In this article, we preview Islamabad United vs Quetta Gladiators, the Pakistan Super League match to be played in Karachi on 6 March 2021. We consider the likely elevens of the two sides and the current form of their respective players before making our predictions about the probable result of the match. After playing three matches each, IU and QG are 4th and 6th respectively in the points table.
Match Preview and Odds
In their last PSL game, QG met PZ on 26 February. Batting first, Gladiators posted a daunting score of 198/7, thanks mainly to a 105-run stand for the 4th wicket between Sarfaraz Ahmed (81 off 40 balls) and Azam Khan (47 off 26 balls). Du Plessis (37 off 26) and Saim Ayub (21 off 19) also made useful contributions. When PZ replied, QG grabbed early wickets to reduce PZ to 27/2 but could not prevent Zalmi from pulling off an improbable run chase on the back of solid performances by opener Imam-ul-Haq (41 off 30 balls) and middle-order batsmen Haider Ali (50 off 29), Shoaib Malik (34 off 20) and Sherfane Rutherford (36 off 18). Among QZ bowlers, Steyn was the most successful, taking 2/44, while Md Hasnain, Usman Shinwari and Zahid Mahmood took a wicket each.
IU played their last PSL game against PZ on 27 February in Karachi. Batting first, they were bowled out for 118 in 17.1 overs. Apart from opener Alex Hales who made 41 off 27 balls, only Hussain Talat (22 off 15) and Asif Ali (19 off 12) made contributions of substance as United fell prey to the wares of Wahab Riaz (4/17) and Saqib Mahmood (3/12). Chasing down a modest target was never a problem for Zalmi who did it with 6 wickets and 17 balls to spare.
The last IU vs QG match in Rawalpindi on 27 February 2020 went in favour of QG who won by 5 wickets.
Head-to-Head
The head-to-head stats between the teams favour QG who have established a 7-4 advantage in 11 games played between the sides – see the adjoining table.
Likely XIs:
Islamabad United: Paul Stirling, Alex Hales, Phil Salt, Faheem Ashraf, Shadab Khan (c), Hussain Talat, Iftikhar Ahmed, Asif Ali, Hasan Ali, Mohammad Wasim, Zafar Gohar;
Quetta Gladiators: Saim Ayub, Cameron Delport, Faf du Plessis, Sarfaraz Ahmed (c), Azam Khan, Ben Cutting, Mohammad Nawaz, Dale Steyn, Zahid Mahmood, Md Hasnain, Usman Shinwari.