UMT Markhors face Lake City Panthers in qualifier today

LAHORE: The playoff stage of the Bahria Town Champions One-Day Cup is set to begin Tuesday (today) at the Iqbal Stadium in Faisalabad, with a series of high-stakes matches lined up.

UMT Markhors, Lake City Panthers, Nurpur Lions, and Allied Bank Stallions will battle it out for places in the final, with the action set to kick off at 3pm local time. In the qualifier on Tuesday, the UMT Markhors will face the Lake City Panthers. The winner of this contest will secure a spot in the tournament final scheduled for 29 September, while the losing team will have another opportunity to advance via Eliminator 2 on 27 September.

Eliminator 1 will be played on Wednesday, 25 September, between Nurpur Lions and Allied Bank Stallions. The Lions secured their playoff spot despite winning just one of their league matches, and they will be looking to turn their fortunes around in this knockout stage.

The four teams reached the playoff stage after competing in the league round held from 12 to 22 September. The UMT Markhors finished top of the points table with three wins out of four games, followed closely by Lake City Panthers, who also secured three victories. The Stallions, with two wins and two losses, took third place, while the Lions, despite a tough round, managed to finish fourth.

Engro Dolphins ended the tournament in fifth place with only one win from four outings. UMT Markhors’ Kamran Ghulam leads the charts, having amassed 247 runs in four matches at an impressive average of 61.75, including two centuries. He is followed by Stallions’ Babar Azam, who has scored 230 runs at 76.67 with one century, and Tayyab Tahir, who has made 221 runs at 55.25, including a century.

In the bowling department, Panthers’ pacer Mohammad Hasnain leads the pack with 11 wickets, including a career-best List-A performance of 5-74. He is closely followed by Stallions’ Jahandad Khan with 10 wickets, while Zahid Mehmood (Markhors) and Shaheen Shah Afridi (Lions) are tied for third place with nine wickets each.

Mohammad Rizwan, captain of the UMT Markhors, expressed confidence ahead of the Qualifier, saying, “We had an exciting run in the league round apart from one hiccup, and we look forward to carrying the winning momentum with the help of Almighty. The Qualifier against Lake City Panthers is going to be highly challenging, and I’m sure the fans will witness a good contest.”

Shadab Khan, leading the Lake City Panthers, emphasised his team’s resurgence after their opening loss. “After losing the first match, we got back to winning ways thanks to some of our batters and bowlers regaining form. We look forward to putting our best foot forward against the strong Markhors outfit,” he said.

Mohammad Haris, the captain of Allied Bank Stallions, called the upcoming eliminator a “do or die affair.” “The league round has been highly competitive, and we are now up for the challenge ahead,” he said. “Our game against the Lions will be tough, but we are ready to showcase our best.”

Shaheen Shah Afridi, captain of Nurpur Lions, highlighted the resilience of his side. “Our team has been tested throughout the league round, and now the eliminator is the best opportunity to put that valuable experience to use.”