LQ vs KK: Lahore Qalandars eye playoffs berth in clash against Karachi Kings

Lahore Qalandars will look to confirm its playoff berth in the Pakistan Super League's (PSL) seventh edition tonight when it will take on arch-rivals Karachi Kings in match 26 of the tournament at Lahore’s Gaddafi stadium.

Karachi is already out of the tournament after losing eight consecutive matches and their poor run in the tournament is likely to dent the impact of this match between two rival cities.

Lahore seems to be in top form with 10 points in seven games and one more win will confirm their place in the playoffs of the PSL.

Shaheen Shah Afridi-led-Qalandars will surely look forward to continuing with the momentum and finishing the league stage among the top two teams.

Fakhar Zaman will be key for Lahore Qalandars tonight. The opening batter is in tremendous form this tournament with 469 runs in seven innings. He has scored five half-centuries and a century in the tournament so far and Qalandars’ dugout will be hoping for another one from him tonight.

The fast bowling trio of Shaheen Shah Afridi, Haris Rauf and Zaman Khan gives Qalandars an added advantage against the opponents.

Karachi Kings, on the other hand, has no stakes in the tournament now. They will, however, hope for some consolation after eight consecutive defeats in the tournament.

But, to end the losing streak, Karachi Kings will have to work hard. In all the matches, Babar Azam’s side looked struggling to score enough runs in power-play overs and that has emerged as one of the reasons for the team’s poor show in the tournament.

The game may not be important for Kings’ campaign, but for Babar, it may have some weight as he will look to take pressure off him ahead of his international commitments for Pakistan.

Players to watch: Fakhar Zaman, Mir Hamza

Possible playing XI:

Karachi Kings: Sharjeel Khan, Babar Azam (c), Joe Clarke (wk), Qasim Akram, Rohail Nazir, Mohammad Nabi, Imad Wasim, Chris Jordan Bowler, Jordan Thompson, Umaid Asif, Mir Hamza 

Lahore Qalandars: Fakhar Zaman, Abdullah Shafique, Kamran Ghulam, Mohammad Hafeez, Philip Salt, Harry Brook, Rashid Khan, David Wiese, Shaheen Shah Afridi, Haris Rauf, Zaman Khan.