At the time of writing, on Tuesday, Chris Gayle is smashing Umar Gul and Anwar Ali to all parts of the rather empty Dubai Cricket Stadium. The ongoing match between Lahore Qalandars and Quetta Gladiators is imperative for the second and third playoffs before the final.
While today’s (Friday) first playoff would be played between (by far) the two best sides in the Pakistan Super League (PSL), Peshawar Zalmi and the Gladiators, tomorrow’s second playoff would be dependent on the results from the matches on Tuesday and Wednesday.
While Zalmi and Gladiators raced ahead of the rest quickly, they were joined by Islamabad United on Sunday after they completed the double on Karachi Kings. One of Kings or Qalandars - the two teams with the biggest following - would have been knocked out by the time you read this, with the team that has qualified playing United in Saturday’s second playoff.
The odds are that today's first playoff between Zalmi and Gladiators will also be the line-up for Tuesday's final
How the PSL playoffs work was discussed in this space last week. This means that there is still a chance of the first playoff - Zalmi vs Gladiators - being the final as well. No one would argue against it being a matchup between the two best league teams. But the pressure situation of the playoffs can do funny things, once nerves are tested.
For Zalmi all of their leading bowlers and batsmen have fired. From the attacking trio of Shaun Tait, Junaid Khan and Wahab Riaz to the opening batsmen Tamim Iqbal and Mohammed Hafeez, everyone has performed well. Shahid Afridi and Mohammad Asghar have been good with the ball as well, along with Darren Sammy who bowled the crucial final over against the Kings, when Bopara was about to take them home. With Malan in form and Brad Hodge joining the team after playing the MCL, Zalmi look like the favourites ahead of today’s game, especially after having beaten Gladiators on Sunday.
The Wahab-versus-Shehzad scuffle
Gladiators, meanwhile, have relied on their spinners for success so far. Zulfiqar Babar, Mohmmad Nawaz and Mohammad Nabi have spearheaded the Quetta attack, with Grantt Elliot’s slow medium pace coming in handy as well. Elliot’s record 60-run last wicket stand with Zulfiqar Babar against Zalmi on Sunday showed how important his contribution is going to be, should Gladiators aspire to lift the inaugural PSL trophy. Gladiators have a mouth-watering batting line-up featuring Ahmed Shehzad, Kevin Pietersen, Kumar Sangakkara (or Luke Wright), and Sarfraz Ahmed. Today’s playoff promises to be a belter either way.
The teams playing the second playoff on Saturday would need to win two successive matches to reach the final. This would include beating either Zalmi or Gladiators in Sunday’s decider. The only team that looks likely to do it are Lahore Qalandars, considering their batting performance against Gladiators on Tuesday and the fact that in the first 7 games, the only two teams they’ve actually beaten are Zalmi and Gladiators. But their qualification - at the time of writing - hinges on Karachi’s game against Peshawar. The only team that the Kings have beaten before that crucial game are the Qalandars.
Ravi Bopara
Despite having one of the most balanced squads in the PSL, Kings’ downfall has been due to the fact that almost none of their big names have stepped up. The likes of Shakib Al Hassan, Shoaib Malik, James Vince and Iman Wasim just haven’t come to the party. It’s only Ravi Bopara - who was both the league’s leading wicket taker and highest run getter following Kings win over Qalandars - who has virtually carried his team. Another factor that has pushed the Kings down the table has been the fact that they have lost too many closer encounters.
For Islamabad United, Shane Watson (their first pick) being ruled out of the playoffs is a massive blow. While Azhar Mehmood has stepped in, Watson’s are massive boots to fill. United would need Sharjeel Khan, Khalid Lateef and skipper Misbah-ul-Haq to score big to have any chance of reaching the final. The big-hitting Andre Russel is United’s wild card. If he fires, anything can happen. On the bowling front, a strong performance would be needed from Saeed Ajmal, in a tournament where spinners have ruled the roost. Mohammed Sami also has one of his last shots at glory.
Four teams remain as the playoffs kick off today. By Sunday night, half of them would be gone. The two remaining will play the final on Tuesday. May the best team win.
