Last Updated on 4 months by Charbel Coorey

PSL 2021 Qualifier 2: ISL vs PES Dream11 Prediction Possible Playing 11 Pitch Report | ISL vs PES Dream11 Prediction Today | Islamabad United vs Peshawar Zalmi Key Players | Abu Dhabi Pitch Report

Just like that, PSL 2021 favourites Islamabad United, who were on a five-game winning streak, are now in an elimination battle. Usman Khawaja was the only United batsman to provide substantial resistance in an otherwise disappointing outing for the usually-strong Islamabad side, who now have to put yesterday’s performance behind them very quickly.

The damage at the top, where United fell to 61/5, is something they must avoid today. Some may say that Colin Munro, who has had a fantastic campaign, had a failure at the right time, as United now get a second chance. He and Khawaja, who has struck a century and a 70 in his last two knocks, will be crucial in setting the tone.

Also, United’s death bowling needs improvement as Peshawar Zalmi possess danger players of their own. Their chase of 175 against champions Karachi Kings was thanks to another fantastic knock by Hazratullah Zazai, who set things up so well that even a slight middle-order hiccup wasn’t enough to deny victory. Now, Zalmi will want to avoid their win-loss pattern in the UAE leg, as this will mean elimination from the tournament. Consistency is key.

In the last match between these two sides, we saw one of the highest-scoring T20s in history. Islamabad United, courtesy of Khawaja and Munro’s great start, posted 247/2. Zalmi came close, finishing 15 runs short in a great chase.

Key Players to Watch/Key Stats

Islamabad United:

• Usman Khawaja is in fine form. He scored 105* (56) against Peshawar Zalmi just five days ago, and 70 (40) yesterday. Key player.
• Colin Munro was out first ball yesterday, but he remains a danger player, no doubt. He smashed 48 off 28 balls against Zalmi last week, part of 241 runs in PSL 2021 at an average of 60.25 and strike rate of 173.38.
• Asif Ali smashed 43 off 14 balls vs Zalmi five days ago. His 1 off 5 balls hurt United yesterday, so he will be looking to bounce back in what’s been a good tournament for him (216 runs, avg. 30.85, SR 170.07).
• Hasan Ali has three wickets in two games against Zalmi. This includes 2/14 against them earlier this season. Ali has taken 12 wickets in nine matches this season at an economy rate of just 6.27.
• Akif Javed was very expensive yesterday (1/50), but he enjoyed success vs Zalmi last week (3/43), including dismissing Hazratullah Zazai for a golden duck.

Peshawar Zalmi:

• Hazratullah Zazai has belted scores of 63 (26) and 77 (38) against Kings in the past week. However, he scored a golden duck against United, so it will be interesting to see if he responds with a big score today.
• Kamran Akmal has the most runs in PES-ISL matches (439 runs, avg. 31.36, SR 149.83). He scored 53 (32) against Islamabad last week, so Zalmi will be hoping for a similar effort today.
• Shoaib Malik smashed 68 (36) vs United last week to return to some form, which he followed up with a 25-ball 30 yesterday vs Kings. Malik has a solid-but-unspectacular record vs United, with 249 runs at 31.13 and SR of 100.
• Sherfane Rutherford has scored the second-most runs for Zalmi over the past year (258 runs, avg. 38.15). He struck 29 off 8 balls vs United last week.
• No bowler has more wickets in PES-ISL matches than Wahab Riaz. The left-armer has an impressive haul of 21 wickets in 13 matches, including 4/17 earlier in the season (albeit against mostly different United players).
• Umaid Asif has eight wickets in seven games vs United, and will be looking to bounce back after conceding 0/54 in four overs against them last week.

Stats and Facts

• Head-to-head: Matches 15, Islamabad United 7, Peshawar Zalmi 7, 1 match abandoned.
• Shadab Khan has taken 10 wickets in nine matches vs Zalmi.
• Should United try Brandon King for this game? He scored an unbeaten 46* off 22 balls against Zalmi last week.

Possible Playing 11

Islamabad United: 1. Usman Khawaja, 2. Colin Munro, 3. Muhammad Akhlaq (wk), 4. Shadab Khan (c), 5. Iftikhar Ahmed, 6. Asif Ali, 7. Hussain Talat, 8. Hasan Ali, 9. Mohammad Wasim, 10. Faheem Ashraf, 11. Akif Javed

Peshawar Zalmi: 1. Hazratullah Zazai, 2. Kamran Akmal (wk), 3. Imam-ul-Haq, 4. Shoaib Malik, 5. Sherfane Rutherford, 6. Khalid Usman, 7. Rovman Powell, 8. Wahab Riaz (c), 9. Mohammad Irfan, 10. Umaid Asif, 11. Mohammad Imran 

Abu Dhabi Pitch Report and Weather

Scores of 170+ have been a regular occurrence in recent matches, with Zalmi chasing 170+ and United conceding 180 yesterday. Given both lineups possess good batting talent, one can expect a similar outcome here, especially given that these two teams played out a very high-scoring match last week.

The weather will be warm and clear once again.

Dream11 Prediction

Option 1:

Option 2:

Match Prediction

An intriguing battle awaits. The openers for United hold the key, so if Zalmi can dismiss them cheaply, they have a great avenue to victory.