Islamabad United will be bidding to kickstart the 2023 edition of the Pakistan Super League with a victory when they play against Karachi Kings on Thursday at the National Cricket Stadium in Grenada.
United are one of the most successful PSL franchises as they lifted the trophy twice in 2016 and 2018. They have one of the strongest batting lines-up with Alex Hales and Paul Stirling as their opening batters.
Azam Khan, Rassie van der Dussen, and Asif Ali are the other notable inclusions in the decorated batting line-up while they also have a young talented lad in the form of Hassan Nawaz. The team also has a good spin attack with the likes of Zafar Gohar, Moeen Ali, and Mubasir Khan.
As far as Karachi Kings are concerned, they are all set to improve their performance from the last season with an explosive bowling line-up. The Imad Wasim-led side has picked Imran Tahir and Mohammad Amir to handle the bowling unit.
Matthew Wade, Shoaib Malik, and Sharjeel Khan have been given the responsibility of scoring the runs for the team. All in all, it will be interesting to see Islamabad United’s batters facing Karachi Kings’ bowlers.
What has happened so far?
Islamabad United was one of the four teams last season that qualified for the second round of the competition. After collecting eight points from four wins and six losses, the team ended up in fourth place in the league round points tally.
United continued their domination in the playoffs as well by defeating Peshawar Zalmi in the first Qualifier by five wickets. It was a brilliant batting performance by the team as they chased 170 runs in 19.3 overs.
However, the team could not continue its exploits in the second Eliminator against Lahore Qalandars. They had the task of chasing 168 runs in the 20 overs but the team collapsed at 162 runs to record a defeat by six runs.
On the other hand, Karachi Kings had an unforgettable season last year as they churned out their worst performance in the history of Pakistan’s domestic tournament. The team managed to win only one game while losing as many as nine matches.
Their first and only win in PSL 2022 came against Lahore Qalandars by 22 runs as the Karachi bowlers were successful in restricting the opposition to a score of 127 runs in the second innings when they were chasing 150 runs.
Head to Head Record
Islamabad United has an edge over Karachi Kings in the head-to-head records
Islamabad United and Karachi Kings have played against each other a total of 18 times in the history of the Pakistan Super League. Islamabad United have an upper hand in the head-to-head records with 12 wins to their names while Karachi Kings have won only six times. United won both league games against the Kings in the last season of the T20 Championship.
Key Players
Mohammad Amir (Karachi Kings)
Undoubtedly, Mohammad Amir will be the most important player for Karachi Kings on Thursday. The veteran seamer boasts of having a brilliant record in the Pakistan Super League with 54 scalps to his name.
Amir also has an extensive international experience with 59 wickets to his name in 50 T20 Internationals for Pakistan at an average of 21.41 and an economy rate of 7.02.
Alex Hales (Islamabad United)
Alex Hales will be one of the most experienced players in Islamabad United’s batting line-up. After making his comeback to the England cricket team, Hales has displayed good form with the bat.
Moreover, the batter’s brilliant record in the T20 Internationals is a testament to his exceptional batting skills. He has accumulated a whopping 2074 runs in 75 T20 Internationals at a strike rate of over 138 and an average of over 30.
Predicted Playing XI
Karachi Kings: Haider Ali, Imad Wasim ©, Mohammad Amir, Shoaib Malik, Aamir Yamin, Mir Hamza, Sharjeel Khan, Qasim Akram, Matthew Wade, Imran Tahir, James Vince
Islamabad United: Alex Hales, Paul Stirling, Rassie van der Dussen, Shadab Khan ©, Azam Khan, Asif Ali, Wasim Jr, Faheem Ashraf, Tom Curran, Hasan Ali, Zeeshan Zameer
Prediction
One of the most consistent teams in the Pakistan Super League, Islamabad United are one of the favorites to lift the trophy this season. They have picked a strong squad with a balanced mix of batters, bowlers, and all-rounders.
Though Karachi Kings also have a good squad at their disposal, the odds are in the favor of United to score a win and get off to a winning start in the T20 extravaganza.