KK vs PZ Match Preview
Sharjeel Khan is an aggressive opener but he is not the most consistent. James Vince is the other opener for the Kings and is making quite a reputation for himself on the T20 circuit. He comes into this match after having led the Gulf Giants to victory in the IL T20 and with a boatload of runs to his name.
Haider Ali, Matthew Wade, Shoaib Malik, and perhaps Ben Cutting could be the other players in the lineup. A decent batting lineup but not one that screams excellence in any sense.
The bowling attack will feature Imad Wasim (a powerplay specialist), Mohammad Ami (brilliant economy across different phases), Tabraiz Shamsi (attacking wrist-spinner), and some excellent all-rounders.
With Kamran Akmal as the batting coach, Babar Azam is going to be pushed into playing a more aggressive brand of cricket for sure. Speaking power, Peshawar Zalmi has Sherfane Rutherford, Rovman Powell, Mohammad Haris, Saim Ayub, and Bhanuka Rajapaksa in its squad!
There is more than enough power to go around and we expect this to be one of the best batting units in PSL 2023.
The bowling attack for Peshawar Zalmi is a bit imbalanced. Wahab Riaz is the only real big name with Mujeeb ur Rahman for support. Arshad Iqbal, Usman Qadir, and Salman Irshad will have to provide the rest of the support to the bowling unit.
Weather Report
There is no rain forecast in Karachi but the humidity is high and so some dew is going to be present.
Pitch Report
The pitch is very flat and excellent for batting in Karachi. The average score batting first is nearly 190 although it is closer to 170 in the last two seasons.
We think this is likely to be a high-scoring match with a lot of fours and boundaries.
Notable stats
Most Prolific Batter and Bowler in PSL History
Babar Azam has the most runs in PSL History (2413) and Wahab Riaz has the most wickets (103) in the PSL. Both of them are going to be playing for Peshawar Zalmi this time around.
Team News
There are no major injuries to report for any team.
KK vs PZ Probable 11
KK Playing 11
- Sharjeel Khan
- James Vince
- Shoaib Malik
- Haider Ali
- Matthew Wade (Wk)
- Imad Wasim (C)
- Ben Cutting
- Mir Hamza
- Tabraiz Shamsi
- Musa Khan
- Mohammad Amir
PZ Playing 11
- Babar Azam (C)
- Mohammad Haris (Wk)
- Bhanuka Rajapaksa
- Rovman Powell
- Sherfane Rutherford
- Saim Ayub
- Danish Aziz
- Salman Irshad
- Sufyan Muqeem
- Wahab Riaz
- Usman Qadir
Dream11 Prediction
Peshawar Zalmi has a slightly better T20 team in our opinion. They have a much stronger batting lineup and although their bowling is not as strong as the Karachi Kings, we think the base quality of the bowlers they pick will still be good enough to help them be competitive.
We think Peshawar Zalmi will be able to get over the line.
Top Picks
Babar Azam: Never count out superstars and Babar Azam is as big a superstar as they come. He has a point to prove to the Karachi Kings and this could very well be the occasion to do.
Sherfane Rutherford: One of the lower-owned cricketers that could end up making a big impact with his power hitting in the middle overs.
Shoaib Malik - An evergreen cricketer, Malik still has the game to be able to play a game-changing inning.
KK vs PZ Dream11 Team 1
Keeper: M Wade, M Haris
Batters: S Malik, J Vince, B Azam (C), R Powell (VC), S Rutherford
All-rounders: I Wasim
Bowlers: M Amir, I Tahir, S Muqeem
