Karachi Kings vs Quetta Gladiators, Pakistan Super League 2020, Today Match Prediction 15 Mar 2020

krk vs qtg Match Prediction & Analysis

Host Karachi Kings will be looking to continue their home dominance when they take on Quetta Gladiators in the 30th match of 2020 Pakistan Super League at National Stadium in Karachi on Sunday. Heading into the final round-robin game in the 5th edition of Pakistan Super League, the race for playoffs is still up for grabs. The first team to qualify for the knockouts was Multan Sultans.

Karachi Kings, as many expected, sealed their place in the top four with one game left-a comfortable win over Islamabad United. Captain Imad Wasim will be hoping that the side can continue their winning momentum going into their final round-robin match.

On the other hand, Quetta Gladiators will need to win their final round-robin match at all costs in order to have any chance of making it to the semifinals of the competition. Captain Sarfaraz Ahmed will be looking to field their best combination despite foreign players leaving PSL due coronavirus outbreak. In the previous meeting between the two teams, Quetta Gladiators registered a five-wicket win over Karachi Kings in a game played at National Stadium in Karachi.

TEAMS PREVIEW

Karachi Kings Preview

After defeating Islamabad United at home, a top-two finish is all but ensured for Imad Wasim’s Karachi Kings, if even they lose to Quetta Gladiators in their final round-robin clash. Win against Quetta Gladiators will see them play their semifinal at Gaddafi Stadium in Lahore on Tuesday.

In the previous game, the toss proved to be crucial as Imad Wasim won the toss and opted to ball first. Chris Jordan, Imad Wasim and Umaid Asif put in splendid bowling performance to restrict Karachi Kings to a score of 136 for 6 in their allotted 20 overs. For Kings, Chris Jordan, Umaid Asif, Arshad Iqbal and Imad Wasim claimed one wicket apiece.

Chasing 137 runs to secure their playoff spot, Karachi openers Sharjeel Khan and Babar Azam got the side off to a flying start. The opening pair added 60 runs in the first five overs of the innings.

Sharjeel Khan produced blistering innings of 37 runs off 14 balls with the help of three boundaries and four sixes. He was well supported by Babar Azam, who perished after scoring 19 runs off 20 balls with the help of three boundaries. Captain Imad Wasim produced a crucial inning for Karachi Kings and scored 26 runs off 34 balls with the help of two boundaries and one six. Tail-ender Umaid Asif smashed 13 runs off 6 balls to see Kings complete the score in the final over of the innings and seal their place in the semifinals of the competition.

Karachi Kings Predicted Playing XI:

Sharjeel Khan, Babar Azam, Cameron Delport, Iftikhar Ahmed, Chadwick Walton (wk), Imad Wasim (c), Umaid Asif, Chris Jordan, Usama Mir, Arshad Iqbal, Mohammad Amir

Karachi Kings Actual Playing XI:

Ben Cutting, Ahmed Shehzad, Mohammad Hasnain, Naseem Shah, Fawad Ahmed, Azam Khan, Sohail Khan, Mohammad Nawaz, Khurram Manzoor, SR Watson, Sarfraz Ahmed

Quetta Gladiators Preview

Currently, the defending champions are sitting at the bottom of the league with 7 points after 9 matches played in the competition. It is certainly going to be a tough ask for Gladiators to beat Kings by a big margin. For Gladiators to qualify, then Islamabad United and Lahore Qalandars will have to lose their final round-robin matches. With the likes of Tymal Mills and Jason Roy leaving the franchise, Khurram Manzoor and Anwar Ali are expected to come into the playing XI for this high-octane clash.

For this all-important clash, the side will be looking towards the experienced batting trio of Shane Watson, Sarfaraz Ahmed and Ahmed Shehzad to do the bulk of the scoring.  Former Australian all-rounder Shane Watson has the ability to put in big scores in crunch matches and will be looking to make a notable contribution in this game.

Captain Sarfaraz Ahmed will need to get back amongst the runs after registering a string of low scores in the last couple of matches. Mohammad Nawaz, Azam Khan and Ben Cutting will be given the responsibility to pile on the runs for Gladiators in the final stages of the innings.

Pacer Mohammad Hasnain leads the bowling charts for Gladiators this season with 14 scalps at an economy rate of 9.14. Rookie pacer will need to put in exceptional performance with the new-ball. Besides Hasnain, Mohammad Nawaz, Ben Cutting and Fawad Ahmed will be other bowling options for the side for this game.

Quetta Gladiators Predicted Playing XI:

Shane Watson, Khurram Manzoor, Sarfaraz Ahmed (c & wk), Sohail Khan, Ahmed Shehzad, Anwar Ali, Ben Cutting, Mohammad Nawaz, Fawad Ahmed, Mohammad Hasnain, Azam Khan.

PITCH AND WEATHER CONDITIONS

Weather Conditions

With back-to-back matches being played at National Stadium, the surface is expected to be on the slower side. The batsmen will need to work hard for their runs. The weather forecast is expected to remain warm throughout the day.

 

Venue Details

National Stadium in Karachi is going to host the final round-robin match of 2020 Pakistan Super League between Karachi Kings and Quetta Gladiators.

Quetta Gladiators will take heart from the fact that they have won six matches out of nine played against Karachi Kings in the competition.

Toss: To Bowl

Due to day-night fixture, the side that wins the toss, would be looking to bowl first and restrict the opposing team to lowest total. Average first innings at the venue is around 130 to 140 runs.