Karachi Kings and Lahore Qalandars will face each other in the upcoming fixture of the ongoing edition of the Pakistan Super League (PSL). The match will be played on 15th April at National Bank Stadium.
Match Preview:
It will be an exciting match as whenever Karachi and Lahore face each other, the stakes are always high. It’s more a war between two cities, and it won’t be an exaggeration to say it would be PSL’s el classico.
After a difficult opening match in the current Pakistan Super League (PSL), the Lahore Qalandars had the best possible game thanks to Fakhar Zaman starting, Abdullah Shafique continuing, and Sam Billings finishing it before Rishad Hossain, Shaheen Afridi, and Abbas Afridi joined in. Fakhar didn’t receive the start they would have liked in the first game, which caught the Qalandars’ batting off guard.
When he offers those beginnings, the Qalandars just look in order and shape so that the rest of the batting unit may take advantage of it. It can’t be over-reliance. The departure of Rashid Khan is difficult to replace, but Rishad Hossain performed admirably for Lahore, who now appear to be a strong team and will be confident when facing the Karachi Kings, who just pulled off a 236-run chase. The final game at the National Stadium was as simple as it could be.
Kings did the unthinkable as the main men were James Vince and Khushdil Shah who sealed the deal for the side. The batting side was on fleek in the recent encounter but the bowling unit needed to act right together.
Abbas Afridi and Arafat Minhas should bowl well while Hassan Ali will be the key player for the Karachi Kings.
Probable Playing XI:
Karachi Kings:
David Warner, Adam Milne, Mohammad Abbas Afridi, Hasan Ali, James Vince, Khushdil Shah, Aamir Jamal, Irfan Khan Niazi, Shan Masood, Arafat Minhas and Tim Seifert.
Lahore Qalandars
Fakhar Zaman, Mohammad Naeem, Abdullah Shafique, Daryl Mitchell, Sam Billings (wk), Sikandar Raza, Jahandad Khan, Rishad Hossain, Shaheen Afridi (c), Haris Rauf, Asif Afridi
Pitch and weather report:
Karachi’s National Stadium is renowned for its batting-friendly conditions, which include good bounce and pace. In the middle overs, spinners can get some help.
Because of the potential influence of the dew factor later in the evening, teams have historically preferred chasing at this location. A balanced battle between bat and ball is indicated by the average score of about 171 here.
The weather is predicted to be clear with temperatures of about 30°C and a 63% humidity level. It’s perfect for cricket because there won’t be any rain.
Head-to-head record:
Lahore Qalandars have only won six of their 19 meetings, while Karachi Kings have the advantage with 13 wins. To turn the tide and defeat their fiercest opponents, Lahore will be desperate.
Prediction:
Both teams will be coming from a win and are in-from. Karachi, due to home conditions, are favourites to win the game. They will be more in confidence as in last year’s season Karachi beat Lahore twice.
Where to Watch:
Pakistan (TV): A Sports HD, PTV Sports
Pakistan (Live Streaming): tapmad, Tamasha, Daraz, myco, bogn
UK: Sky Sports, Geo News (Sky 734)
North America: Willow
Africa: SuperSport
MENA Region: myco
Bangladesh: T Sports
India (Linear TV): Sony Sports Network
India (Digital): FanCode
Sri Lanka & Afghanistan: Sony Sports Network
Rest of the World: Sports Central
