Almost half of the Pakistan Super League 2023 has been done with Multan Sultans right at the top so far. The seventeenth match of the league is set to be played between Peshawar Zalmi and Karachi Kings in Rawalpindi.
The first match between the two PSL giants took place on February 14 with Peshawar Zalmi winning the battle by just 2 runs. It was a close encounter where the Zalmi got the better of the Kings in the end.
Babar Azam proved to be a showstopper of the match with 68 runs off just 46 deliveries. He got tremendous support from Tom Kohler-Cadmore who scored 90 off just 50 balls.
Veteran Shoaib Malik and skipper Imad Wasim almost did it for the Kings but fell short of just a couple of runs. Both Karachi and Peshawar are currently in the fourth and fifth spot respectively with two wins. Let’s take a look at the preview and prediction of this encounter:
What have they done so far?
Karachi Kings are at the fourth spot in the table with two victories out of six. They lost their first three games but came back strongly with two victories in the next three matches. The last game against Multan Sultans was a one-sided affair for the Imad and Co. where the Kings thrashed the table toppers by 66 runs. Tabraiz Shamsi was awarded the player of the match award for his economical figures of 3 for just 18 runs in 4 overs.
On the other hand, Peshawar Zalmi lost their last battle against Lahore Qalandars which was a high-scoring game. After batting first, Lahore scored a mammoth 241 in their 20 overs whereas Peshawar could only score 201, hence suffered a defeat by 40 runs. Fakhar Zaman scored 96 off just 45 deliveries to grab the player of the match trophy in this epic clash.
Head to Head Record
Out of 18 encounters to date in the Pakistan Super League, Peshawar Zalmi is well ahead with 13 victories to their name whereas Karachi Kings could only win five times. The latter lost the previous clash as well by two runs but now would like to balance out things in this game.
Imad Wasim & Co. have all the ability to beat Peshawar this time keeping in mind their current form. On the other hand, Babar Azam would like to make it two in two with a win on Wednesday.
Key Players
Babar Azam: Being the leader of the Peshawar Zalmi, Babar will be in focus in this clash. He has produced some good knocks in the tournament so far and would like to continue his form in the game against Karachi. He played well in the last battle against the Kings and won it for his side.
A similar kind of performance would be expected from the Pakistan skipper. In 5 matches so far, the right-hander has scored 178 runs with an average of around 45.
Imad Wasim: Imad Wasim has been terrific in the tournament so far with 7 wickets and 180 runs with the bat with an astonishing average of 90. The all-rounder will be the biggest boost for the team in this game keeping in mind his current form.
Imad Wasim in one of the practice sessions from the past
Though his side is in fourth position in the table, it is the right time for him to take his team out of the danger spot. His captaincy will also be key in front of Babar Azam as Imad would definitely like to impress his national captain.
Predicted XIs
Peshawar Zalmi: Mohammad Haris, Babar Azam ©, Saim Ayub, Tom Kohler-Cadmore, Bhanuka Rajapaksa, Rovman Powell, James Neesham, Wahab Riaz, Saad Masood, Arshad Iqbal, Salman Irshad
Karachi Kings: Matthew Wade, James Vince, Tayyab Tahir, Shoaib Malik, Imad Wasim ©, Ben Cutting, Irfan Khan, Aamer Yamin, Muhammad Musa, Tabraiz Shamsi, Akif Javed
Prediction
Peshawar has a terrific record against the Kings in this esteemed league. Although Karachi Kings have the ability to beat Peshawar Zalmi in any situation, the past matches can merely be called bad luck for the Kings. They have lost 13 out of 18 against the Zalmi but can comeback in this game with the kind of squad they have.
Babar Azam & Co. on the other hand, just can’t afford to lose this battle as they are at the fifth position currently. Though their record against Karachi has been terrific, their present situation in the PSL 2023 is not good. They have to win battles from here to be in the top four, also a team like Peshawar would want to finish in the top two to keep themselves safe towards the end.