Quetta Gladiators vs Peshawar Zalmi, Match 19, PSL 2021: Fantasy Preview

Quetta Gladiators will take on Peshawar Zalmi in Match 19 of the 2021 Pakistan Super League (PSL) at the Sheikh Zayed Stadium, Abu Dhabi on Saturday (June 12). Both teams are coming off a defeat but on a larger scheme of things, the two sides have different fortunes. Peshawar are placed third on the points table and stay a contender for the Playoffs. Quetta, on the other hand, are languishing at the bottom with only one win in six games. 

The honours are even in the Peshawar-Quetta rivalry. Both teams have won eight encounters each against each other with one game going without a result. Quetta defeated Peshawar four out of four times in the 2019 season but haven’t managed a victory against them since. 

PSL HEAD-TO-HEAD

Overall - 17 | Quetta - 8 Wins | Peshawar - 8 Wins

Last 5 Matches | Quetta - 2 Wins | Peshawar - 3 Wins 

Ground Details and Team Combination

The fast bowlers have had their say at the start of the innings. The new ball has swung with variable bounce, causing a lot of trouble for the opening batsmen. 13 wickets have fallen in the Powerplay since the league has shifted to Abu Dhabi (4 matches). 

Spinners have picked only 14 wickets in comparison to 28 by pace. 6 of these 14 wickets to spinners have been taken by Rashid Khan alone. The pitch has been slow but we can conclude that there is not much assistance for spinners unless we are talking about the brilliance of Rashid. The dew will also make things interesting, especially for the side bowling second. 

Hence, new ball bowlers and middle-order batsmen should be the way to go for this contest. 

Suggested Team

While you could go for the above team, you also have the option of choosing your own team from Cricket.com’s Fantasy Research Centre. Based on algorithms, we have come up with one team.

Captain Suggestion

Shoaib Malik fought a lone battle for Peshawar in their previous game against Lahore Qalandars. Though, Peshawar lost by 10 runs, Malik’s knock of 73 off 48 balls was a big positive for them. He bats at number three, has ample experience and can contribute with his part-time off-spin as well. Therefore, it is tough to look past Malik as your Fantasy captain for this contest. 

Our Criclytics player projector predicts Malik could score 18-26 runs and pick 0-1 wickets in this match

X-Factors

Faf du Plessis had a troubled time last night but the former Protea captain has been a class performer in T20 cricket this year. He had an excellent IPL 2021 with Chennai Super Kings where he scored 320 runs from seven matches at an average of 64 with a strike rate in the upper 140s. There have not been many occasions of late when du Plessis has suffered back to back failures and he would be keen to get Quetta off to a great start in their second game of this Abu Dhabi leg. 

Our Criclytics player projector predicts Du Plessis could score 29-43 runs in this match

Fabian Allen is the kind of X-factor every T20 team would like to possess. In a similar vein, he can boost your fantasy stars as well with his all-round expertise. His left-arm orthodox spin is quite perfect for the slow tracks of Abu Dhabi (if Peshawar bowl first) and he is a basher with the bat. Allen was befuddled by Rashid in the previous game but still laid his effect from the fantasy scheme of things by picking two wickets with the ball. Thus, he is a player you should not miss out on. 

Our Criclytics player projector predicts Allen could score 10-14 runs and pick 1-2 wickets in the match

After an indifferent 2020, Andre Russell seemed to be slowly getting back to his usual self in IPL 2021. Before the tournament was suspended, Russell scored 163 runs, including a fifty. Resuming his cricketing journey with PSL 2021, Russell is the most high profile player in this game. His stint in Abu Dhabi is going to last for four games before he joins the Windies which could inspire him to stamp his authority as soon as possible. He missed out in the first game but given his all-round expertise and his potential impact, he is a must have for any fantasy contest. 

Our Criclytics player projector predicts Russell could score 15-23 runs and pick 1-2 wickets in the match