PSL 2023 match preview: Lahore Qalandars v Quetta Gladiators | The Cricketer

Key match-ups, analysis, form, team news, weather forecast, tickets, TV and streaming information, odds, predictions and more ahead of the latest encounter in the 2023 PSL

What’s the match?

Lahore Qalandars take on Quetta Gladiators in the next match of PSL8.

When is it taking place?

The match is scheduled to start at 7pm local time (2pm GMT) on Thursday, March 2.

Where is the match being played?

The Gaddafi Stadium in Lahore will play host to this fixture.

Who’s got the form?

Quetta Gladiators sit bottom of the table with one win and five losses. They have the daunting task of visiting the Lahore Qalandars, who are at the top with five wins and one loss.

The Qalandars are coming off a dominant 110-run win in their last match against Islamabad United, the joint-second highest margin of victory in the history of the PSL. The Gladiators previous match was also against United but with a very different result, losing by 63 runs.

Shaheen Shah Afridi and Fakhar Zaman lead the way for the Qalandars with the ball and bat, respectively.

The last time the two sides met the Qalandars won by 63 runs with Afridi taking 3 for 22.

What’s the key match-up?

With Jason Roy on England duty, the pressure will fall on Martin Guptill to provide the runs for the Gladiators and the New Zealander is finding them hard to come by. He has 151 runs in five games but the majority of them came in their second game of the tournament where he hit 117 against Karachi Kings. Another big performance is needed for the Gladiators to have any chance in this match.

Standing in Guptill’s way are Afridi and David Weise. They took three wickets apiece against the Gladiators in the last match up and will be looking to dominate again.

Zaman has scored the second-most runs in the tournament, hitting 235 runs at an average of 47. The Gladiators’ will be hoping Mohammad Hasnain can get Zaman out early and carry on his form having taken eight wickets so far in the tournament.

^{Shaheen Shah Afridi [Arif Ali/Getty Images]}

What is the team news?

Roy has joined up with the England team in Bangladesh and will not be available for Quetta Gladiators.

Other than that there are no major issues for either team.

What are the squads?

Lahore Qalandars: Rashid Khan, Haris Rauf, Shaheen Shah Afridi, David Wiese, Abdullah Shafique, Harry Brook, Kamran Ghulam, Zaman Khan, Fakhar Zaman, Hussain Talat, Sikandar Raza, Liam Dawson, Dilbar Hussain, Mirza Tahir Baig, Ahmed Danlyal, Shawaiz Irfan, Jordan Cox, Jalat Khan, Ahsan Bhatti, Sam Billings (partial replacement for Rashid Khan), Shane Dadswell (replacement for Harry Brook), Kusal Mendis (partial replacement for Jordan Cox), Shai Hope (replacement for Kusal Mendis)

Quetta Gladiators: Mohammad Nawaz, Iftikhar Ahmed, Jason Roy, Mohammad Hasnain, Sarfaraz Ahmed, Naveen ul Haq, Umar Akmal, Will Smeed, Wanindu Hasaranga, Naseem Shah, Odean Smith, Mohammad Hafeez, Umaid Asif, Muhammad Zahid, Abdul Bangalzai, Aimal Khan, Martin Guptill, Omair Bin Yousuf, Qais Ahmed, Saud Shakeel, Dwaine Pretorius (partial replacement for Odean Smith), Will Jacks (partial replacement for Jason Roy), Nuwan Thushara (partial replacement for Naveen ul Haq)

*squads are for the overall competition and not specific to this match

What are the possible starting XIs?

Lahore Qalandars: Mirza Baig, Fakhar Zaman, Abdullah Shafique, Sam Billings, Hussain Talat, Sikandar Raza, David Wiese, Rashid Khan, Shaheen Shah Afridi, Haris Rauf, Zaman Khan

Quetta Gladiators: Martin Guptill, Abdul Bangalzai, Mohammad Hafeez, Umar Akmal, Iftikhar Ahmed, Muhammad Nawaz, Odean Smith, Sarfraz Ahmed, Qais Ahmad, Muhammad Hasnain, Naseem Shah

What is the weather forecast?

It is set to be a cloudy evening in Lahore with thunderstorms set to pass over before play. Rain could disrupt the match.

^{Martin Guptill [Asif Hassan/Getty Images]}

What are the odds?

Lahore Qalandars are favourites at 8/13 while Quetta Gladiators are available at 5/4.

What’s the prediction?

Lahore Qalandars should have too much firepower for the Quetta Gladiators, both with the bat and the ball. The off-form Gladiators batting line-up has been weakened further by the absence of Roy and they face an uphill task to end their three-game losing streak.

Where can I watch the game?

Cricket fans in Pakistan will be able to watch PSL8 on A Sports, PTV Sports and TEN Sports on TV. Streamed matches will be available on Daraz App, tapmadTV and Tamasha.

Viewers around the world can watch the action live on Fox Sports (Australia), Sony (South Asia outside Pakistan), Willow TV (North America), Flow Sports (Caribbean), Sky Sports (United Kingdom), Sky Sport (New Zealand), Super Sport (sub-Saharan Africa) and, Etisalat and STARZPLAY (Mena).