Karachi Kings (Source: Twitter/@KarachiKingsARY)
Karachi Kings and Islamabad United rub shoulders with each other in Match no.4 in the ongoing eighth edition of the Pakistan Super League (PSL) on Thursday, February 16, 2023, at the National Stadium in Karachi. The two teams will clash later in the tournament in Match no. 19 on March 03 at the Pindi Club Ground in Rawalpindi.
Imad Wasim's Karachi side began their campaign with a narrow loss by just two runs in a high-scoring thriller against Peshawar Zalmi. Chasing a massive target of 200, veteran and experienced campaigner Shoaib Malik scored 52 while skipper Imad smashed 80* off 47, but it went in vain as the Kings fell just short of the target.
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They are placed at the bottom at the sixth spot with a net run rate of -0.100. On the other hand, Shadab Khan-led Islamabad United will make its first appearance in the current edition. The winners of the 2020 season Karachi and the two-time champions Islamabad, clash in yet another exciting match of Pakistan's biggest T20 league.
Before the game gets underway, let us look at some of the important stats, best player picks and the best-precited teams for the fantasy contests of the match.
Ground Stats: National Stadium, Karachi
The pitch is expected to be a belter in Karachi, with another high-scoring encounter on the cards. 396 runs were scored in the opening game of PSL 8, and it should be another run-fest at the venue.
Numbers at the ground in PSL 2023
Total Match: 1
Match won batting first: 1
Match won batting second: 0
Average score batting first: 199
Average score batting second: 197
Average runs per over: 9.9
Average runs per wicket: 39.6
KAR vs ISL, Match 4: Head-to-Head
The Head-to-Head fixtures have been completely dominated by the United side, as they have won 12 out of the 18 matches played against the Kings in the history of the PSL.
Total Matches: 18
Karachi Kings won: 6
Islamabad United won: 12
KAR vs ISL, Match 4: Probable Playing XIs
Karachi Kings Team News
Mir Hamza is injured and will not play any further in this tournament. Akif Javed will be replacing him.
Karachi Kings Probable Playing XI
Matthew Wade (wk), Sharjeel Khan, Haider Ali, Qasim Akram, Shoaib Malik, Imad Wasim (c), Ben Cutting, Andrew Tye, Imran Tahir, Faisal Akram, and Mohammad Amir.
Islamabad United Team News
South Africa international Rassie van der Dussen is also part of the United setup and it will be interesting to see if he finds a place in the Playing XI.
Islamabad United Probable Playing XI
Paul Stirling/Rahmanullah Gurbaz, Alex Hales, Moeen Ali/Colin Munro, Sohaib Maqsood, Asif Ali, Azam Khan (wk), Shadab Khan (c), Hasan Ali, Mohammad Wasim Jr, Abrar Ahmed, Fazalhaq Farooqi
KAR vs ISL, Match 4: Top Five Picks
- Matthew Wade (KAR): Australia's left-handed wicketkeeper batter Matthew Wade got the start while opening the innings in his side's first game against the Zalmi. He scored a quickfire 23 off 15 to get a more valuable score against United.
- Shoaib Malik (KAR): 41-year-old Pakistani veteran Shoaib Malik is still going great in the T20 format. The right-handed batter smashed 52 off 34 in a losing cause against Zalmi as he looks to continue his solid form in the 20-over format.
- Mohammad Amir (KAR): Left-arm seamer Mohammad Amir had a forgettable outing against Peshawar. The Pakistani speedster leaked 42 runs for no wicket in his 4-over spell. But the pacer is a quality and proven performer, and he should be a good pick for this contest.
- Alex Hales (ISL): England's dashing right-handed opening batter Alex Hales ended the recently concluded International League (ILT20 2023) as the highest run-getter with 469 runs in 12 innings. He smashed one century and four half-centuries in that tournament as he looks to light up the PSL too.
- Azam Khan (ISL): Wicketkeeper batter Azam Khan slammed a century in the ongoing Bangladesh Premier League (BPL) for Khulna Tigers. In that tournament, he scored 226 runs in 8 innings at an average of 45.20. Azam is an exciting prospect for the United side, and he looks like a good bet for this fixture.
KAR vs ISL, Match 4: Must picks for the match
Karachi Kings
- Matthew Wade - 23 runs in 1 match
- Shoaib Malik - 52 runs in 1 match
- Mohammad Amir - 0 wicket in 1 match
Islamabad United
- Alex Hales
- Azam Khan
- Shadab Khan
KAR vs ISL, Match 4: Risky Picks
Karachi Kings: Haider Ali, Qasim Akram
Islamabad United: Asif Ali, Abrar Ahmed
KAR vs ISL, Match 4: Best Captain and Vice-captain choices
- Shoaib Malik (KAR)
- Alex Hales (ISL)
- Shadab Khan (ISL)
KAR vs ISL, Match 4: Team for Head-to-Head Contests
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Wickektkeeper: Matthew Wade, Azam Khan
Batters: Shoaib Malik, Alex Hales, Sohaib Maqsood
All-rounders: Imad Wasim, Shadab Khan
Bowlers: Mohammad Amir, Andrew Tye, Imran Tahir, Fazalhaq Farooqi
Captain: Alex Hales
Vice-captain: Shoaib Malik
KAR: 6 Players, ISL: 5 players
KAR vs ISL, Match 4: Team for Winner takes all Contests
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Wicketkeeper: Matthew Wade, Azam Khan
Batters: Sharjeel Khan, Haider Ali, Alex Hales
All-rounders: Shadab Khan, Ben Cutting, Imad Wasim
Bowlers: Hasan Ali, Mohammad Wasim Jr, Abrar Ahmed
Captain: Shadab Khan
Vice-captain: Imad Wasim
KAR: 6 Players, ISL: 5 Players
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