QUE vs PES prediction: Who will win the PSL 2022 match?

Quetta Gladiators and Peshawar Zalmi are set to lock horns in Match No.2 of the Pakistan Super League (PSL) 2022 on Friday, January 28. The match will take place at the National Stadium in Karachi.

The Gladiators, led by former Pakistan skipper Sarfaraz Ahmed, won the championship in 2019, but didn't have the best of campaigns in 2020 and 2021. Having failed to go past the league stage in back-to-back seasons, they will be looking for redemption.

The Gladiators don't have the services of James Vince and Jason Roy, who are both taking part in England's five-match T20I series against West Indies. Afghanistan's Noor Ahmad is also unavailable as he is plying his trade in the U19 World Cup.

The onus will be on the likes of Shimron Hetmyer and Will Smeed to take the Gladiators off to flying starts. Abdul Bangalzai made a name for himself in the National T20 Cup and he will have to share some of the scoring burden.

Ben Duckett and Umar Akmal also bring in a lot of experience. The team has quality all-rounders, including Shahid Afridi, James Faulkner, Iftikhar Ahmed and Mohammad Nawaz. Sohail Tanvir and Mohammad Hasnain will hold the key as specialist bowlers.

The Zalmi, captained by veteran seamer Wahab Riaz, will also miss out on quite a few of their star players for the first match. Top-order batter Liam Livingstone and right-arm fast bowler Saqib Mahmood are part of the T20I series in the Caribbean.

Despite not having some of their star players, the Zalmi aren't short of firepower. Haider Ali and Hazratullah Zazai are two of the strongest hitters of the cricket ball. Tom Kohler-Cadmore also has a significant amount of experience in top-level cricket.

Shoaib Malik, Sherfane Rutherford and Hussain Talat form a power-packed middle order. Ben Cutting also brings in loads of value to the team. Kamran Akmal is the second-highest run-scorer in the history of the PSL after Karachi Kings' skipper Babar Azam.

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Will the Gladiators (QUE) beat the Zalmi (PES)?

Sherfane Rutherford of Peshawar Zalmi in action- Courtesy: Peshawar Zalmi Twitter

The Gladiators need to be wary of the Zalmi's strong batting lineup. If the Zalmi batters get going, the opposition bowlers may not have much breathing space. The Riaz-led Zalmi seem to be firm favorites going into Match No.2 of PSL 2022. The Gladiators need to be on top of their game to have any chance of coming up trumps.

Prediction: Peshawar Zalmi to win the match.