United look to bounce back as Zalmi aims to improve

LAHORE: As the Pakistan Super League 2025 reaches its halfway mark table-top pers Islamabad United take on fifth-placed Peshawar Zalmi in a crucial encounter at Gaddafi Stadium here. With playoff spots at stake, both teams will be looking to strengthen their positions in the points table. Peshawar Zalmi are struggling to find consis tency this season, having won just two of their six matches. Their last outing resulted in a crushing 64-run defeat to Quetta Gladiators, where they were bowled out for a meager 114 while chasing 178. The top order’s failure has been a recurring issue, with Saim Ayub and Babar Azam unable to provide solid starts. In their match against Islamabad, they would be looking towards their key players to deliver. Mohammad Haris, their leading run-scorer for with 210 runs, Alzarri Joseph, their top wicket-taker with 10 scalps, Tom Kohler-Cad more, who bats with crucial approach and Hussain Talat has shown glimpses of form in the previous match need to play a central role for Zalmi. Despite leading the points table with five wins from six matches, Islam abad United come into this fixture on the back of a surprising 88-run defeat to Lahore Qalandars. After conceding 209 runs, their batting collapsed for just 121, exposing poten tial vulnerabilities in their otherwise dominant cam paign. They would be looking towards Sahibzada Farhan, the tournament’s in-form batsman with 245 runs, Jason Holder, leading wick et-taker with 14 wickets, Agha Salman, who scored 36 in the previous match and expected to be a key performer and Imad Wasim, versatile all-rounder pre dicted to make an impact with the ball, to show why they are the table toppers. With Islamabad United looking to bounce back from their recent defeat and Peshawar Zalmi desperate to improve their position on the points table, this promises to be an intriguing encounter. While Islamabad enters as favorites, Peshawar have the individual talent to cause an upset if their key players perform. All eyes will be on Agha Salman, who is tipped to be the player with high scoring capability.