Analysis for the match.

The 17th Match of PSL 2023 will feature Babar Azam’s Peshawar Zalmi locking horns against the rising underdogs Karachi Kings at the Rawalpindi Cricket Stadium on March 1. With both teams on the same number of points in the standings, get to know all about the predicted playing XI, weather report, team news, and much more for this mouthwatering contest.

After winning their first encounter of PSL 2023, the Peshawar Zalmi have gone on to drop 3 of their next 4 games, only to be placed 5th in the points table. However, with arguably the world’s best T20 batsman opening the batting innings for them, do not rule this team out just yet.

Karachi Kings failed to drop all of its first 3 games of PSL 2023. However, they have bounced back in epic fashion winning 2 of their last 3 games, the latest of the victories came against the resilient Multan Sultans in Match 14.

Must see point.

1). Peshawar Zalmi has lost their last 2 matches, while the Karachi Kings have won 2 of their last 3.

2). The Karachi Kings have a better bowling attack compared to Peshawar.

3). Both teams have a strong batting line-up which means we should see plenty of runs getting scored here.

Match Prediction: KRK to win the match.

1). If PSZ won the toss and opted to bowl first, KRK could score 160-180 runs.

2). If KRK won the toss and opted to bowl first, PSZ could score 150-170 runs.

Secondary Predictions.

1). Tom Kohler-Cadmore total runs - over 19.5 runs.

Tom Kohler-Cadmore played brilliant innings of 92 runs in Peshawar’s last encounter with the Kings earlier this season. After seeing a slight dip in form, he was once again among runs in the last match and will be feeling pretty confident as he heads into this contest. With the pitch in Rawalpindi excellent for playing the big shots, we are backing Kohler-Cadmore to once again emerge as the top batsman for his team.

2). Tayyab Tahir total runs - Over 18.5 runs

The 29-year-old is coming off a fresh half-century and will be hoping to replicate the same form against the unpredictable Peshawar Zalmi.Karachi Kings saw Tayyab Tahir take apart the Multan Sultans in their previous win as he smashed 65 runs at a strike rate of 141. 

3). Tabraiz Shamsi total wickets - Over 1.5 wickets.

Given how well the South African spinner was able to make use of the flat pitches in Pakistan, we predict Shamsi to take over 2 wickets even in Match 17.

Match Preview.

After winning 2 of their first 3 matches, Peshawar Zalmi has found themselves struggling a bit off late as they have lost both of their last 2 matches.

The batsmen have done a decent job for Peshawar this season and the top order including Babar Azam, Tom Kohler-Cadmore, and Mohammad Haris have batted well. Babar and Kohler-Cadmore have scored 2 half-centuries each and the team will be banking on them to play another good inning here.

Saim Ayub struggled a bit at the start of the season but will be relieved after scoring a half-century in the last encounter, albeit for a losing cause. The presence of Rovman Powell and James Neesham adds depth to the batting, but both haven’t been consistent with the bat.

The team’s premier fast bowler, Wahab Riaz, has struggled to pick up wickets and has been quite expensive too. The other seamers, Salman Irshad and Arshad Iqbal too have struggled and the team will be banking on all-rounder James Neesham to fill in.

The team also lacks a quality spinner in their attack. Peshawar has conceded over 150 runs in all their 5 matches so far and will need to work on their bowling if they want favorable results. 

The Karachi Kings had a horrible start to the season as they lost each of their first 3 matches. However, the team did manage to make some amends and won 2 of the next 3 games and are now 4th on the points table. With just 4 matches to go for them in the group stage, Karachi will need to win most of those games to keep their playoff hopes alive.

Just like Peshawar, the Karachi Kings have a strong batting line-up. Matthew Wade and James Vince are capable of scoring some quick runs during the Powerplay, while Imad Wasim and Shoaib Malik lend stability to the middle order. Tayyab Tahir played his first match of the season in the team’s latest outing and was quite impressive, scoring 65 runs from 46 deliveries.

However, the lower middle order has struggled to get going as Ben Cutting and Irfan Khan haven’t been able to score big runs. Tabraiz Shamsi, who made his debut in the last match, picked up 3 wickets for just 18 runs and is likely to once again lead the spin attack, while Akif Javed and Aamer Yamin are likely to share the new ball duties.

Overall, the Karachi Kings seem to have finally found a good balance in their squad and will be looking to build up a winning momentum. 

Match details.

Time -  Mar 1st, 08:30 pm, IST.

Venue - Pindi Club Ground - Rawalpindi, Pakistan 

Pitch reports.

The pitch at Rawalpindi is good to bat on and has seen an average first-inning score of around 160 during the PSL. The good bounce makes it easier for the batsmen to score runs and the outfield is quite fast too. The spinners are likely to struggle but the quicker bowlers will get some movement from the pitch.

The weather is expected to be overcast with some showers later during the match, which may be an advantage for the team batting second if the DLS comes into play. 

Team News.

Peshawar Zalmi>>

While there are no injuries affecting this team after the end of their previous game, James Neesham could be replaced by Shakib Al Hasan n given the productivity of spinners of the venue.Peshawar Zalmi is going to enter Match 17 on the backs of 2 consecutive losses, the latest of which came against Lahore Qalandars by 40 runs.

Possible XI - Mohammad Haris (wk), Babar Azam (c), Saim Ayub, Tom Kohler-Cadmore, Rovman Powell, James Neesham, Dasun Shanaka, Wahab Riaz, Sufiyan Muqeem, Usman Qadir, Arshad Iqbal

Karachi Kings>>

Karachi Kings finally got the right playing XI on the field as they beat the best of the tournament - Multan Sultans in their previous game. So, in Match 17, Imad Wasim is likely to enter with the same XI.Being the last in the points table after their first 3 games, the Kings have bounced back in style winning 2 of their last 3. Another win could very well take them into second place in the standings.

Possible XI - Matthew Wade (wk), James Vince, Tayyab Tahir, Shoaib Malik, Imad Wasim (c), Ben Cutting, Irfan Khan, Aamer Yamin, Muhammad Musa, Tabraiz Shamsi, Akif Javed