LAH vs ISL Today Match Prediction- Who Will Win Today PSL 2024 Match? Match 1

Lahore Qalandars and Islamabad United are set to battle against each other in the opening match of PSL 2024. The PSL 2024 openers will be played on February 17, Saturday. PSL 2024 opening game will witness a lot of action.

Like IPL, PSL also enjoys a lot of crowd support due to the large population following cricket in Pakistan. The venue of the Lahore Qalandars and Islamabad United match is Gaddafi Stadium in Lahore.

Lahore Qalandars are the defending champions of PSL 2024. They crushed Multan Sultans in the final by 1 run to win the trophy. Islamabad United finished in the 3rd spot in the points table last season. They lost the Eliminator match to Peshawar Zalmi and could not reach the final.

Lahore Qalandars will look for their third consecutive title in PSL 2024. On the other hand, Islamabad United will look to avenge their defeats of last season, as they lost both of their games against Qalandars. Below we take a glance at Lahore Qalandars vs Islamabad United match prediction.

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Team Analysis

Lahore Qalandars

Lahore Qalandars are the defending champions of PSL 2024. They have won the titles in the last two seasons. Hence, they are the red-hot favorites in PSL 2024. Under Shaheen Afridi, Lahore Qalandars dominated the last two seasons.

In the batting department, Fakhar Zaman, Abdullah Shafique, and Bhanuka Rajapaksa are three big names in their squad. Among pacers, Shaheen Afridi and Harif Rauf are two crucial members. They lack experienced spinners but have a lot of all-rounders like Sikandar Raza, David Wiese, and Mirza Tahir Baig.

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Islamabad United

All-rounder Shadab Khan leads Islamabad United in PSL 2024. They gave a wonderful show last season by finishing in the 3rd spot in the points table. However, they could not qualify for the final. Coolin Munro, Alex Hales, and Haider Ali are some experienced international batters in their squad.

Naseem Shah, Tymal Mills, and Odeb McCoy will lead the pace attack among bowlers. Shadab Khan will also be a powerful option for the spin all-rounder. Imad Wasim and Faheem Ashraf will add support in both batting and bowling.

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Key Factors

Pitch Conditions

Gaddafi Stadium in Lahore is considered a good-scoring ground in T20Is. The average 1st innings total is 162 while the average 2nd innings total is 144. Interestingly, teams batting first won 8 games out of 9 at Gaddafi Stadium last season. Hence, batting first looks like a big advantage at the stadium.

Form and fitness

Islamabad United will be short of only one key pacer Tom Curran. The England pacer has pulled out of the series due to injury. The rest of the players are available. Islamabad United have many players who are part of the Pakistan national team. Hence, they are expected to benefit from powerful domestic members.

Lahore Qalandars have faced a big blow due to Rashid Khan’s ouster. The right-arm spinner will not be able to participate in the tournament due to injury. England batter Dan Lawrence will join the PSL 2024 later and hence, Qalandar will be short of one powerful batter in the first leg of the season.

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Tactical Acumen

Lahore Qalandars have a powerful set of pacers including the likes of Shaheen Afridi and Haris Rauf. However, Rashid Khan’s absence will affect their spin attack. They do not have experienced spinners and will have to depend on spin all-rounder Sikandar Raza in the spin department.

Fakhar Zaman, Abdullah Shafique, and Bhanuka Rajapaksa have a lot of responsibilities in batting.  With powerful openers like Alex Hales and Colin Munro, Islamabad United have a powerful top order in PSL 2024.

Haider Ali also adds a lot of support in the top order. With all-rounders like Agha Salman, Shadab Khan, Imad Wasim, and Faheem Ashraf, Islamabad United does not have many options in the bowling department. They will also play a crucial role in the middle-order.

Islamabad United also have some quality pacers like Naseem Shah, Tymal Mills, and Obed McCoy. Shah has missed a lot of games in recent months due to injury. He will be looking for an amazing comeback in PSL 2024. Tymal Mills and Obed McCoy will have to pull up their socks to set up a powerful pace attack for Islamabad United.

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LAH vs ISL Today Match Prediction- Who Will Win Today PSL 2024 Match? Match 1

Score Prediction

Team	1st Innings	2nd Innings
Lahore Qalandars	180-200	170-190
Islamabad United	170-190	160-180

Players to perform prediction

Lahore Qalandars- Fakhar Zaman, Abdullah Shafique, and Bahnuka Rajapaksa are some batters who can come up with a good show in batting. Among bowlers, Shaheen Afridi and Haris Rauf will be in the limelight. Sikandar Raza is expected to excel in a spin as he will be the focus due to Rashid Khan’s absence.

Islamabad United- Colin Munro and Alex Hales are highly expected to come up with a powerful show in batting. Skipper Shadab Khan will play a key role in both bowling and batting. Among bowlers, Naseem Shah is back after a long injury and he will be a lethal pacer to the team in PSL 2024.

Best Batsman

Who will score the most runs for Lahore Qalandars in the match: Fakhar Zaman or Abdullah Shafique

Who will score the most runs for Islamabad United in the match: Alex Hales or Haider Ali

Best Bowler

Who will pick the most wickets for Lahore Qalandars in the match: Shaheen Afridi or Haris Rauf

Who will pick the most wickets for Islamabad United in the match: Naseem Shah or Obed McCoy.

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Who will win the Match?

Lahore Qalandars are highly likely to win the PSL 2024 opening game. Notably, Lahore Qalandars defeated Islamabad United by huge margins in both encounters last season. However, it is to be noted that Gaddafi Stadium witnessed teams batting first winning 8 games out of 9 last season. Hence, the batting first will have a big advantage.

Conclusion

Lahore Qalandars are highly likely to dominate Islamabad United in the PSL 2024 opener. Last season, they crushed Islamabad United by big margins in both encounters. On paper, Lahore Qalandars is a much stronger team than Islamabad United.