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The Sultans will be taking on the Kings in the rescheduled Pakistan Super League 2021 at the Sheikh Zayed Cricket Stadium in Abu Dhabi on Wednesday (June 2).
The fixture will resume both teams’ interrupted campaigns for the PSL 2021. When the tournament was postponed indefinitely in March due to a surge of COVID-19 positive cases among players and support staff, Karachi Kings were happily placed at the top, while Multan Sultans were placed in the bottom half of the standings.
The Kings held the numero uno spot at the end of the Pakistan leg of the competition after winning three and losing two of their five matches. Sultans, on the other hand, were languishing at the fifth position, having won just one and lost four of their five games.
But with the PSL 2021 moving to the Middle East – in more neutral circumstances – teams like Sultans have the opportunity to recover and push towards the coveted title. For Kings, it’ll be a challenge to sustain themselves at the top of the ladder as the tournament shifts outside Pakistan.
Key Players
Babar Azam was Karachi Kings’ most consistent performer before the PSL 2021 was suspended in March. One of the world’s best contemporary batsmen, Babar struck 258 runs from his five innings at an average of 86.00 and strike-rate of 138.70 during the Pakistan leg of the competition. Babar’s tally already includes three half-centuries, which he’ll be looking to add on to when he plays for Karachi Kings again in the UAE. Babar is very important to the Kings’ cause as the last year’s runners-up look to progress well in this year’s edition as well.
Sharjeel Khan, who has been Babar’s fellow opener for Kings, is another of his team’s bright performers with the bat. The explosive right-hand batsman made 200 runs in his five innings during the Pakistan leg at an astonishing strike-rate of 170.94 and average of 40.00. On the back of his superb form in PSL, Sharjeel earned a comeback to the Pakistan white-ball squad. He will be feeling confident and inspired to continue performing as the PSL resumes in the Middle East.
Imad Wasim, the Kings skipper, will be looking to lead his team from the front as they resume their PSL 2021 campaign in the UAE. During the Pakistan leg, Imad didn’t have to bat much but did bowl reasonably well, taking three wickets and going for a decent 7.76 runs per over. Imad often flies under the radar but has been quite an efficient performer in either skill for Pakistan and the Karachi Kings. His all-round presence adds depth to the Kings’ unit and gives the last year’s runners-up an important edge over the opposition.
Mohammad Rizwan, the ever-improving wicketkeeper-batsman, was at the top of the run-charts for Multan Sultans at the end of the Pakistan leg of the PSL 2021. Rizwan made 297 runs from five innings at an average of 59.40 and strike-rate of 140.09, including three half-centuries, before the tournament was suspended. Rizwan will once again be the most vital cog in Sultans’ wheels with the bat as they look to bounce back and start off in UAE successfully.
Sohaib Maqsood also batted reasonably well during the Pakistan leg of the competition and ended up scoring 135 runs from his five innings at an average of 45.00 and strike-rate of 139.17. Maqsood, who has fallen out of favour with the national selectors, will be hoping to strengthen his case in UAE through some stand-out performances, which would also benefit the Sultans immensely.
Usman Qadir will be Sultans’ other crucial player as they look to recover well from their hiccups in Pakistan and proceed well during the UAE leg of the competition. Qadir picked up only two wickets from three outings when the PSL 2021 was initially played but showed decent control and had a respectable economy rate of 7.81. Qadir will be vital to Sultans’ cause through the middle-overs where they would want him to take wickets and hold the opposition batting unit back.
Prediction
During last year’s PSL, Multan Sultans had a 1-0 lead over Karachi Kings heading into the play-offs, including one drawn fixture. But the Kings had bounced back when it mattered the most by winning the tied qualifier in the super over. The Kings took confidence from that win and went on to clinch the PSL title as well.
The Kings also retained their wood over the Sultans when they faced up earlier this year in Pakistan. While the Sultans will be determined to change that, the Kings will be looking to carry on the momentum.
The Kings do look the stronger of the two teams heading into this fixture, with their solid batting department covering up well for some of their bowling issues. Unlike the Sultans, who require more contributions in either department to be competitive. Expect the Kings to come out triumphant.
