Babar Azam To Open With Saim Ayub; Peshawar Zalmi Probable XI Vs Quetta Gladiators

Peshawar probable XI [Source: @thePSLt20/X.com]

Peshawar Zalmi (PZ) will take on Quetta Gladiators (QG) in match number two of the Pakistan Super League (PSL) 2025 at the Rawalpindi Cricket Stadium. This clash will take place on Saturday, April 12th, 2025, from 4:00 PM IST.

Babar Azam's men will look to go one step further this time around after losing the second eliminator as they won six out of the 10 games last season in the group stages and finished second with 13 points, but lost both the qualifier and eliminator to Multan Sultans and Islamabad United, respectively.

So, in pursuit of the title, the Zalmi side have accumulated a strong lineup, and hence, their playing XI might look like this against Quetta Gladiators.

Saim Ayub, Babar Azam To Open; Haris, Kohler-Cadmore To Take Care Of Middle-Order

After coming from a serious ankle injury, Saim Ayub will be back at the top as he will open the innings alongside skipper Babar Azam, with the duo likely to make a significant impact at the top.

Following them in the middle order will be Mohammad Haris and England's Tom Kohler-Cadmore, who will have an important role to play after having a tough season last year, where they couldn't score runs in the middle as both these players will have to be wary of their chances in this tournament. Both Haris and Kohler-Cadmore will have to find runs and ensure that Zalmi scores runs in the middle overs.

Following Haris and Kohler-Cadmore will be Hussain Talat and Abdul Samad in the lower middle order, while George Linde's all-round skills will come in handy in most games. The biggest problem for the Peshawar side is the inexperience of the middle order. Hussain Talat only featured in one game last year, while Abdul Samad is yet to make his debut in the PSL.

Another player that could get a chance in the lineup is Mehran Mumtaz, who had decent figures in the recently concluded National T20 Cup, where he smashed a blistering half-century. Mehran is a decent bowling option who can add runs with the bat as well. It will be interesting to see if he gets an opportunity in this game or not.

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Nahid Rana, Luke Wood Headline Pace Attack

Bangladesh pacer Nahid Rana can bowl some serious pace, accompanied by England's Luke Wood, whose left-arm fast deliveries can cause batters trouble. Peshawar's bowling lineup looks solid with these two pacers, while George Linde's left-arm orthodox spin bowling can be quite useful in turning conditions.

Sufiyan Muqeem and Muhammad Ali are the other local recruits who could add value to this bowling lineup, as they will have a crucial role to play. However, both of them are majorly inexperienced, and that could cause Peshawar Zalmi a lot of problems going into the tournament.

Adding to this, they do have the express pace of a Alzarri Joseph, who could come in as a replacement for Luke Wood or Nahid Rana in the bowling department.

Talking about the spin department, it too lacks zip, with only Linde being the proper spinner with some quality experience behind him. Also, even in this department, they can bring Mehran, although inexperienced; he has decent numbers with the ball.

Peshawar Zalmi Probable Starting XI Vs Quetta Gladiators

Saim Ayub, Babar Azam (C), Mohammad Haris (WK), Tom Kohler-Cadmore, Hussain Talat, Abdul Samad, George Linde, Luke Wood, Nahid Rana, Sufiyan Muqeem, Mohammad Ali

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