Quetta Gladiators and Lahore Qalandars were the finalists last season. But that did not guarantee they would do well this year. They are among the bottom-ranked teams now, with only two wins after almost half of the tournament. In the span of four days, Lahore and Quetta will play each other twice, and gaining dominance in the first game could set the pace for the next one as well.
Lahore will be playing their first game in a week, having faced Peshawar Zalmi in their last match on April 11. It was a forgettable game, where they badly lost the plot mid-way. Their highest run-scorer was Abdullah Shafique with a mere 21-run tally. And while Quetta have had somewhat the same treatment from Zalmi, unlike Lahore, they have a win to show for it in Karachi.
Head-to-Head Matches:
Historically, Lahore have had an edge over Quetta, having won 11 out of 21 matches the two teams have faced each other in. Gladiators lost two games, one of which was the final, to Lahore in the previous edition.
Probable Playing XI:
Lahore Qalandars:
Fakhar Zaman, Mohammad Naeem, Abdullah Shafique, Haseebullah Khan (wk), Asif Ali, Sikandar Raza, Shaheen Shah Afridi (capt), Dunith Wellalage, Usama Mir, Haris Rauf, Ubaid Shah
Quetta Gladiators:
Shamyl Hussain, Saud Shakeel (c), Rilee Rossouw, Hassan Nawaz, Dinesh Chandimal (wk), Tom Curran, Jahandad Khan, Ahsan Ali, Alzarri Joseph, Abrar Ahmed, Usman Tariq
Where to Watch:
Australia & New Zealand: ESPN
Bangladesh: T Sports, Tapmad (live stream)
Middle East & North Africa (MENA): Cricbuzz (live stream), Switch TV, Cricbuzz TV on ELIFE, STARZPLAY (live stream)
Sri Lanka: Dialog TV, Tapmad (live stream), VIU Hub (live stream)
Nepal: Tapmad (live stream)
United Kingdom: ARY Digital, ARY Plus
United States & Canada: Willow TV, Willow Sports, Willow (by Cricbuzz) (live stream)
Pakistan: PTV, A Sports, Geo Super, Ten Sports, Tapmad (live stream), Tamasha (live stream), Myco (live stream)
Rest of the World: Tapmad (live stream)
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