The 14th match of Pakistan Super League 2023 will see Karachi Kings taking on Multan Sultans. The match will be played at the National Stadium in Karachi, on Sunday.
This will be a clash of two extremes, as both teams had very different starts to the competition. Karachi Kings have not been able to get going at all in this competition and have won only one of their first five matches. With just two points to their name, the Kings are placed fifth in the standings.
On the other hand, Multan Sultans have been the team to beat. They have won four out of their first five matches, and with 8 points to their name, Mohammad Rizwan’s team is placed handsomely at the top of the points table.
What Have They Done So Far?
Karachi Kings had a horrific start to their journey as they lost all of their first three matches. They suffered a 2-run defeat against Peshawar Zalmi in their first match, before losing to Islamabad United and Quetta Gladiators by four wickets and 6 runs respectively in their next two matches.
The third match against Lahore Qalandars is the only time when Karachi performed to their potential this season, as they secured a 67-run win. But they were derailed again, as Multan Sultans handed them a 3-run defeat in the last match.
The Sultans did not have the perfect start to their season as they lost their first match against Lahore Qalandars by just 1 run, but the 2021 champions have not had to look back since then. The next two games saw Rizwan’s team beating Quetta Gladiators and Peshawar Zalmi by 9 wickets and 56 runs respectively.
The fourth match against Islamabad United was another stroll in the park, as Multan won the game by 52 runs. While Karachi Kings did cause them a few troubles in the last match, the Sultans managed to win the game by 3 runs.
Head to Head Record
When it comes to head-to-head records, there is nothing to separate these two teams. Multan Sultans and Karachi Kings have crossed paths on five occasions in this competition where both teams have won five games apiece, with two matches not producing a winner.
The last meeting, which took place just a few days ago, saw Multan securing a 3-run win. Rizwan’s century helped them score 196/2, and though James Vince’s 75 and Wasim’s unbeaten 46 helped Karachi remain alive till the last ball, they could not score more than 193.
Key Players
Imad Wasim (Karachi Kings): While his team is not performing as per the desired level, Karachi Kings’ captain Imad Wasim is doing a good job with both the bat and the ball. He is his team’s leading run-scorer with 166 runs, which have come at a strike rate of 170+. Besides that, Wasim has also picked up 5 wickets.
The all-rounder’s best performance with the bat came in the first match against Peshawar Zalmi, where he remained not out for 80 runs. As for his performance with the ball, the captain picked up a three-wicket haul by conceding just 16 runs in the third match against Quetta Gladiators.
Mohammad Rizwan (Multan Sultans): Though there are plenty of differences between the two teams, one similarity between Karachi and Multan is that they both are highly reliant on their captains. The Sultans’ leader, Rizwan has been superb with the bat, scoring 329 runs at an average of 109.66.
Mohammad Rizwan scored a century in the last match against Karachi Kings
The last match against Karachi saw him scoring a century, but it was not his only good knock so far in this competition. Previously, he had struck three half-centuries against Lahore Qalandars, Peshawar Zalmi, and Islamabad United.
Predicted Playing XIs
Karachi Kings: Matthew Wade, James Vince, Haider Ali, Shoaib Malik, Imad Wasim ©, Ben Cutting, Irfan Khan, Aamer Yamin, Mohammad Umar, Imran Tahir, Akif Javed.
Multan Sultans: Shan Masood, Mohammad Rizwan ©, Rilee Rossouw, David Miller, Kieron Pollard, Khushdil Shah, Carlos Brathwaite, Usama Mir, Abbas Afridi, Mohammad Ilyas, Ihsanullah.
Prediction
Head-to-head statistics might be neck-and-neck, but when it comes to current form, Multan Sultans are miles ahead of Karachi Kings. Hence, we have predicted Rizwan’s team to get the win in this fixture.