Karachi Kings are favorites to win
Karachi Kings will look to back up their win from their first game when they face Lahore Qalandars in the Pakistan Super League, at Dubai’s International Cricket Stadium. Scheduled for February 16, the live action begins at 21:00 local time.
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Karachi Kings broke with tradition and batted first after winning the toss last time out and may repeat that tactic after it proved successful.
Read on for team previews, betting tips, latest odds and match prediction for Lahore Qalandars vs Karachi Kings, Pakistan Super League 2019.
Lahore Qalandars will welcome Sandeep Lamichhane into the team once his Big Bash League commitments are over but for now, without the Nepalese international, they may well stick with the team that was narrowly defeated by Islamabad United last time out. Sohail Akhtar opened the batting with Fakhar Zaman and they shared a 97-run opening partnership. With the ball, Carlos Brathwaite and Shaheen Afridi were both expensive but knee-jerk reactions are unlikely at this stage.
AB de Villiers was the most eye-catching signing in the 2019 Pakistan Super League draft and the South African arrived on the back of some superb form in the Mzansi Super League and Bangladesh Premier League. In his first innings of this tournament, he scored a handy 24 from 17 balls.
Fakhar Zaman was the Qalandars' batting star last time out, however, scoring 65 from 44 balls and sharing a 97-run opening partnership with Sohail Akhtar (37). Zaman was previously in good form in the ODI series against South Africa.
Anton Devcich and Brendan Taylor have both proved in other T20 tournaments just what they can bring with the bat, meanwhile, and will want to justify their selections as overseas picks.
With the ball, Rahat Ali claimed 4-29 from his four overs to lead the bowling - including 14 dot balls. If teenager Shaheen Afridi - who took a wicket in each of his T20i appearances against South Africa - can back him up this time, they could inflict some damage with the ball.
Lahore Qalandars finished bottom of last year's Pakistan Super League table to continue their miserable record in the competition. On that occasion they lost their first six in a row and they started with a defeat this time too, when they failed to defend 171/8 against Islamabad United. That was despite Fakhar Zaman scoring 65 and Rahat Ali taking 4-29 for the Qalandars.
Fakhar Zaman, Sohail Akhtar, Brendan Taylor, AB de Villiers, Mohammad Hafeez, Anton Devcich, Carlos Brathwaite, Yasir Shah, Shaheen Afridi, Haris Rauf, Rahat Ali
With Colin Munro yet to fly out - playing instead for Auckland Aces in the Super Smash play-offs - Englishman Liam Livingstone slotted straight in at the top of the order and shared a PSL record 157-run partnership with Babar Azam. Munro will fly out after the Aces' defeat to Central Districts but, until he arrives, it could be an unchanged batting line-up.
Babar Azam scored 402 runs in last season's competition and the hugely popular Pakistani opener was in top form in the opening game of this year's tournament too. He hit 77 from 59 balls against Multan Sultans, sharing a record 157 partnership with Liam Livingstone.
Livingstone, who captained Lancashire Lightning to last season's T20 Blast semi-finals, scored 82 from 43 balls on his PSL debut, including six fours and six sixes.
None of the rest of the batting order contributed last time out, but there is no doubting Colin Ingram's experience and quality. Most recent at the Big Bash with Adelaide Strikers, he has 35 T20 half-centuries to his name and three 100s.
With the ball, Mohammad Amir was their star man - reminding the national selectors of his capabilities by taking 4-25, including 12 dot balls. Those figures would have been even better had he not bowled four wides too.
Usman Shinwari, who took 16 matches in nine games last season, continued his good form, meanwhile. He bowled well in the BBL, and then took five wickets against South Africa in the ODIs, before claiming 1-26 last time out.
Sohail Khan proved very expensive, conceding eight fours and two sixes in total, but he did hold his nerve in the final over to claim two wickets and seal Karachi's win and get back to the form he showed in the National T20 Cup.
After losing both of their play-off matches last season, to end the PSL on a low note, Karachi Kings made a winning start to this year's tournament. They posted 183/6 against Multan Sultans, which included a PSL-record 157-run opening partnership from Liam Livingstone (82) and Babar Azam (77). In reply, Mohammad Amir claimed 4-25 from his six overs to seal a seven-run win.
Babar Azam, Liam Livingstone, Colin Ingram, Sikandar Raza, Imad Wasim, Ravi Bopara, Mohammad Rizwan, Mohammad Amir, Usman Shinwari, Sohail Khan, Umer Khan
Lahore Qalandars have won one of their six previous matches against Karachi Kings but they did also claim a super over win after a tie in the most recent match. Karachi have won the other four.
Last season, Karachi won the first game - Ravi Bopara's unbeaten century leading them to 159/7, before Usman Shinwari and Shahid Afridi both took three wickets to bowl the Qalandars out for 132.
In the second game, Babar Azam's 61 from 49 balls lifted the Kings to 163/5, but Agha Salman hit 50 in reply as the Qalandars finished on 163/8. In the super over, Mohammad Amir bowled two wides as the Qalandars posted 11 runs. In reply, the Kings scored 2/1 off the first five balls of Sunil Narine's over, with Shahid Afridi's six counting for nothing off the final ball.
Lahore Qalandars have made some eye-catching signings but Islamabad United were in dominant form last season and can start this year’s tournament with a win too.
Final Verdict: Back Karachi Kings to beat Lahore Qalandars
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