Karachi Kings vs Peshawar Zalmi: PREVIEW

Karachi Kings and Peshawar Zalmi will lock horns in the 11th match of the Pakistan Super League 2021. Karachi are at the bottom of the points table as they have lost all the 3 games they’ve played till now. Peshawar, meanwhile, are just above Karachi at the second last spot (5th) with only 1 win in 3 matches. Both teams, obviously, will look to win this match and it will be interesting to see who wins as both are struggling at the moment.

Karachi Kings, led by Pakistan’s star batter, Babar Azam have struggled very badly in the first three matches they’ve played. Their batters and bowlers both have failed miserably and Babar himself is yet to play a good knock after three matches. When all the teams were scoring 180-200 consistently Karachi scored just 124 in the first match with 5 wickets in hand. In the second game, they were bowled out for only 113 while in the third game when they managed to score 170, their bowlers failed to defend the target.

They have Babar Azam, Sharjeel Khan, Joe Clarke, and Mohammad Nabi as their core players but apart from them their squad looks very weak in both batting & bowling. Babar Azam is not scoring runs as well. Sharjeel Khan is the only batter to score more than 100 runs after the first 3 games for Karachi. Their bowling has been below par to make things worse. Karachi will need their players to step-up and be at their best if they are to do well in PSL 2022.

Peshawar Zalmi too have struggled after winning their first match of the season. They have lost two games consecutively and will look to win this one and get two crucial points. They chased down 190 in the first match, lost the second game by 9 wickets and failed to chase 200 in the last match.

Their bowling has been the weak link for them as they’ve conceded 190-200 twice and lost the match defending 168 in just 15.5 overs. They have a good batting order with the likes of Hazratullah Zazai, Kamran Akmal, Haider Ali, Shoaib Malik, Sherfane Rutherford, and Ben Cutting, etc. They need their bowlers to be consistent.

Probable Playing 11

Karachi Kings: Sharjeel Khan, Babar Azam (c), Joe Clarke (wk), Mohammad Nabi, Tommy Lammonby, Lewis Gregory, Aamer Yamin, Mohammad Imran, Mohammad Taha, Umaid Asif, Mohammad Ilyas

Peshawar Zalmi: Kamran Akmal(wk), Hazratullah Zazai, Haider Ali, Hussain Talat, Shoaib Malik, Sherfane Rutherford, Ben Cutting, Wahab Riaz (c), Usman Qadir, Salman Irshad, Sameen Gul

Pitch Report

The pitch at Karachi is an excellent one for batting. Expect a high scoring match. The flat wicket allows the batters to play their shots freely. The dew will play a key role as well and teams will look to chase here. The average first innings score on this pitch is 189 runs.

Head to Head
Overall: Peshawar lead 10-5
Last 5 games: Karachi leads 3-2

Match Ups

Babar vs Wahab: 91 runs off 61 for 3 dismissals
Sharjeel vs Sohail: 22 runs for 2 dismissals
Babar vs Sohail: 74 runs at SR 157 for 1 dismissal
Nabi vs Wahab: 13 runs for 2 dismissals
Nabi vs Cutting: 31 runs off 11 balls, no dismissals
Malik vs Ilyas: 9 runs for 2 dismissals
Cutting vs Gregory: 19 runs off 6 balls, no dismissals

Leaders

Most runs for KRK vs PSZ
497: Babar (45 Avg, 129 SR)

Most runs for PSZ vs KKR
498: Kamran (33 Avg, 156 SR)

Most Wickets for KRK vs PSZ
17: Amir (7.21 Eco)

Most Wickets for PSZ vs KKR
17: Wahab (7.71 Eco)

Key Players

Karachi Kings

● Babar Azam: Babar is one of the best batters in the world in all the three formats. He is arguably the best batsman of this league as well. He has failed to score runs in the first three games but he is a champion player and expect him to bounce back strongly. Babar has scored 96 runs at an average of 32 and a below par strike-rate of 105.

● Sharjeel Khan: Sharjeel Khan has been the best batter for Karachi. He has scored 113 runs at an average of 37.66 and striking at 143. He attacks from ball one and exploits the field restrictions in the first 6 overs. Sharjeel scored 60 in the last match.

● Joe Clarke: Joe Clarke is another attacking batter for Karachi. He was in excellent form in the BBL scoring five 50+ scores but has failed to replicate that here in the PSL. He has the potential to play big innings and win games on his own. Karachi will need him to be back in form ASAP.

● Mohammad Nabi: Experienced all-rounder Mohammad Nabi is a very crucial player for Karachi. He contributes with both bat and the ball but has failed in both the departments till now. He hasn’t been at his best in recent times. He is batting at number 4 for Karachi and needs to find some form with both bat and ball.

Peshawar Zalmi

● Sherfane Rutherford: Sherfane Rutherford is showing what he is capable of in PSL 2022. He is batting at number 5/6 but has scored 101 runs in 3 matches at an average of 50.50 striking at 153. He scored a brilliant 70* in the second last match.

● Shoaib Malik: Malik is very experienced and he already showed that in the first game where he scored an unbeaten 48 and chased down a tricky total. He is bowling for them as well and will be a very vital player for Peshawar in this match.

● Kamran Akmal: Kamral Akmal played his first game of PSL 2022 in the last match and scored a quickfire 41 at a strike-rate of 170. He even took Rashid Khan to the cleaners. Akmal will be very crucial as Peshawar will need a good start at the top and he can provide that.

● Haider Ali: Haider Ali is a young and very promising batter from Pakistan. He has a lot of potential and played a decent knock in the last match. He too hasn’t been at his best but he can do good if he gets the backing from the team management. He scored 49 runs in the last match.

Fantasy Prediction

Top Captain and Vice-Captain picks:

● Babar Azam
● Sharjeel Khan
● Sherfane Rutherford
● Hazratullah Zazai
● Kamran Akmal

Dream 11

Disclaimer: These teams are based on the writer's understanding of the game and do not guarantee to win in fantasy cricket. Users are advised to create their own teams with the information provided.