Lahore Qalandars vs Karachi Kings, Pakistan Super League (PSL), Today Match Prediction 16 Feb 2019

lq vs kk Match Prediction & Analysis

The fifth game of Pakistan Super League will see Lahore Qalandars take on Karachi Kings at Dubai International Cricket Stadium on Saturday.

It was same old story for Qalandars as they lost their opening game of the competition against Islamabad United. Mohammad Hafeez-led unit will need to improve considerably to register their first win of the season.

On the other hand, Kings registered a narrow-win over Multan Sultans in a run-fest played at Dubai International Cricket Stadium. Kings Captain Imad Wasim will be pleased with his side’s performance in the game played against Multan. With this result, Kings are second in the league table with two points to their name.

TEAMS PREVIEW

Lahore Qalandars Preview

In their opening fixture, Lahore Qalandars suffered at the hands of Islamabad United and will be looking to put a much better show this time around, especially with the ball. With so much at stake, Qalandars will be depending on in-form opener Fakhar Zaman to continue leading the way for the team, especially after he produced a special innings of 65 off 43 balls with the help of six fours and three sixes in their last match. He was well supported by Sohail Akthar, who chipped in with 37 off 30 balls with the help of four fours and a six.

The opening pair of Zaman and Akthar added 97 runs for the opening wicket in the game played against Islamabad United.Apart from him, explosive middle-order AB De Villiers will be under focus as well, who chipped in with 24 off 17 balls in his first appearance in the Pakistan Super League. 

The biggest worry will be the middle-order which crumbled under pressure in the chase in the previous game. Captain Mohammad Hafeez will need to bat higher to make sure Lahore post competitive scores on the board.

Anton Devcich, Carlos Brathwaite and Brendan Taylor will need to contribute with the bat for the side in this game.For Lahore, left-arm quick Rahat Ali was standout performer with the ball in hand. He picked up four wickets and conceded 29 runs from his four-over spell. 

Rookie pacer Shaheen Shah Afridi had a poor game with the ball and conceded more than ten runs an over. He will be determined to make significant improvement for the side in the next couple of games.Leg-spinner Yasir Shah and Mohammad Hafeez also bowled well in the previous game and failed to pick up wickets for the side in the middle-overs of the innings.

Lahore Qalandars Predicted Playing XI:

Mohammad Hafeez (c), AB De Villiers, Fakhar Zaman, Sohail Akthar, Carlos Brathwaite, Anton Devcich, Shaheen Shah Afridi, Rahat Ali, Haris Rauf, Brendan Taylor (wk), Yasir Shah.

Lahore Qalandars Actual Playing XI:

Yasir Shah, Sohail Akhtar, BRM Taylor, Mohammad Hafeez, Hardus Viljoen, Rahat Ali, F Zaman, Anton Devcich, AB de Villiers, Shaheen Afridi, Haris Rauf

Karachi Kings Preview

Karachi Kings put in a splendid batting performance in the game played against Multan Sultans. The franchise managed to pull off a win in a high-scoring game played in Dubai.

In the batting department, the focus will be on the likes of Babar Azam and Liam Livingstone, who put on a record-breaking 157 runs for the opening wicket in the previous game against Multan Sultans. Azam continued his imperious form and smashed 77 off 59 balls with the help of six fours and one six. 

England’s Liam Livingstone also produced a splendid innings and was well supported by Babar Azam at the other end. He scored 82 off 43 balls with the help of six fours and six sixes. However, the real cause of concern for Karachi Kings will be their middle order, who failed to make an impact with the bat to see the side failing to score big runs at the back end of the innings. Colin Ingram, Imad Wasim and Ravi Bopara will need to do better if Kings want to win games of cricket on a regular basis.

For Karachi, left-arm quick Mohammad Amir was the standout bowler in the game played against Multan. He finished with four wickets from his four-over spell and conceded less than seven runs an over.

Left-arm spinner Imad Wasim and left-arm pacer Usman Khan also bowled well and kept a lid on the rate of scoring. Sohail Khan will need to improve after conceding 57 runs from his four overs. Umer Khan and Ravi Bopara also bowled a few overs for the side in the previous game.

Karachi Kings Predicted Playing XI:

Liam Livingstone, Babar Azam, Colin Ingram, Ravi Bopara, Mohammad Rizwan (wk), Imad Wasim (c), Ravi Bopara, Mohammad Amir, Umer Khan, Usman Khan Shinwari, Sohail Khan.

Karachi Kings Actual Playing XI:

Usman Khan, Babar Azam, SI Wasim, Mohammad Rizwan, Mohammad Amir, RS Bopara, Liam Livingstone, Sohail Khan, Umer Khan, Colin Ingram, Sikandar Raza

Weather Conditions

The pitch prepared for the game will be excellent for batting. The first three games of the competition have seen high-scoring contests. The weather forecast for the game on Saturday is going to be partly cloudy.

Venue

The venue has been provided something for the bowlers, who have bowled in the right areas in the first set of games played till now. Kings won their previous game played in Dubai.

Toss: To Bat

The side that wins the toss would like to bat first and put a mammoth score on the board.