Karachi Kings vs Lahore Qalandars: Head-to-head

• Karachi Kings and Lahore Qalandars set for a highly-anticipated face-off in what marks the eleventh match of the PSL 2021.
• Karachi Kings and Lahore Qalandars come in from similar positions, having won two out of their first three encounters.
• Defending champions Kings enjoy a slight edge with better net run rate (NRR) and victory over Qalandars in PSL 2020.

KARACHI: Arch-rivals Karachi Kings and Lahore Qalandars are set for a highly-anticipated face-off later today — Sunday — at the National Stadium in what marks the eleventh match of the Pakistan Super League's sixth season — PSL 2021.

The build-up to the Karachi Kings-Lahore Qalandars match — arguably dubbed the El Clásico of the PSL 2021 — has been exciting to say the least, considering that both sides come in from similar positions, having won two out of their first three encounters.

However, defending champions Karachi Kings have a slight edge over Qalandars due to better net run rate (NRR) as well as the advantage of the outcome of their face-off last year during the PSL 2020 final in which they defeated Qalandars.

In total, the two arch-rivals have played 11 matches, of which Karachi Kings bagged seven and Lahore Qalandars secured merely four.

A day prior, Kings achieved a remarkable win over Multan Sultans when they convincingly chased 198 with seven balls to spare and ended up with high confidence.

On the other hand, Qalandars went down against the same opposition 24 hours prior, with their batsmen failing to post enough runs on the board.

Moreover, the Kings' Babar Azam seems to be a real threat for the opposition after he finished his last game in style — scoring 90 not out, his second successive fifty and the 16th of his PSL career — which sent alarm bells ringing for the competing teams.

Still, it is important to note that the Qalandars started the PSL 2020 tremendously, showing better results since last year as opposed to their performance of the first four editions.