KAR vs PES prediction: Who will win the PSL 2022 match?
Karachi Kings and Peshawar Zalmi are set to cross swords in Match No. 11 of the 2022 Pakistan Super League (PSL) on Friday, February 4. The National Stadium in Karachi will host the contest.
The Kings, led by Babar Azam, haven't had the best of times in the ongoing edition of the T20 tournament. Having lost all three of their matches, the Kings are placed at the bottom of the points table. Their net run rate of -0.998 isn't among the best either.
They will go into the game on the back of a six-wicket loss at the hands of Shaheen Shah Afridi's Lahore Qalandars on January 30. After being put in to bat first, the Kings scored 170 for the loss of seven wickets. Skipper Azam and Sharjeel Khan added 84 runs for the opening wicket.
Khan was the more attacking of the two as he scored a 39-ball 60 at a strike-rate of 153.85. Their captain also made 41 runs before leg-spinner Rashid Khan castled him. The rest of the batters couldn't quite step on the gas in the death overs.
The Qalandars lost Abdullah Shafique and Kamran Ghulam for single digits, but Fakhar Zaman put his A-game forward. The southpaw scored 106 runs off 60 balls with 12 fours and four sixes. Umaid Asif picked up two wickets for the Kings, but his effort went in vain.
The Zalmi, led by Wahab Riaz, on the other hand, started their campaign with a resounding five-wicket win over the Quetta Gladiators. But two back-to-back losses means they are languishing in fifth spot in the table with a net run rate of -1.182.
They will head into the game after losing to the Qalandars by 29 runs. After being put in to bat first, the Qalandars scored 199 for four on the back of Fakhar Zaman's 38-ball 66. Zaman and Shafique stitched together a crucial 94-run partnership for the opening wicket.
Salman Irshad picked up two wickets for the Zalmi. The Zalmi strained in their run-chase as they finished with 170 for nine. Haider Ali made a 34-ball 49, but his effort went in vain.
Will the Kings (KAR) beat the Zalmi (PES)?
The Kings have lost all their games while defending targets and will be hoping to chase in their next match. The Zalmi have a power-packed batting unit at their disposal. Their bowlers haven't looked penetrative enough in the tournament. It wouldn't be a surprise if the team batting second wins the upcoming contest.
Prediction: The team batting second to win the match.