Last season’s runner-up Peshawar takes on Lahore in the first eliminator of Pakistan T20 League 2020. The losing side will be knocked out of the tournament and play either Multan or Karachi.
Match Timings: Nov 14, 8:30 PM
Team Preview
The pandemic affected Peshawar and Lahore face-off in the eliminator game of the 2020 season. Peshawar slipped last season after losing the final to Quetta in Karachi. They have added a big name in the top-order with the name of Faf du Plessis. The South African batsman scored 449 runs in 13 innings at Indian T20 League. Hardus Viljoen, Yasir Shah, and Khurram Shahzad have been included in Liam Dawson, Lewis Gregory, and Amir Khan. Saqib Mahmood will also join in place of Livingstone, who withdrew himself from the playoffs.
Hasan Ali injured himself in a domestic tournament, so he might be rested. Wahab captained the side in the second half, so captaincy might be changed. Peshawar has a strong unit, and they can try Kamran and Imam in the opening slot, following Faf at one-down. Young Haider Ali can find him in middle-order. In experience, they have Shoaib Malik and Wahab Riaz at the finishing end. The bowling department would be a big worry for them. They can also try Brathwaite to get both options. Yasir Shah with spin is a big advantage.
Meanwhile, Lahore also roped in Tamim Iqbal to replace Chris Lynn and Abid Ali for Salman Butt. The duo might open for Lahore. They have also included Agha Salman for Sri Lanka's Sekkuge Prasanna. Their bowling unit is extremely good with Shaheen Shah and Haris Rauf, who were the top wicket-takers in the National T20 Cup 2020.
The middle-order is their weak part, and they would hope to see some spark from South African stars Dane Vilas and David Wiese. Ben Dunk is also their most prolific batsman in the middle-order. Fakhar Zaman has a terrific season with the bat in National T20 Cup, and Hafeez is already playing high in international T20s. He was the player of the series on the England tour. Samit Patel has recently won the T20 Blast title for Nottinghamshire, and he will provide the all-round option for Lahore.
Pitch Report
Natioanl Stadium Karachi is a batting ground and it’s a night game so we expect a high-scoring game. The surface is bit dry but the dew might help the chasing sides. The toss will be important.
Possible XI
Lahore
Fakhar Zaman, Abid Ali/Tamim Iqbal, Mohammad Hafeez, Ben Dunk (wk), Sohail Akhtar (c), Samit Patel, David Wiese, Shaheen Afridi, Dilbar Hussain, Haris Rauf, Maaz Khan
Peshawar
Kamran Akmal (wk), Imam-ul-Haq, Faf du Plessis, Haider Ali, Shoaib Malik, Carlos Brathwaite, Wahab Riaz (c), Yasir Shah, Rahat Ali, Khurram Shehzad, Hardus Viljoen/Mehmood
Key Players
Lahore
Fakhar Zaman
National T20 Cup 2020 – M: 12, Runs: 420, Avg: 35
Shaheen Afridi
National T20 Cup 2020 – M: 10, Wickets: 20, Avg: 14.90
Peshawar
Faf du Plessis
Indian T20 League 2020 – M: 13, Runs: 449, Avg: 37.41
Imam-ul-Haq
National T20 Cup 2020 – M: 9, Runs: 375, Avg: 53.57
