shahid Afridi, Pakistan Super League, PSL 2017, Islamabad United, Peshawar Zalmi
Shahid Afridi.IANS

The wait is over for Pakistan Super League (PSL) fans as the second edition of the competition is set for a massive opening match at Dubai International Stadium on Thursday. Defending champions Islamabad United are set to take on Peshawar Zalmi, who were one of the best teams last season, but failed to deliver in the Playoff stages.

Also read: Complete squad for all five PSL 2017 teams

Both teams will hope to get off to a rollicking start in PSL 2017, and for that to happen, Islamabad United and Peshwar Zalmi players have to get the ball rolling straightaway.

One look at the Islamabad United squad, and it resembles a wealth of experience with players like Misbah Ul Haq, Brad Haddin and Shane Watson amongst others. These players are going to play an important role in the season for Islamabad, who will be aiming to win the second edition of Pakistan Super League as well.

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However, they are going to miss the services of Andre Russell, who has been banned from cricket for a year as the player violated the whereabouts clause. In his absence, Watson will be under pressure to deliver with both the bat and ball.

Peshawar, on the other hand, look extremely talented. They will be led by West Indies star Darren Sammy, who is one of the best in the T20 format when on song, and with one of the popular Pakistan players, Shahid Afridi, in their ranks, Peshawar will be one of the most loved teams in the PSL 2017. They are going to be well supported in PSL 2017. 

With players like Wahab Riaz, Eoin Morgan, Chris Jordan and Mohammad Hafeez, they have the right mix of players in the Pakistan Super League 2017. But the point remains, they have to deliver in the second season from the very beginning and never lose focus during the entire PSL 2017.

This match between the two teams could prove to be a clash between Pehawar bowlers (Jordan, Riaz, Afridi) and Islamabad batsmen (Misbah, Sam Billings, Watson), which could lead to an entertaining encounter in the opening match of the PSL 2017.

Where to watch live 

The Pakistan Super League 2017 match between Islamabad United vs Peshawar Zalmi is scheduled for 8pm local time (9:30 p.m. IST, 9 p.m. PKT, 4 p.m. GMT) start. Here is the live streaming and TV option.

India: TV: No coverage.

Pakistan:TV: Ten Sports, PTV and Geo Super. Live streaming: PTV Sports Live.

UAE: TV: OSN Sports. Live streaming: OSN Play

UK: TV: Prime TV. Live streaming: Prime TV Online.

Bangladesh: TV: Gazi TV.

West Indies: TV: Flow TV.