Last Updated on 3 months by Charbel Coorey

PSL 2021 Match 15: LAH vs ISL Dream11 Prediction Possible Playing 11 Pitch Report | LAH vs ISL Dream11 Prediction Today | Lahore Qalandars vs Islamabad United Key Players | Abu Dhabi Pitch Report

After much deliberation and hard work on the part of the Pakistan Cricket Board, the official PSL 2021 restart is here. After COVID-19 put a pause to the campaign back in March, the PCB has been working to great lengths to get the tournament back up and running. To their credit, it’s back, this time in the UAE, where we could see a plethora of cricket in the coming months.

PSL 2021 restarts with two sides looking to take top spot on the league table. Both Lahore Qalanders and Islamabad United sit on six points with three wins from four games, and will look to start where they left off.

However, they will need to do so with a few squad changes. Alex Hales, Lewis Gregory and Phil Salt are unavailable for the restart, with the absence of Hales in particular a big blow for Islamabad. However, the addition of a motivated Usman Khawaja can work wonders. For Lahore, the experience of Fakhar Zaman and Mohammad Hafeez will be crucial in their quest for victory.

Key Players to Watch/Key Stats

Lahore Qalandars

• Fakhar Zaman –  Zaman (83 of 54 balls) was the star of the chase in his last PSL game against Karachi and controlled the innings well after Qalandars were crawling at 33/3. He would like to make most of his form and get back on the national side. Against United Zaman has played 7 games and scored 181 runs at an average of 25.86. 
• Fakhar had scored 189 runs in his first four matches of PSL 2021 at an average of 63.00 and strike rate of 143.89 (two fifties).
• Sohail Akhtar has been good with captaincy but he has been equally bad with the bat. In his last match, he got run-out without facing a ball. Akhtar showed a good run of form in the T10 league earlier this year, so he is capable of turning around his form.
• Mohammad Hafeez scored 181 runs in four matches earlier in PSL 2021 at an average of 90.50 and strike rate of 175.72. Incredible numbers.
• Ben Dunk –  There was a huge sigh of relief in Qalandar’s camp up when Dunk (57 of 43 balls) showed up in the last match after previously missing out in the previous outings. Dunk has played 4 games against United and scored 98 runs with a best of 49*. He will be key here with his experience.
• Shaheen Afridi continues to impress and has 5 wickets in his 3 games against United. He took nine wickets in four matches in the first leg of PSL 2021.
• Rashid Khan will be a big asset for the Qalanders. On this ground, Rashid has taken 16 wickets in 10 matches at an economy rate of just 5.92.

Islamabad United

• Keep an eye on Usman Khawaja. He is now playing in the league of his country of origin and will be looking to make a big impact.
• Colin Munro will be looking to make an impact as he has also been picked up by United. He has done well against Qalanders in the past, with 104 runs against them at an average of 52 and strike rate of 138.67.
• Faheem Ashraf– Ashraf loves playing against Qalandars. He has 14 wickets in just 5 games against them. He will be a must-pick and a good option of C/VC in Grand Leagues as he got a 3-fer in his last game as well. 
• Shadab Khan – United Skipper has contributed with both bat and the ball against Qalandars. He has 10 wickets and 138 runs in 8 games.
• Zafar Gohar took 3 wickets against Qalanders in the only game he has played against them.
• Hasan Ali has 13 wickets in 8 games against Qalandars and the way he is bowling, he would like to make most of his purple patch. He took six wickets in four matches in the first leg of PSL 2021.

Also read: Opinions split as England suspend Ollie Robinson from international cricket

Stats & Facts

• Played- 10 | LAH won- 2 | ISL won- 8 | N/R- 0.
• Both sides currently sit in the top four, with three wins each out of four matches.

Predicted Playing 11

Lahore Qalandars squad: Sohail Akhtar (Captain), Ahmed Daniyal, Ben Dunk, Callum Ferguson, Dilbar Hussain, Fakhar Zaman, Haris Rauf, James Faulkner, Maaz Khan, Mohammad Faizan, Mohammad Hafeez, Rashid Khan, Salman Ali Agha, Seekuge Prasanna, Shaheen Shah Afridi, Sultan Ahmed, Tim David, Zaid Alam, Zeeshan Ashraf

Lahore Qalandars: 1. Fakhar Zaman, 2. Sohail Akhtar (c), 3. Callum Ferguson, 4. Mohammad Hafeez, 5. Ben Dunk (wk), 6. Tim David/James Faulkner, 7. Zeeshan Ashraf, 8. Rashid Khan, 9. Shaheen Shah Afridi, 10. Ahmed Daniyal, 11. Haris Rauf

Islamabad United squad: Shadab Khan (Captain), Ahmed Saifi Abdullah, Ali Khan, Akif Javed, Asif Ali, Colin Munro, Fawad Ahmed, Faheem Ashraf, Hasan Ali, Hussain Talat, Iftikhar Ahmed, Mohammad Wasim Jr, Mohammad Akhlaq, Musa Khan, Rohail Nazir, Usman Khawaja, Zafar Gohar, Zeeshan Zameer

Islamabad United: 1. Usman Khawaja, 2. Colin Munro, 3. Rohail Nazir (wk), 4. Shadab Khan (c), 5. Asif Ali, 6. Hussain Talat, 7. Iftikhar Ahmed, 8. Faheem Ashraf, 9. Hasan Ali, 10. Mohammad Wasim Jr, 11. Zafar Gohar/Fawad Ahmed

Sheikh Zayed Stadium Abu Dhabi Stadium Pitch Report and Conditions

The pitches in Pakistan for the first leg of PSL 2021 were batting belters. The chasing team was dominating. So, it remains to be seen if the batsmen can enjoy the same success on typically slower pitches in the UAE, with Abu Dhabi often offering assistance to pace off the ball.

The conditions are very hot at this time of the year in the UAE, which sees the matches start at a later time. Temperatures nearing 40 degrees are expected throughout the day.

Dream11 Prediction

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Option 2:

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