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When the tournament kicked off, no one in their wildest dreams would have imagined that the two biggest rival cities will face each other for a spot in the final in the last semifinal of the event.
Yet, here we are waiting patiently to watch what could turn out to be the best match of the entire tournament (even though there have been some extremely epic matches!)
Both teams have faced one another twice already. Lahore Qalandars won the first contest while Karachi Kings took the second game, and the third game will crown the second finalist for the tournament. This will be Lahore’s first semifinal/playoff in the history of the Pakistan Super Leauge (PSL), and one of the two teams will be heading to the final for the first time.
Karachi Kings have won five out of their ten games this season in what can be termed their most successful run yet. Even though they’ve had plenty of bad games, their batsmen and bowlers have shown moments of brilliance which has worked in their favor so far.
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Sharjeel Khan’s sixes have been phenomenal whenever he’s gotten it right, while Babar Azam is a genius in his own right and is the top run-scorer in this year’s PSL. Cameron Delport and Chadwick Walton have supported the batting well.
Imad Wasim will likely return to lead the side, while the bowling will comprise of Muhammad Amir, Chris Jordan, and Umer Khan. The team lost their last round game against the Quetta Gladiators who were ultimately knocked out due to a poor NRR, and they will look to return with a stronger showing in this make or break match. The Kings will dearly miss Alex Hales in this all-important match, but they have enough local and foreign star power to pull through and reach the finals on their own.
Lahore Qalandars had another poor start to the tournament and social media was set ablaze with memes taunting their disastrous performance once again.
Things turned on its head once Ben Dunk was re-included into the team and his bat did the rest of the work for the Qalandars. They’ve won five out of their ten games, their best showing in the history of PSL, and have given Lahore something to cheer about after four long years.
Lahore Qalandars will be walking into this match with a lot more momentum as they have won five out of their six previous games, along with a victory over the dominant Multan Sultans just before this match.
Chris Lynn hit a magnificent century, while Fakhar Zaman also seems to be back in form, which is excellent news for a team that was struggling badly at the start. Dunk will be the player in the spotlight once again while Muhammad Hafeez must play a responsible innings as he has been completely out of form and wasting a spot for the team.
Sohail Akhtar has proven to be a great batsman and captain in this format which has been a pleasant surprise for the people of Lahore.
Their bowling is led by the young and fiery Shaheen Afridi who is the second-highest wicket-taker in the tournament with 13 wickets. Samit Patel has been extremely handy with the ball and the bat, while Haris Rauf and Dilbar Hussain will carry the weight of the rest of the bowling lineup.
This will be a great match in Lahore, and the team that plays better on the day will win. With no clear favorites, the people of Pakistan will be cheering for their favorite team from home as the better team will make it to the final.
Match details
Tournament: Pakistan Super League Season 5, 2020
Venue: Gaddafi Stadium, Lahore
Date: 17th March 2020
Time: 7.30 PM IST onwards
Pitch report
Lahore will witness the biggest clash of the tournament between their home side and their arch-rivals Karachi. The pitch has been slower and one game would have taken place earlier in the day.
Expect the cool breeze to work in favor of the bowlers while the damp outside could make getting boundaries more difficult.
This will be an evenly contested game that could go down to the wire even though it may not be a high-scoring clash.
Predicted XIs
Karachi Kings: Sharjeel Khan, Babar Azam, Cameron Delport, Chadwick Walton (Wicketkeeper), Imad Wasim (Captain), Iftikhar Ahmed, Chris Jordan, Muhammad Amir, Usama Mir, Umer Khan, Arshad Iqbal.
Lahore Qalandars: Fakhar Zaman, Ben Dunk (Wicketkeeper), Sohail Akhtar (Captain), Mohammad Hafeez, David Wiese, Samit Patel, Shaheen Shah Afridi, Haris Rauf, Salman Irshad, Raja Farzan, and Dilbar Hussain.
Where to watch the matches in Pakistan?
Karachi Kings v Lahore Qalandars will be telecast LIVE on PTV Sports.
Live stream details
The live stream for Karachi Kings v Lahore Qalandars will be available on Cricingiff and Cricketgateway.
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