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Match Details
Date: 20th February 2021
Time: 7:30 PM (IST)
Venue: National Stadium, Karachi
Preview:
Reigning champions Karachi Kings will lock horns with 2019 winners Quetta Gladiators in the opening match of the sixth edition of the Pakistan Super League.
Both the sides have retained their core players from the last season. Karachi Kings kept hold of their star players Babar Azam, Mohammad Amir and Imad Wasim. On the other hand, Quetta Gladiators also retained Sarfaraz Ahmed, Ben Cutting and Naseem Shah.
However, the additions in the 2021 draft have certainly given a new outlook to both Kings and Gladiators. The defending champions have bolstered their middle-order and have added two international all-rounders in the form of Mohammad Nabi and Dan Christian. Quetta Gladiators, who failed to make the play-offs last year, have added explosive cricketers like Chris Gayle and Tom Banton to strengthen their batting line-up.
In the last season, Quetta Gladiators defeated Karachi Kings in both meetings. The Gladiators have always had the upper hand in this fixture and they would be hoping for a similar result on Saturday. Meanwhile, Kings will look to improve on their record against an opponent they have struggled quite a lot. The stage is set for a scintillating start to the 2021 season of the Pakistan Super League.
Head-to-Head record:
Matches Played: 10
Quetta Gladiators: 7
Karachi Kings: 3
Players to watch out for:
Babar Azam:
Matches: 47 | Runs: 1516 | Avg: 37.90 | SR: 117.97
Cameron Delport:
Matches: 34 | Runs: 860 | Avg: 27.74 | SR: 129.12
Mohammad Amir:
Matches: 48 | Wickets: 49 | Avg: 25.48 | ER: 7.15
Mohammad Nawaz:
Matches: 52 | Wickets: 49 | Avg: 25.55 | ER: 7.12
Probable Playing XI
Karachi Kings:
Sharjeel Khan, Chadwick Walton (wk), Babar Azam, Colin Ingram, Zeeshan Malik, Mohammad Nabi, Imad Wasim (c), Daniel Christian, Mohammad Amir, Aamer Yamin, Waqas Maqsood
Quetta Gladiators:
Chris Gayle, Tom Banton, Cameron Delport, Sarfaraz Ahmed (c/wk), Azam Khan, Ben Cutting, Mohammad Nawaz, Mohammad Hasnain, Naseem Shah, Usman Shinwari, Anwar Ali