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We had to wait for weeks before these two teams met in the middle for the first time in this year’s Pakistan Super League (PSL), but we’ve had to wait just four days for them to come face to face once again.
While their first match was in Lahore, where the Lahore Qalandars picked up arguably the greatest victory in PSL history, the second match, and the 26th of the tournament, will be held in Karachi.
Ben Dunk and Sohail Akhtar tore through the Karachi bowling line-up after being set up a target of 188 in their previous match between the two teams. Dunk’s unbeaten 99 and Akhtar’s unbeaten 68 gave Imad Wasim the biggest headache as Lahore stunned everyone with an epic chase.
The former has been the true star of this year’s PSL even though Lahore had dropped him after the initial matches. He’s hit more sixes than we can count in this tournament and has looked in excellent touch.
The gum-chewing bat slinger will be the main attraction once again in the match, but we must not forget that Mohammad Hafeez’s failures have made him susceptible to losing his spot if he doesn’t perform.
While the Qalandars have a decent bowling line-up led by Shaheen Afridi, Salman Irshad will be under the spotlight as he has been hit for a few runs because he’s always handed the ball only in the death overs. Usman Shinwari is likely to lose his spot in this match as we could see Haris Rauf make a comeback for a final run. Samit Patel has been great with the bat and ball throughout, and he will be the other major player to look out for in the Qalandars’ side.
Karachi Kings were sailing smoothly in the PSL once again but their match against Lahore has derailed their plans somewhat. Alex Hales has been the best thing to have happened to the team in a long time, while Babar Azam will be looking to make a big score in front of the Karachi crowd.
Imad Wasim has shown some potential, but he needs to break away from his carefree attitude and tighten things when the situation gets tough. He had no idea what to do when Dunk was hitting all over the park, and his bowling selection at that point wasn’t spot on.
The Kings’ bowling has seen Mohammad Amir deliver some beautiful deliveries and he will be looking to find some consistency to keep the flow going. Chris Jordan and Aamer Yamin have been the two other good bowlers for the side while the budding Umer Khan will need to do more to live up to the fans’ expectations.
This will be another cracker just like the last one and expect it to go down to the last ball as both teams will give it their all to stay up on the table as the group stage nears its end.
Match details
Tournament: Pakistan Super League Season 5, 2020
Venue: National Stadium, Karachi
Date: 12th March 2020
Time: 7.00 PM PST onwards
Pitch report
Karachi will get its spotlight back in this match as the teams will look to set the stadium ablaze with their age-old rivalry.
The weather will be clear and there will be a cool breeze blowing across the stadium. This will allow the ball to move off the pitch and in the air, and the bowlers could look to exploit that on the hard flat track.
Karachi’s pitch has always provided an even bounce, and that could be good news for the batsmen, who can look to time the ball better. This could end up being another high scoring match!
Predicted XIs
Lahore Qalandars: Fakhar Zaman, Sohail Akhtar (Captain), Mohammad Hafeez, Ben Dunk (Wicketkeeper), Dane Villas, David Wiese, Shaheen Afridi, Haris Rauf, Seekkuge Prassana, Maaz Khan, and Dilbar Hussain.
Karachi Kings: Babar Azam, Sharjeel Khan, Alex Hales, Cameron Delport, Chadwick Walton (Wicketkeeper), Imad Wasim (Captain), Iftikhar Ahmed, Mohammad Amir, Aamer Yamin, Chris Jordan, and Umer Khan.
Where to watch the matches in Pakistan?
Lahore Qalandars v Karachi Kings will be telecast LIVE on PTV Sports.
Live stream details
The live stream for Lahore Qalandars v Karachi Kings will be available on Cricingiff and Cricketgateway.
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