PZ vs IU Match Prediction & Betting Tips - Feb 23, 2023
Islamabad United will be looking to get back to winning ways as it faces Peshawar Zalmi on Thursday at Karachi in the ongoing edition of the Pakistan Super League.
United are 5th on the points table and a win here will help them overtake Peshawar and claim the number-3 spot. However, they are likely to face tough opposition from their opponents, who will be eyeing the second spot.
PZ vs IU Team Previews
Peshawar Zalmi
Peshawar Zalmi will be pretty satisfied with their performance so far as barring the loss against Multan Sultans, they have performed well as a unit, winning 2 out of their 3 fixtures.
They will however like the batsmen to be a bit more consistent in their performances if they want to gain a foothold in the top-2. Tom Kohler-Cadmore and Babar Azam played brilliantly in the opening match against the Karachi Kings but have struggled a bit in the last 2 matches.
The team will expect more from the likes of Mohammad Haris and Saim Ayub in the upcoming matches to make big scores. James Neesham and Rovman Powell played well in the last match, with the former picking up a wicket too, displaying his all-round abilities. The spinners have done a decent job so far. Usman Qadir, playing his first game of the season was quite effective, picking up 2 wickets for 26 runs.
However, the team’s most experienced bowler, Wahab Riaz, has struggled so far and has been quite expensive too. The inclusion of all-rounder Dasun Shanaka gives Babar Azam an extra option to use during the middle or death overs.
Peshawar Zalmi Playing 11
Babar Azam, Mohammad Haris, Saim Ayub, Tom Kohler Cadmore, Rovman Powell, Dasun Shanaka, James Neesham, Usman Qadir, Wahab Riaz, Arshad Iqbal, Sufiyan Muqeem.
Islamabad United
Islamabad began its campaign with a convincing victory over the Karachi Kings. However, they were completely outplayed by the Multan Sultans in their next outing, losing the match by 52 runs.
The opening pair of Hassan Nawaz and Paul Stirling has struggled a bit and haven’t been able to score many runs at the top of the order. However, the team has a few good players in the middle order, including Azam Khan, Colin Munro, and Rassie van der Dussen, and the team will be expecting them to play a solid inning here.
The all-rounders, Tom Curran and Faheem Ashraf haven’t been able to score at a quick pace, but these are early days in the tournament and they will get plenty of chances to prove their worth going forward.
The quicker bowlers, including Rumman Raees, Mohammad Waseem Jr., and Tom Curran have done a decent job but the spinners, Abrar Ahmed and Shadab Khan have struggled a bit.
Islamabad United Playing 11
Colin Munro, Rahmanullah Gurbaz, Rassie van der Dussen, Shadab Khan, Azam Khan, Asif Ali, Mubasir Khan, Faheem Ashraf, Tom Curran, Hasan Ali, Rumman Raees.
PZ vs IU Toss Prediction
4 of the last 6 matches played in Karachi have been won by teams batting first. We, therefore, think that the team winning the toss will likely opt to bat first here.
Read our guide on toss predictions to learn how we analyze and come up with our tips.
Pitch and Conditions
The National Stadium has an excellent surface to bat on, especially during the first innings. The pitch has good and consistent bounce with very little movement and batsmen can easily go through with their shots. The average first-inning score here is around 175. However, batting does tend to get a bit difficult during the second innings due to the formation of some rough patches.
The weather is expected to be clear with pleasant temperatures.
PZ vs IU Betting Tips
Both sides are pretty evenly matched in terms of strengths and weaknesses and there is little separating the two at this stage. However, we think that Peshawar Zalmi holds a slight edge here. They are coming into this contest on the back of a good win against Quetta and will be backing themselves to put up a similar performance here.
On the other hand, Islamabad United are yet to strike a good balance in their squad and is likely to struggle a bit here.
Bet on Peshawar Zalmi to win.
Bonus Cricket Bets
Rumman Raees bowled an excellent spell of 2-26 in the last match he played at Karachi and was the top bowler from his team in that game. With the pitch quite helpful to the seamers and looking at the form of the other bowlers from his team, we are backing Rumman to once again emerge as the top bowler here.
Who will win PZ vs IU
Powered by
Match Predictions
Cricket Betting Tips
- Jasprit Bumrah to pick over 1.5 wickets - 2.10 and 2 more RR vs MI betting tips
- The top batter in the encounter is from the West Indies. - 1.80 and 3 more PAKW vs WIW betting tips
- Highest opening partnership - LSG (1.80) and 2 more CSK vs LSG betting tips
- Delhi Capitals to win the toss - 1.90 and 4 more DC vs GT betting tips
- Mohammad Rizwan to emerge as the top batter for his team. - 3.50 and 3 more PAK vs NZ betting tips
We are eager to know what you think of our match predictions, if there is anything we can do better or if you want to let us know your own predictions for the match.