Owing to a decent performance in the do or die match against Quetta Gladiators, Karachi Kings eventually made a place for themselves in the playoffs and will now play Peshawar Zalmi in the eliminator 1. Karachi’s qualification meant that Lahore Qalandars were eliminated from the tournament.
Well, all said and done, the Imad Qasim-led side will now be locking horns with the Zalmi team who have some world class players in the ranks. From captain Wahab Riaz to experienced all-rounder Shoaib Malik, Peshawar have a good and strong line up.
While a few players had to leave the PSL mid-way for national duties, Zalmi found a new aggressive batsman in Zazai who is equipped enough to take on the bowling attack at a brisk pace. In fact, it was Zazai’s onslaught that handed Zalmi an easy win over Karachi earlier in the league stage.
Karachi on the other side have Babar Azam who has been in terrific form in this competition and fast bowler Mohammad Amir who is certainly an exceptional talent.
Apart from these two, opener Sharjeel Khan has the ability to go after the bowlers at any given stage. The only issue that Karachi has faced is Babar Azam’s scoring rate especially while chasing. The team management definitely needs to fix this up in this all important match.
The sides have faced each other twice in this competition and have a win apiece to their name. Interestingly, both the teams won while chasing the target and by 6 wickets. The winner of this match will play the losing team of the Qualifier in the Eliminator 2 while the team that suffers defeat in Eliminator 1 bows out.
Match Details
Match: PSZ vs KRK, Eliminator 1, Pakistan Super League 2021
Date: Monday, June 21, 2021
Time: 11:30 PM
Venue: Sheikh Zayed Stadium, Abu Dhabi
Pitch Report
The tracks in Abu Dhabi have been pretty slow and have had something on offer to the spinners. But the scheduled timing of the match might be taken into consideration as there can be dew factor which can help the batsmen. So, if you win the toss bowl first.
Team News
Peshawar Zalmi: Three players, David Miller, Fabian Allen and Fidel Edwards had departed for national duties as South Africa and West Indies are slated to lock horns in a T20I series. But players like Zazai, Kamran Akmal, Malik, and skipper Wahab Riaz can play an important role in getting some fruitful results.
Karachi Kings: Karachi Kings have a formidable batting line up and some good bowlers to give them stability in the big match. The only issue that needs to be tweaked is Babar Azam’s scoring rate when the side is chasing a target. He needs to accelerate after getting his eye in. Though, his form isn’t really a cause of concern as he has been among the runs in this competition.
There was a major positive for the Karachi team during the match against Quetta when Danish Aziz went after Wildermuth and collected 33 runs in the over. Danish's aggressive batting can help Kings add some valuable runs to the total in the death overs.
Probable XI
Peshawar Zalmi: Hazratullah Zazai, Kamran Akmal (wk), Imam-ul-Haq, Shoaib Malik, Rovman Powell, Sherfane Rutherford, Abrar Ahmed, Wahab Riaz (c), Umaid Asif, Waqar Salamkheil, Sameen Gul
Karachi Kings: Sharjeel Khan, Babar Azam, Martin Guptill, Najibullah Zadran, Chadwick Walton (wk), Imad Wasim (c), Noor Ahmad, Danish Aziz, Mohammad Amir, Mohammad Ilyas, Arshad Iqbal
Fantasy XI
Kamran Akmal, Sharjeel Khan, Babar Azam (C), Shoaib Malik, Sherfane Rutherford, Imad Wasim (VC), Rovman Powell, Umaid Asif, Arshad-Iqbal, Mohammad Ilyas, Wahab Riaz