The eighth edition of the Pakistan Super League is about to begin, with two big teams Karachi Kings and Peshawar Zalmi set to play each other in the second game of the league. Imad Wasim, who is the skipper of Karachi Kings, will look to dismantle Babar Azam’s Peshawar Zalmi.
Karachi Kings had a terrible outing in the last edition of the PSL, having won just one match out of 10. Babar Azam, who was Karachi’s captain last year, couldn’t stop his side from failing consecutively. This time, he is leading Peshawar and would hope to turn his fortunes with the new side.
Peshawar Zalmi, on the other hand, had a good tournament last year with six victories out of 10. They got eliminated in the 1st Eliminator by Islamabad United. Wahab Riaz was leading the side in the 2022 edition but this time he will be playing under Babar Azam.
What have they done so far?
It is going to be the first game for both sides in this edition. Looking at their previous encounters in the 2022 PSL, Peshawar was victorious on both occasions. Undoubtedly, it was a stronger side last time but this time Karachi Kings has some big names in the squad.
With some big players like Shoaib Malik, Imran Tahir, Tabraiz Shamsi, and Mohammad Amir, the bowling department of the team look well-settled. On the other hand, Peshawar is having Babar Azam, Wahab Riaz, Rovman Powell, Mujeeb Ur Rahman and others, which makes a perfect mix of batters and bowlers.
Head to Head Record
Peshawar Zalmi and Karachi Kings have played 17 matches against each other to date. Out of which Peshawar has won 12 matches whereas the Kings became victorious only on five occasions. Karachi would now look forward to bettering its record against Peshawar by winning both matches. It would be interesting to see how Imad Wasim would lead the side.
Key Players
Babar Azam: Babar Azam is always on the list of many whenever his team is playing. With the new team, all eyes would be on this Pakistani star. He has been excellent for his country over the years but would like to improve his captaincy record this season. A player like Babar doesn’t remain out of form for a longer time. Hopefully, he will find his touch from the beginning not only in his batting but also in the captaincy.
Babar Azam will play for Peshawar Zalmi in this upcoming season
Babar Azam is the highest run-scorer in the PSL to date with 2413 runs in 68 matches. He would like to continue his dominance in the upcoming edition as well.
Mohammad Amir: One of the fearless bowlers of all time, Mohammad Amir has tasted success on numerous occasions for his side, be it Pakistan or any other franchise. He will be the key player for Karachi this season.
Also, his performance would also decide if he could make an international comeback or not. A bowler like Amir can be dangerous with the new ball and other teams must be having a plan against him.
Mohammad Amir will be the key player for Karachi Kings this season
With 54 wickets in the league so far, Mohammad Amir is in the eighth position as the all-time highest wickets taker in PSL. now, he would like to go past a couple of names like Sohail Tanvir and Mohammad Nawaz this season.
Predicted XIs
Peshawar Zalmi: Babar Azam ©, Rovman Powell, Bhanuka Rajapaksa, Mohammad Haris, Salman Irshad, Wahab Riaz, Mujeeb Ur Rahman, Sherfane Rutherford, Arshad Iqbal, Danish Aziz, Usman Qadir
Karachi Kings: Haider Ali, Imad Wasim ©, Mohammad Amir, Shoaib Malik, Aamir Yamin, Mir Hamza, Sharjeel Khan, Qasim Akram, Matthew Wade, Imran Tahir, James Vince
Prediction
Karachi Kings might have a poor record against Peshawar Zalmi but this time their squad looks stronger. They can turn their fortunes from the first game itself if the predicted XI of Karachi will fire.
Shoaib Malik and Mohammad Amir will be key players for the side whereas Peshawar Zalmi will be highly dependent on their skipper Babar Azam. Looking at the team, Karachi will be the favourites for this match.