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Karachi Kings vs Lahore Qalandars Preview: Rivals clash in Pakistan Super League final

By Sridhar Bhamidi

16 Nov 2020

Sridhar Bhamidi 16 Nov 2020

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Karachi Kings and Lahore Qalandars contest the PSL Final
Who will win the title at the National Stadium in Karachi on Tuesday?
Karachi Kings lead Lahore Qalandars 6-4 in the overall PSL head-to-head
The two teams have shared the last 4 matches and are 1-1 this campaign

Lahore Qalandars and Karachi Kings contest the 2020 PSL Final (Getty Images)

The biggest rivalry in Pakistan cricket will be on display in the final of the Pakistan Super League (PSL) 2020 edition, as Karachi Kings and Lahore Qalandars face-off at the National Stadium in Karachi on Tuesday. Both teams are looking for their first ever PSL title adding more excitement to the contest.

Karachi Kings Form

Karachi Kings defeated Multan Kings via Super Over in the Qualifier after both teams posted 141 in their respective 20 overs. Mohammad Amir bowled a perfect over with yorkers and conceded just nine runs after the Kings scored 13/2.

There will be confidence in the camp to win their maiden title, but Karachi will be worried about their batting. Relying too much on Babar Azam has shown the downside as they collapsed from 117/3 to 135/8 in the Qualifier. Even in the bowling front, only Mohammad Amir (10 wickets) remains their only player in the top-15 tournament bowlers.

Karachi Kings News

With a couple of days rest and not many injury concerns, Karachi Kings should retain the same playing XI. Mohammad Rizwan was benched in the Qualifier and may have to sit out once again.

Lahore Qalandars Form

The Qalandars won two playoff matches to make it to their maiden PSL final. After defeating Peshawar Zalmi by five wickets in Eliminator 1, the Qalandars were at their all-round best against Multan Sultans to win Eliminator 2 by 25 runs.

Dilbar Hussain took five wickets in those two matches, while David Wiese put in an all-round shift against Multan with 48* off 21 balls and taking 3/27 to stifle the chase. Shaheen Shah Afridi was also among the wickets with returns of 2/19 and 2/36 in the two Eliminators.

Lahore Qalandars News

Playing three matches within four days could be challenging, especially as a lot of players are playing after a long gap. Senior players like Ben Dunk and Mohammad Hafeez will be tested on the fitness front. However, they remain crucial for Lahore’s chances and will be playing this all-important final.

Karachi Kings vs Lahore Qalandars Head to Head

Karachi Kings lead Lahore Qalandars 6-4 in the overall PSL head-to-head count. The two teams have shared the last four matches and are 1-1 this campaign.

Earlier in the season when the teams met at this venue, Karachi Kings dished out a 10-wicket masterclass to the Qalandars. After restricting Lahore to 150/5, Karachi Kings breezed through the target in just 17.1 overs without losing a wicket. Sharjeel Khan top-scored with 74* off 59 balls, while Babar Azam scored 69* off just 46 balls.

Karachi Kings vs Lahore Qalandars Match Up

Karachi are over-dependent on their super star Babar Azam who has the most runs this season among all batsmen (410). Lahore, on the other hand, have Mohammad Hafeez (310), Fakhar Zaman (298) and Ben Dunk (289) who are just behind Azam in the scoring charts.

The Qalandars also have a stronger bowling unit with the top bowler of the tournament Shaheen Shah Afridi (17 wickets) in their ranks. The Qalandars’ unit has an overall all-round look and the momentum coming into this match.

Karachi Kings vs Lahore Qalandars Stats

Karachi Kings’ Babar Azam has five 50+ scores in his last five matches for country and club top-scoring on four occasions.
The chasing side has won seven of the last ten matches at the National Stadium this season, excluding the Super Over result.
Karachi Kings have scored the highest powerplay score in nine of their last 11 games.
Lahore Qalandars have scored 7.42 sixes per game in the regular season of the PSL this season, the best by any team.

Prediction

Lahore Qalandars have the momentum on their side winning six of their last seven matches including three in a row. However, their only loss in that sequence has come against Karachi Kings.

Babar Azam looms once again as the key player for Karachi Kings, while the Qalandars have a better all-round outlook to their side. Karachi will be playing to give a fitting tribute to Dean Jones, but Lahore have the advantage in this finale.

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