The final of HBL PSL 3 is fast approaching us which will be held on 25th March, 2018 in the National Stadium of Karachi, which is upgraded after 21 years. The tournament’s official partner, OPPO has played a huge role in the success of PSL 2018 edition. The tournament is about to get heated with the final taking place on Sunday.
The final will be played between two champions, Islamabad United, who won the annual PSL edition and Peshawar Zalmi who won the second edition of PSL. Now, these two champions will go against each other to prove which one is the champion of champions.
Expected crowd:
According to many reports, the stadium that has a capacity of 34,228 has been renovated completely. On top of that, the tickets for the final were sold in less than 15 minutes, hence it is expected that the stadium will be jam-packed.
Teams for the final:
1.Peshawar Zalmi squad:
It is expected Peshawar Zalmi’s team will remain the same as it was in the last match against Karachi Kings in Lahore with Darren Sami, despite being injured reprising his role as the captain of Zalmi to defend their title.
2.Islamabad United squad:
Islamabad United’s team will change since the first qualifier they played against Karachi Kings back in Dubai. Misbah ul Haq is still injured, therefore he won’t be playing in the match but will look over his team in the final. And the players that PCB has managed to bring to Pakistan are JP Duminy, who is the current captain of Islamabad United, Samil Patel, Steven Finn, Chadwick Walton, and finally, the leading run scorer for Islamabad in PSL 2018, Luke Ronchi. Dean Jones, the coach of United will also be in the final in Karachi.
The foreign players who couldn’t make it are Sam Billings and Alex Hales.
Security:
Arrangements made for security are foolproof and have now been finalized in Karachi. Full control of the stadium has been given to the paramilitary force, and 8500 police officers as well as 1600 traffic wardens have been deployed all over the region to help the people to avoid hurdles like traffic jams on the day of the final.
Timings:
The final of PSL 3 will commence at 7 pm. Anyone without CNIC or a ticket will not be allowed to enter the stadium or the shuttle service that will take them to the stadium. Entry into the stadium will be closed before 5 pm.
Predictions:
Islamabad United and Peshawar Zalmi have the following stats in head-to-head:
|
| Played | Peshawar Zalmi (Matches Won) | Islamabad United (Matches Won) |
| Overall | 6 | 3 | 3 |
Statistics of players head-to-head:
Highest run scorers for both teams:
| Players | Teams | Matches | Innings | Runs | Average | SR | HS | 100s | 50s | 6s | 4s |
| Kamran Akmal | Peshawar Zalmi | 12 | 12 | 424 | 42.40 | 158.20 | 107* | 1 | 4 | 28 | 41 |
| Luke Ronchi | Islamabad United | 10 | 10 | 383 | 42.55 | 179.81 | 94* | 0 | 4 | 19 | 47 |
Highest wickets takers for both teams:
| Players | Teams | Matches | Innings | Wickets | Average | Economy | BBI | SR | 4WI | 5WI |
| Faheem Ashraf | Islamabad United | 11 | 11 | 17 | 16.35 | 7.72 | 3/19 | 12.7 | 0 | 0 |
| Wahab Riaz | Peshawar Zalmi | 11 | 11 | 16 | 17.50 | 6.51 | 3/30 | 16.1 | 0 | 0 |
Some extra things to keep in mind:
- You can only enter the stadium by the shuttle bus and the parking area will be far from the stadium to ensure security.
- No kind of food or water is allowed from outside the stadium’s premises. The stalls right next to the parking will provide you with the necessary food and drinks.
- Cigarette, tobacco, matchbox or anything that can pose a threat is not allowed.
- Selfie sticks, 3G/4G devices, drones etc. are not allowed except mobile phones.
- Once entering the stadium, you will not be allowed to leave your seat even if you want to go to a restroom or outside.
After 9 years, cricket that involves international players is coming back to Karachi and it will prove to be a memorable moment. And no matter who wins the final, one thing is for sure; Pakistan has won.
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