Hapless Kings face Qalandars in PSL El Clasico today

KARACHI: The tournament's greatest rivals are ready to lock horns in a Pakistan Super League (PSL) 8 clash as confident Lahore Qalandars will meet hapless Karachi Kings at the National Bank Cricket Arena today (Sunday) at 7pm.

The arch-rivals' fans are also eagerly waiting for today's clash and it is highly expected that the big game will also attract a huge Sunday crowd.

After suffering their third consecutive loss in PSL 8, Karachi would be looking to fight back vigorously with a fresh strategy against Lahore. 

Meanwhile, on the opposite side Shaheen-led Qalandars will seek to continue winning momentum in PSL 8.

Kings' poor form continue

In the first three matches, struggling Karachi Kings continued their losing tradition, like last season, as the Imad Wasim-led side suffered three defeats in a row.

In their first match of the eighth edition of the tournament, Karachi Kings failed to chase down the target of 200 as Babar-led Peshawar Zalmi defeated them by two runs in a thriller.

In their second match, Karachi Kings suffered another loss when Islamabad United overpowered them by four wickets.

In their last game, Kings once again were unfortunate as Quetta Gladiators tamed them by four runs.

On another side, the champions Lahore Qalandars started their tournament campaign on a winning note to edge Multan Sultans in their opening match of the PSL 8.

Previous matches

In past appearances, both sides’ matches ended after a thrilling contest. Karachi and Lahore met 15 times in PSL history with the Kings winning nine matches while Qalandars notching six victories in PSL matches.

Lahore Qalandars

The Lahore Qalandars mostly rely on their bowling strength because former champions have the likes of skipper Shaheen Shah Afridi, Haris Rauf, Zaman Khan, Liam Dawson and David Wiese in their attack.

Fakhar Zaman is looking in great form right now as he played brilliantly in the previous match against Multan Sultans. Fakhar played a splendid innings against Multan Sultans as he scored 66 runs in 42 deliveries, smashing three fours and five sixes at a strike rate of 157.14.

Kamran Ghulam, although, could not click in the first game but is expected to leave an impact. He is no doubt an impact player and knows how to shift momentum of the game with his batting. 

Hussain Talat, Sikandar Raza, Shai Hope, Wiese, and Dawson also have the ability to go for big hits when the side needs their contribution.

Shaheen and Rauf are the backbones of Qalandars' bowling strength and have the ability to perform under pressure. Both pacers are well known for their T20I bowling performances. 

Zaman also plays a crucial role in the death overs to constrain the batters, especially as we saw in the last match against Multan Sultans' side.

Karachi Kings

Struggling Karachi Kings are on paper a very strong team having the likes of Shoaib Malik, Imad Wasim, Matthew Wade, James Vince and Mohammad Amir. 

The most experienced batter, Malik, who is in great form, was unlucky to not finish their previous matches on a victory note. 

Australia's T20 specialist, Wade is known for his ruthless batting in the shortest format of the game.

Karachi Kings fans would also be hopeful that Sharjeel Khan returns to his original form as they struggled to play aggressive shots in the first six overs. 

Mohammad Amir and Imad Wasim are the key bowlers of the Karachi Kings side and would be expected take wickets up front. 

Teams

Karachi Kings: Sharjeel Khan, James Vince, Haider Ali, Shoaib Malik, Irfan Khan Niazi, Matthew Wade, Imad Wasim, Andrew Tye, Mohammad Amir, James Fuller, Mohammad Musa, Qasim Akram, Tayyab Tahir, Mohammad Akhlaq, Ben Cutting, Mohammad Umar, Aamer Yamin, Tabraiz Shamsi, Akif Javed, Imran Tahir.

Lahore Qalandars: Fakhar Zaman, Abdullah Shafique, Tahir Baig, Shai Hope, Kamran Ghulam, Husain Talat, Sikandar Raza, Liam Dawson, David Wiese, Shaheen Afridi (captain), Haris Rauf, Zaman Khan, Shawaiz Irfan, Abdullah, Ahsan Hafeez Bhatti, Dilbar Hussain, Shane Dadswell.