Last Updated on 2 weeks by Charbel Coorey

PSL 2021 Match 23: LAH vs QUE Dream11 Prediction Possible Playing 11 Pitch Report | LAH vs QUE Dream11 Prediction Today | Lahore Qalandars vs Quetta Gladiators | Abu Dhabi Pitch Report

PSL 2021 is a tale of two different stories for these two teams. Lahore Qalandars, with the in-form Rashid Khan, are seeking their first PSL Title after finishing runner’s up in last year’s edition. And as they sit in second place, they have a chance of achieving this feat, but will want a quick response after a remarkable defeat in their last outing.

After restricting Islamabad to 20/5 in 6.3 overs, Lahore then went on to concede 152/7 and lost 10/69 to fall short by 28 runs. None of their batsmen from three down reached double figures, as their seamers led the way with the ball.

At the other end is Quetta Gladiators, who have had a season to forget. With just one win to their name, the Gladiators have suffered heavy defeat after heavy defeat, with the latest being a 61-run drubbing at the hands of Peshawar Zalmi after their 10-wicket drubbing against Islamabad United the day before. Their net run rate of -1.865 effectively puts them out of playoffs contention, even if they win their last three games (as unlikely as that seems).

However, can they cause Lahore some problems here? For that to happen, they will need Andre Russell and Faf du Plessis available after both suffered concussions in recent games.

Key Players to Watch/Key Stats

Lahore Qalandars:

• Fakhar Zaman has the most runs in LQ-QG matches. The left-hander has 275 runs to his name at an average of 34.38 and excellent strike rate of 150.27. Fakhar dominated Quetta earlier in the season, thumping 82* off 52 balls in an easy run-chase for Lahore.
• Also, Fakhar has the third-most runs in PSL 2021 (7 inns, 243 runs, avg. 40.50, SR 129.94).
• Mohammad Hafeez completely dominated Quetta earlier this season, slamming 73* off 33 balls. Overall, Hafeez has struck 385 runs vs the Gladiators at an average of 35.00 and SR of 124.60.
• Hafeez is also having a strong PSL 2021 campaign. In seven matches, Hafeez has struck 220 runs at an average of 44.00 and SR of 154.92.
• Sohail Akhtar has made two 30+ scores in three games since the PSL 2021 restart (34, 7 and 40).
• Tim David has been in good touch with the bat. Before his score of 3 last game, he scored 23* (15) and 64* (36) in his previous two games.
• Watch out for Rashid Khan. He went wicketless in his last game (0/36), but in the game before, he took 5/20 to swing the game in Lahore’s favour. Also, Rashid has 22 wickets in 13 T20s at this ground.
• James Faulkner has been excellent for Lahore. He has taken eight wickets in his three games in PSL 2021 (3/32, 2/23 and 3/19).
• Haris Rauf took 3/38 against Quetta earlier in PSL 2021. Rauf is a genuine wicket-taker, with nine in six matches this season. Shaheen Shah Afridi has an impressive haul of 12 wickets in seven matches in PSL 2021.

Quetta Gladiators:

• Sarfaraz Ahmed has a solid record vs Lahore. In 10 innings against them, Sarfaraz has hit 257 runs at an average of 32.13 and SR of 134.56.
• Sarfaraz also has the most runs for Quetta in PSL 2021. He has struck 223 runs at an average of 37.16 and SR of 142.03. The next-most for Quetta is Azam Khan way behind on 124 runs at an average of just 17.71.
• Usman Khan is enjoying a decent PSL 2021 campaign so far. In his three games, he has struck 123 runs at an average of 41.00, including a score of 81.
• Qalandars will be hoping Andre Russell is available for this one and that he improves on his record vs Lahore. Against them, he has scored just 24 runs in three innings with the solitary wicket to his name.
• They will also be hoping Faf du Plessis is available. In a single knock vs Lahore, du Plessis struck 31 off 25 balls.
• Mohammad Hasnain has the most wickets for Quetta this season (seven in seven matches). He and Zahid Mahmood need to lead the way if Quetta are to improve on their bowling woes.

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Stats and Facts

• Head-to-head: Matches 11, Lahore Qalandars 6, Quetta Gladiators 5.
• Lahore Qalandars (179/1) thrashed Quetta Gladiators (178/6) earlier in PSL 2021.
• Interestingly, Lahore have won five matches and lost just two this season. However, they still have a negative net run rate of -0.078.

Possible Playing 11

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

Andre Russell was struck on the helmet two games ago and missed the match against Peshawar. It remains to be seen if he is available today. Faf du Plessis also picked up a concussion after an ugly collision with Mohammad Hasnain. It also remains to be seen if he is available today.

Quetta Gladiators: 1. Saim Ayub, 2. Usman Khan, 3. Jake Weatherald, 4. Sarfaraz Ahmed, 5. Azam Khan, 6. Andre Russell/Cameron Delport, 7. Mohammad Nawaz, 8. Khurram Shahzad, 9. Mohammad Hasnain, 10. Zahid Mahmood, 11. Zahir Khan

Sheikh Zayed Stadium Abu Dhabi Pitch Report and Weather

The average first innings score in the eight matches of the Abu Dhabi leg of PSL 2021 is 165.88. The team batting first has won five of those matches, but the chasing teams had a day out yesterday, with the Sultans chasing 167 with ease and Islamabad producing an amazing run chase of 191 against the Kings.

Weather conditions will be hot, as always at this time of year in Abu Dhabi.

Dream11 Prediction

Option 1:

Option 2:

Match Prediction

Anything other than a Lahore win will be a surprise, especially if Russell and du Plessis are unavailable.