Peshawar Zalmi had a disappointing campaign last year. They lost to Lahore Qalandars in the 1st Eliminator and were knocked out of the tournament. They made several changes to their squad. Most shockingly, Zalmi released the second-highest wicket-taker of the tournament, Hasan Ali.
Peshawar has recruited two T20 superstars including the explosive middle-order batsman, David Miller, and exciting spinner, Mujeeb-ur-Rahman. The rest of the squad still leaves a lot to be desired though. There is a clear absence of quality fast and spin bowling. The batting line-up looks dangerous on paper and can post huge totals on the board.
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Captain: Wahab Riaz
Coach: Darren Sammy
Batting Coach: Hashim Amla
Best finish: Champions (PSL 2)
Last year’s finish: Eliminator 1
Strengths
Zalmi has been known as a bowling side, but this time around, their batting strength is impressive. Kamran Akmal is the leading run-scorer in PSL history and will be looking to silence his doubters, while the exciting young talent of Haider Ali will be looking to burst onto the scene.
Sherfane Rutherford and Imam-ul-Haq are solid players and can do the job required from them. Shoaib Malik is still going strong, and he will be fired up to make his way back into the national team set up. Peshawar’s platinum pick, David Miller, might not be available for some part of the tournament, but he is a world-class power-hitter to have in the ranks.
Weaknesses
After a poor bowling performance in the previous season, Zalmi almost completely changed their bowling unit for PSL 6. Wahab Riaz is still the spearhead of this bowling unit with the additions of Mohammad Irfan, Umaid Asif, Amad Butt, and Saqib Mehmood.
The fast bowling unit does look complete but lacks a bit of quality. Irfan, Wahab, and Umaid are all on the wrong side of the careers, and an aging bowling attack will be required to be in peak physical condition to tackle the rigorous month-long tournament.
Their spin attack looks a bit light as well. While the other franchises have gone spin-heavy in their squads, Zalmi has gone with two spinners in their squad including Mujeeb-ur-Rahman and Abrar Ahmed.
While both are very young, Mujeeb does possess the experience of playing international cricket and various leagues around the world. Historically, the pitches in Pakistan have offered assistance to the spinners, but Zalmi has gone pace heavy yet again.
Superstar
Wahab Riaz, Shoaib Malik, Kamran Akmal, and Mujeeb-ur-Rahman had a shout as the superstar, but we have gone for the explosive South African, David Miller.
Miller will be taking part in his first-ever PSL, and judging by his phenomenal knock in the third T20I between Pakistan and South Africa, he will love batting on these pitches. Miller has been in the circuit for a long time and is a renowned power-hitter. He will add the star power to PSL and provide the fireworks for Peshawar Zalmi in the middle-order.
Imagine Mohammad Amir bowling to David Miller at National Stadium Karachi! That’s what PSL is all about.
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Hidden Gem
Although people would have expected Haider Ali to be the hidden gem, he is not exactly hidden as he is a regular for the national T20I side. Therefore, we chose Amad Butt.
Amad Butt is on the periphery of the national side, and he will be looking to impress the national selectors. Amad is a magnificent T20 player and has got all the tools required to be a top-class all-rounder.
Amad is an exceptional bowler and is quite handy with the bat in the lower order. He is lauded as one of the fittest players in the domestic circuit and will be looking to make a name for himself in PSL 6.
Predicted Finish
Peshawar might have a few superstars in the team, but the team has left too many gaps. This team does not come close to Peshawar’s squads of the past, and it will be surprising to see them in the playoffs this season.
Wahab Riaz is expected to lead the side once again, and judging by his previous performance, it does not look like a good sign for the Zalmi fans. The bowling attack feels light, and Miller’s unavailability for the first part of the tournament does not help their cause either.
Our prediction for Zalmi this season is sixth!
Peshawar Zalmi Squad
| Wahab Riaz (c) | Shoaib Malik | David Miller |
| Kamran Akmal (wk) | Sherfane Rutherford | Mujeeb-ur-Rahman |
| Tom-Kohler Cadmore | Haider Ali | Amad Butt |
| Umaid Asif | Imam-ul-Haq | Mohammad Irfan Snr. |
| Saqib Mahmood | Mohammad Imran | Mohammad Imran Randhawa |
| Abrar Ahmed | Ravi Bopara | Mohammad Amir Khan |
Peshawar Zalmi Schedule
| Match No. | Date | Fixture | Time | Venue |
| 1 | Sunday, 21 February | Lahore Qalandars v Peshawar Zalmi | 2:00 pm | National Stadium Karachi |
| 2 | Tuesday, 23 February | Peshawar Zalmi v Multan Sultans | 7:00 pm | National Stadium Karachi |
| 3 | Friday, 26 February | Peshawar Zalmi v Quetta Gladiators | 8:00 pm | National Stadium Karachi |
| 4 | Saturday, 27 February | Peshawar Zalmi vs Islamabad United | 7:00 pm | National Stadium Karachi |
| 5 | Wednesday, 3 March | Karachi Kings v Peshawar Zalmi | 2:00 pm | National Stadium Karachi |
| 6 | Saturday, 6 March | Peshawar Zalmi v Lahore Qalandars | 7:00 pm | National Stadium Karachi |
| 7 | Wednesday, 10 March | Peshawar Zalmi v Karachi Kings | 7:00 pm | Gaddafi Stadium, Lahore |
| 8 | Friday, 12 March | Multan Sultans v Peshawar Zalmi | 3:00 pm | Gaddafi Stadium, Lahore |
| 9 | Sunday, 14 March | Quetta Gladiators v Peshawar Zalmi | 2:00 pm | Gaddafi Stadium, Lahore |
| 10 | Monday, 15 March | Islamabad United v Peshawar Zalmi | 7:00 pm | Gaddafi Stadium, Lahore |
Check out the full PSL 2021 schedule here.
Oh come on dont be that rude to the team 6th position thats eude mate