Key match-ups, analysis, form, team news, weather forecast, tickets, TV and streaming information, odds, predictions and more ahead of the latest encounter in the 2023 PSL
Islamabad United take on Peshawar Zalmi in the eliminator in PSL8.
The match is scheduled to start at 7pm local time (2pm GMT) on Thursday, March 16.
The Gaddafi Stadium in Lahore will play host to this fixture.
Islamabad United come into the match following two straight defeats, the most recent of which was against Peshawar Zalmi.
Peshawar won by 13 runs as Islamabad's top order struggled to get runs on the board leaving their middle order with too much to do in the run chase.
In contrast, Peshawar opener Mohammad Haris scored 79 off 39 balls to lead them to victory. The only other encounter between the two was earlier in the campaign where Islamabad won comfortably by six wickets.
Over the course of the tournament Islamabad have the better record, winning one more game and only narrowly missing out on second place.
Both teams have failed to get a consistent run of results together and this should be an even match.
Islamabad's top order has been an issue for them throughout the tournament. They have tried partnering Alex Hales with Rahmanullah Gurbaz and Hassan Nawaz over recent games, but none have been able to get a good score.
Hales, having elected to stay in Pakistan rather than travel to Bangladesh with England, has struggled to find any form. Over his five games he has averaged 16.
Colin Munro and Azam Khan have picked up the slack from the middle order scoring runs consistently. With Azam struggling with an injury, Islamabad will need more from the top order to give them a chance in this match.
Khurram Shahzad came out on top for Peshawar in their last encounter with three wickets, including Nawaz in the opening over and two wickets in the final over to put the game to bed.
With the bat, Peshawar have relied on Babar Azam who has hit 416 runs in the tournament with an average of 52. Hasan Ali is the top wicket-taker for Islamabad with 12, including three against Peshawar in their previous game.
Islamabad United finished ahead of Peshawar Zalmi in the PSL group stage [Getty Images]
Islamabad are still sweating on the injury to Azam. The team confirmed that he has not suffered a fracture to his ring finger but it is not yet known if he will be able to return. The wicketkeeper missed the last game and was unable to bat in the game before, both of which they lost.
Peshawar should welcome back Babar Azam and Wahab Riaz after missing the last game.
Islamabad United: Shadab Khan, Asif Ali, Mohammad Wasim Jnr, Azam Khan, Faheem Ashraf, Hasan Ali, Colin Munro, Paul Stirling, Alex Hales, Rahmanullah Gurbaz, Fazalhaq Farooqi, Abrar Ahmed, Sohaib Maqsood, Rumman Raees, Zeeshan Zamir, Hassan Nawaz, Moeen Ali (available from March 14), Mubasir Khan, Tom Curran, Zafar Gohar, Gus Atkinson (partial replacement for Rahmanullah Gurbaz), Tymal Mills (partial replacement for Alex Hales), Rassie van der Dussen (partial replacement for Moeen Ali)
Peshawar Zalmi: Babar Azam, Sherfane Rutherford, Wahab Riaz, Mohammad Haris, Aamir Jamal, Salman Irshad, Tom-Kohler Cadmore, Bhanuka Rajapaksa, Rovman Powell, Mujeeb ur Rahman, Danish Aziz, Arshad Iqbal, Saim Ayub, Usman Qadir, Suifyan Muqeem, Haseeb Ullah, Jimmy Neesham, Khurram Shahzad, Haris Sohail, Richard Gleeson (partial replacement for Rovman Powell), Peter Hatzoglou (partial replacement for Mujeeb ur Rahman), Shakib Al Hasan (available until February 26)
*squads are for the overall competition and not specific to this match
Islamabad United: Rahmanullah Gurbaz, Alex Hales, Colin Munro, Shadab Khan, Azam Khan, Asif Ali, Faheem Ashraf, Mubasir Khan, Mohammad Wasim Jr, Hassan Ali, Fazalhaq Farooqi
Peshawar Zalmi: Saim Ayub, Babar Azam, Rovman Powell, Tom Kohler-Cadmore, Mohammad Haris, Haseebullah Khan, Khurram Shahzad, Wahab Riaz, Azmatullah Omarzai, Mujeeb Ur Rahman, Arshad Iqbal
Temperatures could hit 25 degrees Celsius ahead of this game but conditions are expected to cool by the evening.
Peshawar Zalmi have an explosive batting lineup [Getty Images]
Islamabad remains the slight favourites with the bookies at 4/5. Peshawar are currently listed as evens.
This should be a close encounter and much will depend on the fitness of Azam Khan for Islamabad. With momentum behind them and in-form players, Peshawar should make this two wins in a row over Islamabad.
Cricket fans in Pakistan will be able to watch PSL8 on A Sports, PTV Sports and TEN Sports on TV. Streamed matches will be available on Daraz App, tapmadTV and Tamasha.
Viewers around the world can watch the action live on Fox Sports (Australia), Sony (South Asia outside Pakistan), Willow TV (North America), Flow Sports (Caribbean), Sky Sports (United Kingdom), Sky Sport (New Zealand), Super Sport (sub-Saharan Africa) and, Etisalat and STARZPLAY (Mena).
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