The country has changed, the city has changed, the performance of the gladiators has not changed
Season 6 of the Pakistan Super League (PSL) has started in the United Arab Emirates after a hiatus of a few months. At the time the tournament was temporarily suspended, the tournament was being played in Pakistan and the Quetta Gladiators were performing poorly.
But when the PSL was forced to relocate to its birthplace, the UAE, past performances had raised hopes that the Gladiators would be seen in a new light. But after the embarrassing defeat of this team against Islamabad, all hopes of their return have been dashed.
After winning the toss, Islamabad United invited the Gladiators to play first. After Abu Dhabi’s easy batting wicket and 15 runs in the first over, Quetta’s hopes began to be dashed that after the change of position, the Gladiators are looking in a new color and we will see a big score in this match.
However, the United bowlers returned without delay and disturbed the Gladiators’ batsmen throughout the innings, with the result that none of the batsmen failed to score big and the entire team was bowled out for 133 in the allotted 20 overs.
But given Quetta’s strong bowling line, it still felt like it would not be easy for Islamabad to win the match, but as fast and easily as United chased the target, it stunned everyone.
Powerplay record by Islamabad United in match 18 of PSL 2021
In this 18th match of the current Pakistan Super League season, United openers Colin Munro and Usman Khawaja batted brilliantly and rained fours and sixes in the power play. They also set 2 records in this innings. The first record is for the most runs in the power play, ie United scored 97 runs in 6 overs. Earlier, he had a record of 77 runs in the power play. It is also the fourth-highest score in the power play in T20 leagues around the world.
Kya baat hai 🤭@manuz05 understood the assignment from the very beginning. Classic shots from the specialist 👌🏼 #MatchDikhao l #HBLPSL6 I #QGvIU pic.twitter.com/qlpEWritGD
— PakistanSuperLeague (@thePSLt20) June 11, 2021
Opening partnership
Islamabad United openers Colin Munro and Usman Khawaja put on an unbeaten 137 in just 10 overs. This was the 5th largest partnership for the first wicket in the history of the Pakistan Super League.
Established at an average of 13.70, it was the fastest partnership of 100 runs or more in the history of the Pakistan Super League. The smoky manner in which Colin Monroe has scored 90 off just 36 balls is a good omen for Islamabad United while a sign of danger for the opponents.
After this victory, although the chances of Islamabad United to go to the next stage are bright, but the alarm bell has rung for the Gladiators. Quetta, which is at the bottom of the points table, will not only have to win all its remaining matches with a good run rate to advance to the next round, but it will also have to face the situation of if and but.
Overview of Quetta Gladiators team
The performance of Gladiators in the current season of the Pakistan Super League is getting worse and worse after every match. This is the second year in a row that the Gladiators are at the bottom of the points table.
After losing 5 matches in the current tournament, only a miracle can take Quetta to the next stage. In my opinion, instead of waiting for a miracle, the Gladiators should start preparing for next year by giving a chance to as many young players as possible in the team’s dugout.
