The fifth edition of the Pakistan Super League (PSL) will conclude on Tuesday with the grand finale between Karachi Kings and Lahore Qalandars.
The contest will be played at the National Stadium in Karachi under the floodlights whereboth teams will battle it out for the ultimate glory.
Karachi are coming in the match after beating Multan Sultans in the qualifier after anail-biting contest which was decided in the Super Over.
On the other hand, Lahore are coming in the match after beating Peshawar Zalmi by fivewickets in the eliminator one and then went on to defeat Sultans in eliminatortwo on Sunday by 25 runs.
Road to theplayoffs:
Kings made it through to the playoffs after finishing second on the league table with 11points after 10 matches.
Imad Wasim-led unit registered five wins in the competition—two against PeshawarZalmi and one each against Quetta Gladiators, Islamabad United and Lahore.
Qalandars made it to the playoffs for the first time in the history of PSL after finishing onthe third spot with 10 points.
Sohail Akhtar-led unit registered five wins in the tournament—two against Gladiators,one each against Karachi, Multan and Peshawar.
Head-to-Head
Both teams
have competed 10 times previously in the history of PSL where Karachi have asuperior record with six wins compared to Qalandars’ four.
In the two
matches during the PSL 2020, both teams managed to win one each—Kings by 10wickets and Lahore by eight wickets.
Players towatch out for:
Babar Azam (Karachi Kings)
Babar Azam is undoubtedly the most lethal batsman in the world in the shortest format of the game. The right-hander is having an outstanding tournament where he is pretty much certain to finish as the leading scorer after managing 410 runs. Azam also likes playing against Qalandars where he is the franchise’s top scorer with 265 runs in eight outings at an average of 37.85. Therefore, the team management will be hoping to see another stellar performance from their star man at the grandest stage of all.
Shaheen Shah Afridi (Lahore Qalandars)
Shaheen Shah Afridi has emerged as the spearhead of the Lahore Qalandars bowling lineup, despite being aged just 20. The left-arm pacer is having an excelled campaign where he is tournament’s leading wicket-taker with 17 scalps to his name. Shaheen looked uncomfortable during the second eliminator but came back to complete his full quota of four overs. Qalandars team management will be hoping that their star performer will not only stay fit during the full course of the match but also rise up to the occasion on the night where it will matter the most.
Venue: National Stadium, Karachi
Match start time: 2000 hrs PST
Karachi Kings squad:
Imad Wasim
(captain), Aamer Yamin, Arshad Iqbal, Awais Zia, Babar Azam, Cameron Delport,Chadwick Walton, Iftikhar Ahmed, Mohammad Amir, Mohammad Rizwan (wicketkeeper),Sharjeel Khan, Sherfane Rutherford, Umaid Asif, Umer Khan, Usama Mir, WaqasMaqsood, Wayne Parnell
Lahore Qalandars squad:
Sohail
Akhtar (captain), Abid Ali, Ben Dunk (wicketkeeper), Dane Vilas, David Wiese,Dilbar Hussain, Fakhar Zaman, Farzan Raja, Haris Rauf, Jaahid Ali, Maaz Khan,Mohammad Faizan, Mohammad Hafeez, Salman Ali Agha, Samit Patel, Shaheen ShahAfridi, Tamim Iqbal, Usman Khan Shinwari, Chris Lynn, Salman Butt, SalmanIrshad, Seekkuge Prasanna
