Captains of Qalandars,Sultans, United, Zalmi optimistic to make it into PSL final

F.P. Report

ISLAMABAD: Skippers of Lahore Qalandars, Multan Sultans, Islamabad United and Peshawar Zalmi were optimistic to make it to the final of HBL Pakistan Super League (PSL) 8 and lift the trophy, when the ultimate stage of the competition kicks off at Gaddafi Stadium, Lahore from Wednesday.

Table-toppers Lahore Qalandars, Shaheen Afridi said, “I am delighted with the consistency my team has shown in this edition. We are very thankful to our fans for their continuous support. We have seen houseful matches in Home of Qalandars where the crowd turns out in large numbers to support us. We cannot wait to repay their faith with another title.”

Lahore Qalandars would face Multan Sultans in the PSL Qualifier on Wednesday.
Multan Sultan’s Mohammad Rizwan said, “The first half of the tournament went really well for us and then we lost the way in between. But, I am very happy with how we have made a comeback strongly and ensured that we qualify for the Playoffs.

“We enter the Playoffs with some great fighting spirit and that is what is needed towards the backend of a tournament like the HBL PSL. You need to have that confidence that you can bounce back from any situation and that record run chase and then exceptional performances from our youngsters like Usman Khan, Abbas Afridi and Ihsanullah have instilled believe in us that we can comeback from anywhere. We are eyeing our third consecutive HBL PSL final now, and, with the help of Allah Almighty, we will try to lift the trophy this time.”

Islamabad United and Peshawar Zalmi would meet in the first PSL Eliminator on Thursday and the team that loses will get knocked out of the event. The winner would face the loser of the Qualifier on Friday. Meanwhile the Winner Qualifier and Winner Eliminator 2 would be up against in the final on Sunday.

Islamabad United’s Shadab Khan said, “It has been an exciting season for us, but now we are focused on what lays ahead. As a captain, I am pleased at how the players have performed and especially at how youngsters have raised their hands in tough situations. The results are not something you can control, but as a team, it is important to remain consistent in your processes and know what you are paying for.
“I am pretty confident with our chances. We have lifted the HBL PSL trophy twice and there is no doubt that we can do it for the third time,” he said.

Peshawar Zalmi’s Babar Azam said, “I am very happy to see how the youngsters in Peshawar Zalmi have stepped up and made their potential known to the world. Saim Ayub, Muhammad Haris, Haseebullah and Arshad Iqbal have been outstanding and I am backing them to continue to perform and deliver in the Playoffs.

“While our batting has done wonderfully well, we need to fix some of the loopholes in our bowling department and I am sure that we will also emerge as a strong bowling unit in Lahore,” he said. (APP)