Karachi Kings have won the toss and have opted to field
Both Teams have squandered the opportunity to gain momentum early into the tournament and will be itching to get back to winning ways. Quetta Gladiators were completely out of sorts against a ruthless Multan Sultans side in their last match as Ihsanullah spitted fire and picked up a sensational fifer that helped bowl out Quetta for a paltry 110.
Sultans’ run rate took a massive lift after that thumping win. And as far as Gladiators are concerned, they would like to brush that drubbing under the carpet and mark it as a rare poor day at the office.
Sarfaraz Ahmed must have dissected their heavy defeat and after dismal performances in the last few seasons, they are under pressure to deliver the goods in this season.
Karachi Kings are also searching for their first win after losing to Islamabad United in their last match. Colin Munro’s quickfire 58 and a magnificent 44 from Azam Khan helped Islamabad start their PSL campaign with a win.
Kings weren’t that far behind and posted a competitive total of 178 but in reply, Colin Munro and Azam Khan were severe on Karachi’s bowlers and took the wind out of their sails with some bombastic batting.
Haider Ali and Sharjeel Khan looked threatening but just when they were looking to switch gears, they lost their wickets.
The pitches in Karachi have offered true bounce so we can expect batters to dominate the proceedings tonight and the bowlers will be relying on their variations to stem the run flow.
Both games which have been played at the National Stadium in Karachi have been high-scoring affairs and on both occasions, the home side has tasted defeat.
The point of concern for the Karachi Kings is that their bowling has been off-colour so far. Their bowlers have leaked a lot of runs and haven’t been able to pick up wickets consistently.
Agreed that the pitches are tailor-made for batting but they need to adjust to the conditions quickly. On the other hand, Quetta were blown away by Multan in their opening game.
They misfired as a unit and it was a morale-deflating defeat for them. That can play on their minds but they need to show strong temperament. The visitors need to put in a much improved all-round performance. The team that ticks most boxes right will open their account tonight
Quetta Gladiators (Playing XI): Jason Roy, Martin Guptill, Abdul Bangalzai, Sarfaraz Ahmed(w/c), Umar Akmal, Iftikhar Ahmed, Mohammad Nawaz, Odean Smith, Qais Ahmad, Naseem Shah, Mohammad Hasnain
Karachi Kings (Playing XI): Sharjeel Khan, James Vince, Haider Ali, Matthew Wade(w), Irfan Khan, Shoaib Malik, Imad Wasim(c), Aamer Yamin, Andrew Tye, Mohammad Amir, Imran Tahir
