Quetta Gladiators are threatening to run away with top spot during the league stage of PSL 2019. Faced with a potentially tricky clash against Peshawar Zalmi on Monday, the Gladiators cruised to a win , chasing down a target of 166 with more than two overs to spare for a win that sealed Quetta’s playoffs spot.

Given that result, against a Peshawar side that were tied with them on points heading into the game, Quetta will be confident for Tuesday’s matchup with Islamabad United who are third in the table – four points behind; least because they pulled off a similarly comfortable victory when the two sides met earlier in the season, restricting Islamabad to 157/8 and then reaching their target with 10 balls remaining.

Quetta continue to dominate with bat and ball, with Shane Watson’s 55-ball 91 the backbone of Monday’s win and Mohammed Nawaz and Fawad Ahmed bowling economical, wicket-taking spells again.

With so many key players in good form, the Gladiators’ biggest dilemma is whether to rest players now that they know qualification is secure or keep playing them to ensure no momentum is lost. It’s a good problem to have.

For Islamabad, who have won four and lost four this season, suffering a defeat in their most recent game – a last-ball thriller against Peshawar – the playoff equation is starting to get dicey. Though they were top of the table just six days ago, they could still be overtaken by both Karachi and Lahore and miss out on the playoffs entirely, which would make for an ignominious exit for last year’s champions. Tuesday’s game is close to a must-win.

Getting a good start from Luke Ronchi would help, after two low scores in Islamabad’s last two matches. The Kiwi wicket-keeper has been the team’s best batsman this season, but if that run of two below-par games turns into an actual slump, Islamabad’s playoff hopes, and title defence, may be doomed.

LIKELY TEAMS

Islamabad United: Luke Ronchi (wk), Cameron Delport, Philip Salt, Chadwick Walton, Asif Ali, Nasir Nawaz, Faheem Ashraf, Shadab Khan, Zafar Gohar, Mohammad Sami (c), Rumnan Rees

Quetta Gladiators: Shane Watson, Ahmed Shehzad, Ahsan Ali, Umar Akmal, Sarfraz Ahmed (c & wk), Dwayne Bravo, Mohammad Nawaz, Fawad Ahmed, Mohammad Hasnain, Sohail Tanvir, Harry Gurney