Quetta Gladiators vs Islamabad United Preview – Betting Tips, Latest Odds, Team News and Predictions – 20/2/2020
This year’s Pakistan Super League starts with the reigning title holders Quetta Gladiators against two-time champions Islamabad United. The Gladiators only have one title, but have played in three finals – they were runners-up in 2016 and 2017.
Team news and other information coming out of the Quetta and Islambad camps will likely influence predictions for the opening match of the 2020 PSL. We’ll have you covered with squad news, all the latest cricket odds and some free cricket betting tips.
Quetta Gladiators vs Islamabad United – Match Preview
Where: National Stadium, Karachi
When: Thursday, 20 February 2020
Pitch conditions: The National Stadium hosted the last eight fixtures of the 2019 Pakistan Super League – and generated significantly bigger scores from the team batting first than those collected in the preceding leg in the United Arab Emirates. The average first-innings score was 184 across those eight matches – and Islamabad United went as high as 238 for three against the Lahore Qalandars.
Weather conditions: Typically hot and dry weather, with no forecast of rain, is expected across Karachi on Thursday. A temperature high of 29 degrees Celsius, though, will be the lowest in a week otherwise expected to reach the mid-30s.
Start Time: 21:30 (IST), 16:00 (GMT)
Quetta Gladiators vs Islamabad United – Latest Odds
Betway have the Quetta Gladiators and Islamabad United priced at 2.00 and 1.73, respectively, to win the opening match of the 2020 PSL. We’ve got some good betting tips for you further down this preview, but for now you might want to consider the ‘Will there be a tie’ market at 13.00. These are long odds, but the short nature of T20 cricket certainly lends itself to ties, as seen in the recent New Zealand vs India series. If regular play is tied in the PSL, a super over will decide the result.
Quetta Gladiators vs Islamabad United – Team News
The Quetta Gladiators have been boosted by the arrival of England batsman Jason Roy to their squad. He was in fine form during the recent ODI series against South Africa – and can continue this momentum. They also have Australians Shane Watson and Ben Cutting among their international stars. Watson and Cutting’s roles as seamers could particularly come in handy in conditions conducive to their abilities in taking pace off the ball. The homegrown contingent is spearheaded by Ahmed Shahzad with the bat and Sohail Khan and Mohammad Nawaz with the ball. Quetta will be without batsman Umar Akmal, who has been suspended by the Pakistan Cricket Board.
Islamabad United won’t have South African fast bowler Dale Steyn for this match. He was added to the squad after the PSL draft, but has since been picked for the Proteas’ T20I series against Australia. There was a similar situation when he was late to the Melbourne Stars’ 2019-20 Big Bash League campaign, so he’ll join Islamabad later this month. His absence will likely see ISLU pick an additional Pakistan seamer and have a batsman from abroad – England’s Dawid Malan or New Zealand’s Colin Munro – enter the XI.
Quetta Gladiators vs Islamabad United – squads
| Quetta Gladiators |
Islamabad United |
| Sarfaraz Ahmed (captain) |
Shadab Khan (captain) |
| Ahsan Ali |
Rizwan Hussain |
| Mohammad Nawaz |
Dawid Malan |
| Keemo Paul |
Saif Badar |
| Sohail Khan |
Colin Munro |
| Aarish Ali |
Faheem Ashraf |
| Ben Cutting |
Phil Salt |
| Fawad Ahmed |
Muhammad Musa |
| Shane Watson |
Zafar Gohar |
| Ahmed Shehzad |
Ahmed Abdullah |
| Mohammad Hasnain |
Colin Ingram |
| Naseem Shah |
Asif Ali |
| Abdul Nasir |
Amad Butt |
| Khurram Manzoor |
Hussain Talat |
| Azam Khan |
Luke Ronchi |
| Jason Roy |
Dale Steyn |
| Tymal Mills |
Rumman Raees |
| Anwar Ali |
Akif Javed |
Quetta Gladiators vs Islamabad United – Betting Tips and Prediction
There are several players that could influence the best betting tips and outcomes of cricket predictions, but some more than others. Here are our best PSL bets for Quetta Gladiators vs Islamabad United. As the odds suggest, these teams are viewed as quite well matched so it could be a good idea to focus on the additional markets available with online betting sites.
Mohammad Nawaz to be top bowler for Quetta
Spinner Nawaz is the most prolific bowler in the history of the Gladiators’ time in the PSL. He has been honing his skills for the Rajshahi Royals in the Bangladesh Premier League. Before that, he was with the Cape Town Blitz in South Africa’s Mzansi Super League. He is primed to pounce against ISU and Betway have priced Nawaz at 4.75 to be the top bowler for Quetta in this match.
Colin Ingram to be top batter for Islamabad
Islamabad United have had many great batsmen from abroad over the years, including Shane Watson, JP Duminy and Luke Ronchi. Duminy is no longer with the franchise, while Ronchi is gradually moving into a mentor role. Watson, meanwhile, has moved to the Gladiators. But in Colin Ingram, they have a quintessential T20 freelancer ready to impress for his latest franchise. Ingram is offered at 3.50 to be Islambad United’s top batter. ISLU are priced at 1.73 to have the top batter overall after this match.
Best Bet: Colin Ingram to be Islamabad’s top batter with Betway at 3.50
February 20, 2020 
16:00 
