PSL 2023 Predictions: Peshawar Zalmi vs Karachi Kings

Peshawar Zalmi will face Karachi Kings in Match 17 of the Pakistan Super League (PSL) 2023.

The match will be played at the Pindi Club Ground, Rawalpindi in Pakistan.

Peshawar Zalmi are placed at the 5th spot in the points table with 2 wins and 3 losses from their 5 matches.

The team has 4 points.

Babar Azam is the top run-scorer for Peshawar Zalmi with 178 runs at a strike rate of 130. He has struck 2 sixes and 19 fours.

The other key batter has been Tom Kohler-Cadmore with 160 runs at a strike rate of 173.

Jimmy Neesham has been the best bowler for Peshawar Zalmi.  He has picked up 4 wickets while bowling at an average of 39 and an economy rate of 9.24.

Karachi Kings are placed at the 4th spot in the Pakistan Super League (PSL) 2023 points table.

They have 2 wins and 4 losses from their 6 matches of the league. They have totalled 4 points.

Imad Wasim is the top run-scorer for Karachi Kings with 180 runs at a strike rate of 176. He has struck 12 sixes and 11 fours.

Shoaib Malik has also been pivotal with 174 runs at a strike rate of 135.

Their last contest details

Karachi Kings posted a competitive score of 167 runs in their last game.

Tayyab Tahir was the top run scorer with 65 runs off 46 balls. Mathew Wade gave good support with run-a-ball 46 runs at the top.

Later, their spinners ran riot through the opposition to bundle out for 101 runs.

Spin trio of Imad Wasim (2/34), Shoaib Malik (3/16), and Tabraiz Shamsi (3/18) took 8 wickets between them in the last game. Akif Javed took 2 wickets in the last game to complement the spinners.

Interestingly, when it comes to their head-to-head matches, in the last five meetings, Zalmi have won all five encounters between the two.

Venue stats

Pindi Club Ground, Rawalpindi

Total Matches – 7

Wins for team batting first – 2

Wins for team batting second – 5

Average score batting first – 158

Highest Score – Islamabad United 195/5

Lowest Score – Islamabad United 91/7

Pitch analysis

The 22-yard strip at the Pindi Cricket Stadium is expected to assist bowlers, and spinners in particular.

The wicket is slow, and off-pace deliveries will be apparently very effective on it.

Either skipper winning the toss may elect to bowl first. The team batting second has a 7:3 win ratio.

Key players

Best batter: Babar Azam

The skipper of Peshawar Zalmi has been in decent form. However, he failed to perform in  his last outing against Shaheen Afridi’s Lahore Qalandars.

Despite the dismal outing, Babar will be raring to get back to scoring big runs in the match against Karachi Kings, his previous franchise and prove a point.

Best bowler: Imad Wasim

Karachi Kings’ skipper Imad Wasim is among the leading wicket takers in the PSL.

With seven wickets in six outings, Imad has proven to be a vital cog in the bowling unit.

He will aim to add more wickets to his tally. On the other hand, the rival team will look to see him off without allowing the bowler to inflict much damage.

Peshawar Zalmi Predicted Playing XI:

Tayyab Tahir, Mathew Wade, James Vince, Imad Wasim, Shoaib Malik, Tabraiz Shamsi, Akif Javed, Aamer Yamin, Ben Cutting, Irfan Khan

Karachi Kings Predicted Playing XI:

Babar Azam, Tom Kohlmore, Saim Ayub, Bhanuka Rajapaksa, Rovman Powell, Saad Masood, Wahab Riaz, Arshad Iqbal, James Neesham, Salman Irshad, Mohammad Haris

Who will win

Both teams have excellent batting line-up that has performed well in the last few matches.

Karachi Kings have the edge in bowling with quality spinners like Sikander Raza, Imad Wasim, Tabraiz Shamsi and Shoaib Malik.

Peshawar Zalmi have a strong batting line-up but lack bowling depth and experience.

Hence, we expect Karachi Kings to win this match.