Peshawar Zalmi will clash with bottom-of-the-table team Karachi Kings at Gaddafi Stadium, a team that has struggled against the yellow storm in recent years.
Zalmi has defeated Karachi Kings in the last 6 matches on the trot. In Lahore both teams have only played 2 matches and Peshawar Zalmi has triumphed in both of those games, clearly, they have an edge over Karachi Kings as they have defeated them on 14 occasions from 19 matches.
Both teams have lost their opening matches of the season, Peshawar lost to Quetta by 16 runs and Karachi lost to Multan by 55 runs in the first game.
The inclusion of Saad Baig seemed like a premature decision by the Karachi Kings as the young wicketkeeper batter looked out of sorts in the previous game, Karachi might look to make changes and search for other options in their squad after this game. Shan Masood will need to make some brave decisions to turn the fortunes for Karachi as their batting seems ordinary and weak.
Peshawar Zalmi on the other hand needs its bowlers to perform in batting-friendly conditions of Lahore, Babar made a big tactical mistake in the last match by not selecting two spinners in his playing XI and his fast bowlers displayed poor line and length throughout the game which cost them 2 points. It’s time the former skipper of Pakistan steps up in his tactical decisions, as modern-day cricket demands that.
Pitch Report:
Gaddafi stadium pitch is known to be batting friendly unlike Multan and countless times in the PSL we have witnessed scores above 200. It will be extremely difficult for the fast bowlers to control the flow of runs by the opposition batters and it will be a tough day for them. The spinners however will get some help from the surface and will bring a much-needed respite for their team, teams who play two proper spinners on this surface mostly end up on the winning side. Spinners are going to be key in this match.
You can check out the full PSL schedule here
Head to Head Record:
| Team | Matches | Wins | Losses |
| Karachi Kings | Â Â Â Â 19 | 5 | 14 |
| Peshawar Zalmi | 14 | 5 |
Expected Playing XIs
Check out the PSL 9 squads here
Peshawar Zalmi:
| Saim Ayub | Babar Azam (c) | M, Haris | Tom Kohler Cadmore | Dan Mousley | Rovman Powell |
| Luke Wood | Salman Irshad | Â M.Zeeshan | Aamir Jamal | Asif Ali |
Karachi Kings:
| M. Nawaz | James Vince | Shan Masood (C) | Daniel Sams | Tabraiz Shamsi | Mohammad Amir Khan |
| Shoaib Malik | Kieron Pollard | Saad Baig (wk) | Hasan Ali | Mir Hamza |
Check out the PSL 9 Points Table here
