Lahore Qalandars vs Quetta Gladiators, PSL T20 2023, Today Match Prediction 02 March 2023

lhq vs qtg Match Prediction & Analysis

Lahore Qalandars will be eyeing a 4th straight win as they take on Quetta Gladiators at the Gaddafi Stadium in Lahore. The home team has won both of their games at this venue so far scoring 200 and above on both occasions while batting first.

Quetta Gladiators, who will be coming here on the back of a hat-trick of losses, have already lost to Lahore in their previous meeting. The Gladiators have conceded 220 and 198 runs bowling first in their last two games.

The pitch on this ground is also batting-friendly and the home team is in great form. As such, the visitors will have a tough challenge on their hands. Jason Roy, Martin Guptill, and Mohammad Hafeez will be the key players to lead a comeback from QTG.

Lahore Qalandars, on the other hand, are enjoying the consistency of their batters, so much so that they reached a 200-run score in the last game without a single fifty. 

TEAMS PREVIEW

Lahore Qalandars Preview

Shaheen Afridi, who’s been pretty expensive in the last two outings in Lahore, will be happy with the team's overall performance. Qalandars have been dominating every aspect of the game. David Wiese and Rashid Khan led the bowling effort in their recent 110-run win over ISU.

Lahore Qalandars bowled ISU out for 90 runs in defence of a 200-run total. Even if it is considered a rare occasion, nothing should be taken away from Lahore’s batting consistency. It was for the second time in the last three innings that the Qalandars posted a 190+ total without a single fifty in the innings.

While Mirza Baig, Fakhar Zaman, and Shafique have all been in form at the top, Sikandar Raza also continues to impress with his strike rate in the lower order.

Sam Billings came in for Shai Hope recently and hit the ground running with his significant contributions at impressive strike rates. The lower middle order of this batting lineup is strong and makes a huge impact.

Raza is also crucial with the ball and can deliver a couple of good overs and a breakthrough. Though Shaheen Afridi has been expensive, he is known for his ability to move the new ball and find early breakthroughs. 

Lahore Qalandars Predicted Playing XI:

Fakhar Zaman, Mirza Tahir Baig, Abdullah Shafique, Sam Billings (wk), Hussain Talat, Sikandar Raza, David Wiese, Rashid Khan, Shaheen Afridi (c), Haris Rauf, Zaman Khan

Lahore Qalandars Actual Playing XI:

Abdullah Shafiq, Sikandar Raza, Fakhar Zaman, Zaman Khan, Tahir Baig, Hussain Talat, Shaheen Afridi, Sam Billings, David Wiese, Haris Rauf, Rashid Khan

Quetta Gladiators Preview

With the kind of batting lineup Quetta have got, one could expect them to top the points table. But the failure of stars in this side has resulted in the Gladiators staying at the bottom with just 1 win from 5 matches so far.

Jason Roy, Martin Guptill, and Will Smeed make the top order as good as it can get. And then Mohammad Hafeez and Sarfaraz Ahmed in the middle followed by the big-hitting Iftikhar Ahmed at number 5 as the finisher makes it a solid-looking lineup.

Unfortunately, the performances haven’t been consistent and when someone has got going, they haven’t found support from others. Hafeez scored 48 off 26 in the last match while chasing 221 runs. But QTG lost their top 3 for just 26 runs in the run chase.

Though Sarfaraz and Iftikhar also made some contributions, it wasn’t enough. Martin Guptill has plenty of international experience and needs to bring that to his game. Iftikhar Ahmed was in sublime form before the start of PSL and should be looking to get back to his rhythm.

Mohammad Nawaz is also an asset in the lower order who can play some big shots and deliver quick runs at the death. The likes of Mohammad Hasnain, Naseem Shah, and Odean Smith who lead the pace attack haven’t been quite successful of late.

And they are coming to Lahore to play in even more challenging conditions where the pitch offers great help for the batters.

Quetta Gladiators Predicted Playing XI:

Jason Roy, Martin Guptill, Will Smeed, Mohammad Hafeez, Sarfaraz Ahmed (c & wk), Iftikhar Ahmed, Mohammad Nawaz, Odean Smith, Mohammad Hasnain, Naseem Shah, Aimal Khan

Quetta Gladiators Actual Playing XI:

Naveen ul Haq, Naseem Shah, Martin Guptill, Sarfaraz Ahmed, Yasir Khan, Odean Smith, Iftikhar Ahmed, Mohammad Hafeez, Will Smeed, Umaid Asif, Mohammad Nawaz

PITCH AND WEATHER CONDITIONS

Weather Conditions

The pitch is great for batting as witnessed in the last couple of games here. It will be another high-scoring thriller as the in-form Qalandars meet the Gladiators with great batting potential. The weather will be partly cloudy with a high of 27 degrees Celsius.

Venue Details

Gaddafi Stadium in Lahore will host its third match of this season. It is a high-scoring venue with an average 1st inning score of 176 runs in domestic T20s. Qalandars scored 200 and 241 in their last two outings here while batting first. The team batting first should be aiming at 200+ to ensure a winning total.

Toss: To Bat

Lahore opted to bat first and won by a huge margin on both occasions at this venue. Teams batting first have won 21 of the 34 domestic T20s on this ground. Though the Gladiators have a deep batting lineup with big-hitting players in the lower order, chasing will not be on their mind given the current form. Both teams would be eager to opt to bat first and post a big enough total.