IU vs PZ 29th Match Prediction

IU vs PZ Team Previews

Islamabad United

Islamabad United was completely blown away by a Fakhar Zaman masterclass in their previous outing as they faced a heavy defeat against the table-toppers Lahore Qalandars on Thursday. Chasing a mammoth target of 227, Islamabad never really got going as the Qalandars' bowlers took wickets at regular intervals. To make matters worse for Islamabad, Azam Khan did not come done to bat after suffering an injury in the first inning.

The top-order batsmen have performed well for Islamabad this season with the likes of Azam Khan, Colin Munro, and Faheem Ashraf playing well throughout the season. The two big hitters in the squad, Rassie van der Dussen, and Rahmanullah Gurbaz too have chipped in with cameos to propel the team toward big totals. With Alex Hales back in the mix, Islamabad has plenty of bite in their batting line-up.

It has been a similar story in the bowling department too as rather than relying on the performance of any one player, the bowlers have chipped in across the board. The seamers have some a good job with the likes of Fazalhaq Farooqi, Hasan Ali, and Mohammad Wasim Jr all being among the wickets.

The spin department however appears to be a bit weak for Islamabad as only captain Shadab Khan has bowled with consistency during the middle overs. 

Peshawar Zalmi

The Peshawar Zalmi have lost their last 2 matches but have managed to hold on to the 4th spot on the points table. A win in this match will guarantee them a spot in the playoffs. However, if they lose this one, their fate will be decided by the outcome of the match between Quetta and Multan.

While Peshawar will be pretty happy with their batting this season, the bowling has been the biggest letdown for them. The bowlers have failed to defend 240+ scores in the last two matches and will need to come up with a different strategy here.

Saim Ayub and Babar Azam have been consistent at the top of the order for Peshawar and have given their team some excellent starts. Babar is the leading scorer for the team and has scored 4 half-centuries and a century in his 9 innings, which speaks volumes about his consistency. Mohammad Haris and Tom Kohler-Cadmore have done well in the middle order, while the presence of Rovman Powell and Haseebullah Khan adds depth to their batting.

Wahab Riaz has been the pick of the bowlers with 9 wickets in as many matches, while the other seamers, Azmatullah Omarzai, and Arshad Iqbal have struggled to contain runs, going at over 10 runs an over in this tournament. The spinners, Mujeeb Ur Rahman and Usman Qadir have picked up 9 wickets between them but they too have been very expensive.