In a blockbuster Pakistan Super League (PSL) 2021 match, last season's finalists, Karachi Kings and Lahore Qalandars, face off on Monday. Both the teams have four points each after three outings (two wins and one defeat). And tonight's winners can go top of the table, overtaking Peshawar Zalmi, who have six points from three wins and a defeat. (More Cricket News)
In the PSL 2020 final last November, Kings chased down Qalandars' 134/7 in 18.4 overs with the man of the match Babar Azam hitting an unbeaten 63 off 49. The Pakistan captain has scores of 24, 62 and 90 not out this season as the defending champions continue to have a fine run.
The Kings started their title defence with a seven-wicket win over Quetta Gladiators, then suffered a five-wicket defeat against the Islambad United. And on Saturday, the Imad Wasim-led side chased down Multan Sultans' 195/6 with six balls to spare. Their top-three -- openers Sharjeel Khan (27), Azam (90 no), and wicketkeeper Joe Clarke (54) -- looked in fine touch. Sharjeel is so far the only player to hit a century this season -- 105 off 59 against United.
Qalandars started their campaign with convincing wins against Peshawar Zalmi (winning by four wickets) and Quetta Gladiators (winning by nine wickets). But they lost to the Sultans by seven wickets in their last outing on Friday. Their key player remains veteran Mohammad Hafeez. The former Pakistan captain has scores of 33 not out, 73 not out and 60. And of course, pacer Shaheen Afridi, who has taken seven wickets, including 3/14 in the opener.
Head-to-head: This fixture is dominated by the Kings. This will be their 12th meeting in the PSL. Kings lead the head-to-head record 7-3. Last season, Qalandars won the first leg by eight wickets only to lose the second leg by ten wickets and also the final. There was also a tied match, in March 2018.
Check match and telecast details here:
Match: Pakistan Super League 2021 match between Karachi Kings and Lahore Qalandars
Date: February 28 (Sunday), 2021
Time: 7:30 PM IST/7:00 PM local
Venue: National Stadium, Karachi
TV Channels: Sony Six/HD
Live Streaming: SonyLiv
Likely XIs:
Karachi Kings: Babar Azam, Sharjeel Khan, Colin Ingram, Joe Clarke(wk), Mohammad Nabi, Daniel Christian, Imad Wasim (c), Aamer Yamin, Waqas Maqsood, Mohammad Amir, Arshad Iqbal.
Lahore Qalandars: Fakhar Zaman, Sohail Akhtar (c), Joe Denly, Mohammad Hafeez, Ben Dunk (wk), Samit Patel, David Wiese, Ahmed Daniyal, Shaheen Afridi, Haris Rauf, Salman Mirza.
Playing XIs in the last match:
Karachi Kings: Sharjeel Khan, Babar Azam, Colin Ingram, Joe Clarke(wk), Daniel Christian, Mohammad Nabi, Imad Wasim (c), Aamer Yamin, Waqas Maqsood, Mohammad Amir, Arshad Iqbal.
Lahore Qalandars: Fakhar Zaman, Sohail Akhtar (c), Joe Denly, Mohammad Hafeez, Ben Dunk (wk), Samit Patel, David Wiese, Ahmed Daniyal, Shaheen Afridi, Haris Rauf, Salman Mirza.
Squads:
Karachi Kings: Sharjeel Khan, Babar Azam, Joe Clarke (wk), Colin Ingram, Mohammad Nabi, Daniel Christian, Imad Wasim (c), Aamer Yamin, Waqas Maqsood, Mohammad Amir, Arshad Iqbal, Chadwick Walton, Zeeshan Malik, Mohammad Ilyas, Danish Aziz, Qasim Akram, Noor Ahmad.
Lahore Qalandars: Fakhar Zaman, Sohail Akhtar (c), Joe Denly, Mohammad Hafeez, Ben Dunk (wk), Samit Patel, David Wiese, Shaheen Afridi, Ahmed Daniyal, Haris Rauf, Salman Mirza, Zeeshan Ashraf, Muhammad Faizan, Dilbar Hussain, Maaz Khan, Muhammad Zaid Alam, Rashid Khan, Agha Salman, Tom Abell.
