PSL 2020: Lahore Qalandars v Peshawar Zalmi match preview

Eliminator 1 of the Pakistan Super League (PSL) 2020 is set to be played at the National Stadium in Karachi. Lahore Qalandars, who have made it into the playoffs for the first time since the inception of the high-profile tournament, will face off against Peshawar Zalmi in their bid to seal a spot in the PSL 2020 Eliminator 2.

The Lahore Qalandars strung together a series of remarkable performances at the rear-end of the PSL 2020 round-robin stage to clinch the 3rd position in the table. Their campaign commenced in a similar fashion to previous editions, but as the tournament progressed, they scripted a sublime comeback courtesy of some phenomenal individual performances.

The Lahore Qalandars' record against Peshawar Zalmi has always been terrible. However, in March, they finally opened their account against the Zalmis, chasing down a total of 187 in an enthralling game of cricket.

Lahore's Australian batting duo of Chris Lynn and Ben Dunk found their groove in the latter half of the league stage and piled up a hefty amount of runs.

Chris Lynn is the team's top-scorer in PSL 2020 with 284 runs at a strike rate of almost 180. As for the bowling, Shaheen Afridi leads the charts with 13 wickets to his name, followed by the slick left-arm orthodox bowler Samit Patel.

The Lahore Qalandars have been the team least affected by the travel restrictions in place and the unavailability of overseas cricketers due to international duties.

Chris Lynn is the only player in the team who will miss the PSL 2020 playoffs. His absence has opened the door for Bangladesh opener Tamim Iqbal, who also has tons of T20 experience under his belt.

Lahore Qalandars Updated Squad: Abid Ali, Agha Salman, Ben Dunk (Australia), Dane Vilas (South Africa), David Wiese (South Africa), Dilbar Hussain, Fakhar Zaman, Farzan Raja, Haris Rauf, Jaahid Ali, Maaz Khan, Mohammad Faizan, Mohammad Hafeez, Samit Patel (England), Shaheen Shah Afridi, Sohail Akhtar, Tamim Iqbal (Bangladesh) and Usman Shinwari

Peshawar Zalmi, on the contrary, have been bolstered by the addition of a high-profile name - Faf du Plessis. Their English quartet of Lewis Gregory, Liam Dawson, Tom Banton and Liam Livingstone is not available for the remaining PSL 2020 matches.

Kieron Pollard and Darren Sammy, two modern-day mercenaries of T20 cricket, will also not be traveling. Hardus Viljoen and Saqib Mahmood have been slotted into the squad as replacements.

Peshawar Zalmi's senior statesmen, Kamran Akmal and Shoaib Malik, hold the key to their success and have been the team's most prolific run-scorers in PSL 2020.

Another cricketer to keep an eye out for is Haider Ali, a sparkling young talent with the bat, who already has two fifties to his name in three T20Is. Ali was very impressive in the round-robin stages, too, which ultimately led to his selection for the national team.

Like the Karachi Kings, Peshawar Zalmi have a world-class contingent of local players at their service. The likes of Wahab Riaz, Rahat Ali, and Hasan Ali have been their three highest wicket-takers in PSL 2020.

Remarkably, this could be Peshawar Zalmi's fourth consecutive PSL final on the trot if they manage to succeed in the two Elimination duels. They will turn to their mix of foreign and local players to book them a seat in the grand final.

Peshawar Zalmi Squad: Aamir Ali, Adil Amin, Carlos Brathwaite (West Indies), Daren Sammy (West Indies), Faf du Plessis (South Africa), Haider Ali Khan, Hardus Viljoen (South Africa), Hasan Ali, Imam-ul-Haq, Kamran Akmal, Khurram Shehzad, Saqib Mahmood (England), Mohammad Mohsin, Rahat Ali, Shoaib Malik, Umar Amin, Wahab Riaz and Yasir Shah.