them the explosive start they needed in the chase of 187. That they didn’t quite manage to complete the chase was a different thing, but Roy did his job brilliantly at the top of the order and he should be persisted with.

Quetta may like to play an extra bowler as their bowling looked all over the place against Lahore Qalandars last night. There is a possibility they might just think about resting Kevin Pietersen and slotting Ben Laughlin in who is a canny customer with the ball and is a very useful option for a captain to keep the scoring rate in check in the middle overs.

If Pietersen doesn’t play, Rilee Rossouw will probably bat 3 followed by the captain Sarfaraz Ahmed at 4. Sarfaraz is a good manipulator of the strike and is ideally suited for the no. 4 position which he recently showed on Pakistan’s tour to New Zealand.

Predicted XI: Jason Roy, Shane Watson, Sarfaraz Ahmed (C), Rameez Raja, Rilee Rossouw, Mohammad Nawaz, Mir Hamza, Hasan Khan, Anwar Ali, Ben Laughlin, Rahat Ali

Islamabad United

Islamabad United will go with an unchanged XI. They have found the absolutely right combination ahead of the playoffs and they won’t like to tinker with it too much. They bat right down till no. 9 and have 6 proper bowling options at their disposal. The fact that Samit Patel has excelled with the ball for them has added that much more sting to their attack. They had signed Samit as a batting all-rounder, but he is contributing more with the ball which would have been a pleasant surprise for the team management.

Alex Hales, the new arrival, has brought a bit more power into the batting. Batting at 3 against Multan, the Englishman slammed a quick 40 odd and the captain Misbah-ul-Haq will want consistency from him going ahead. He is an impact player and if he stays at the crease for a decent length of time, he will likely change the course of the game.

Predicted XI: Mohammad Sami, Misbah-ul-Haq(C), JP Duminy, Luke Ronchi, Samit Patel, Alex Hales, Asif Ali, Hussain Talat, Amad Butt, Shadab Khan, Faheem Ashraf