The Pakistan Super League (PSL) 2019 is finally going to kick-off in a couple of hours, and two teams which will take center stage are reigning champions Islamabad United and Lahore Qalandars.
Following an eventful drafting phase, every franchise has improved, but Qalandars probably stand ahead of anyone. With the recruitment of AB de Villiers and Mohammad Hafeez, the Qalandars have strengthened their team.
Match Details
| Date | Thursday, February 14, 2019 |
| Time | 10:45 PM (+5:00) or 5:45 PM (GMT) |
| Umpires | Richard Illingworth (ENG), Rashid Riaz (PAK), Tariq Rasheed (PAK) |
| Match Referee | Roshan Mahanama |
| TV Umpire | Shozab Raza |
Head-to-head
The two teams have faced each other six times in PSL with United winning four games while Qalandars came out on top twice only. Both victories for Lahore came in 2016 when Islamabad United seemed to have been struggling.
Possible XI
Islamabad United:
Luke Ronchi, Ian Bell, Talat Hussain, Asif Ali, Samit Patel, Faheem Ashraf, Shadab Khan, Wayne Parnell, Mohammad Sami, Rumman Raees, Muhammad Musa.
Lahore Qalandars:
Fakhar Zaman, Sohail Akhtar, Mohammad Hafeez, AB de Villiers, Brenden Taylor, Carlos Brathwaite, Gauhar Ali, Yasir Shah, Haris Rauf, Shaheen Shah Afridi, Rahat Ali.
Players to Look out For
Islamabad United:
Unlike Lahore Qalandars, Islamabad United have heavily relied on homegrown talent. With the likes of Asif Ali, Rumman Raees and Shadab Khan in the squad, two-time champions have tapped all three areas of the game. The addition stroke of Luke Ronchi up the order will provide an extra bit of spice to United’s batting line.
Lahore Qalandars:
Qalandars, on the other hand, are a balanced squad with both local and international picks including the superstars of the game including Mohammad Hafeez, AB de Villiers, Carlos Brathwaite, and Shaheen Afridi.
For more information, check out our PSL coverage.
