Islamabad United will host Karachi Kings in a do-or-die match as they are just above the bottom two places by 1 point and their rivals below them have a game in hand.
The two champions find themselves in a precarious situation with only two games to go in their group-stage campaign, it is a do-or-die match for both teams but the stakes are much higher for Islamabad as they have played one match more than Karachi.
Islamabad United remained unchanged but it seems like they might need to reshuffle their opening pair as Alex Hales seems completely out of form with the bat since the beginning of PSL 9.
The hosts are missing an anchor man in the batting lineup right now and they also need their star allrounder to perform consistently who has been out of form for ages with sporadic contributions here and there.
Karachi Kings on the other hand seems like they have got the right combination back ever since the return of Kieron Pollard they seem like a balanced outfit and their 7-wicket win against Quetta was a testament to the fact that they can dismantle any opposition on their given day.
Islamabad United boast a great record against the Kings and has dominated them on 15 occasions out of 21 while Karachi Kings has only registered 6 wins against the two-time champions which means that Islamabad is a bogey team for Karachi in the PSL.
Pitch Report:
Three out of three matches of PSL 9 at the Rawalpindi Cricket Stadium have been won by the team’s batting first and Islamabad United also faltered while chasing the total.
The average 1st innings total during PSL 8 at the venue was 209 but this year we have seen a contrast considering that last night Lahore was easily able to defend a target of 163.
This year the pitch has been more favorable to bowlers as compared to last year as we have witnessed great swing from fast bowlers such as Naseem Shah and Hunain Shah. Hitting the ball at the right length is key and batting first seems to be the go-to mantra right now.
Last night’s match between Islamabad and Lahore also suggested that the pitch will help the ball skid and it has bounce as well, even for the spinners.
You can check out the full PSL schedule here
Head-to-Head Record
| Teams | Matches | Win | Loss |
| Islamabad United | 21 | 15 | 6 |
| Karachi Kings | 6 | 15 |
Expected Playing XIs
Check out the PSL 9 squads here
Karachi Kings:
| Shan Masood (C) | James Vince | Irfan Khan Niazi | Hasan Ali | Zahid Mahmood | Anwar Ali |
| Tim Seifert (Wk) | Shoaib Malik | Mohammad Nawaz | Mir Hamza | Blessing Muzarabani |
Islamabad United:
| Colin Munro | Alex Hales | Shadab Khan (C) | Agha Salman | Azam Khan (WK) | Jordan Cox |
| Imad Wasim | Faheem Ashraf | Naseem Shah | Hunain Shah | Rumman Raees |
Check out the PSL 9 Points Table here.
