Get ready for the first match of the new Pakistan Super League season with The Cricketer's match preview...
What’s the match?
Quetta Gladiators take on champions Karachi Kings in the opening fixture of the 2021 Pakistan Super League.
When is it taking place?
The game is scheduled for 8pm PST (3pm GMT) on Saturday, February 20, 2021.
Where is the match being played?
This game will take place in the national stadium in Karachi, where all PSL 6 matches are being staged until March 7. At that point the tournament moves to Lahore.
This is due to Covid-19 protocols being implemented by tournament organisers.
Who’s got the form?
A little tricky as this is the first match of the competition. Karachi, you could say, have a slight upper hand form-wise because of their victory in PSL V, which came to a conclusion in November after an eight-month delay. Quetta, meanwhile, didn’t make the knockouts of that tournament and were eliminated before the cricket world took a Covid-enforced break.
But that would be reading far too much into not a lot.
Who to watch?
Quetta have packed their top order with overseas hitters - Chris Gayle, Tom Banton and Cameron Delport have career T20 strike rates of 146.70, 152.40 and 139.72 respectively. Gayle is expected to be missing for some of the PSL, owing to a clash with international duties for West Indies, but even when he’s out Gladiators have Faf du Plessis waiting in the wings.
Banton endured a difficult time at Peshawar Zalmi last season but has a wonderful selection of strokes in his locker - especially look out for the hockey-wrist reverse sweep-slap over backward point off the quicks.
In the Karachi Kings ranks, Babar Azam might be the headline act but the value it is the experienced T20 match-winners in the pack which will really make the difference.
Dan Christian - the Australian allrounder - has won just about every major trophy in short-format cricket and comes into the game fresh off the back of being picked up for 4.8crore (£472,000) by Royal Challengers Bangalore in the IPL mini auction. Mohammad Nabi is a wily operator, capable of turning a match with bat and ball, while Imad Wasim’s T20 record is exemplary.
The inexplicable decision to part ways with Alex Hales might be the only negative in Karachi’s preparations, but they still have four of the top 31 T20 players in the world - according to the innovative T20 Player Index - and that means they are to be feared again.
Any major team news?
Quetta are without their overseas star Dale Steyn. The South African has a family commitment and will not arrive in Pakistan until February 22. He will miss the Gladiators’ first two matches.
Gayle should be available for this fixture, and two more, before he returns to the Caribbean for a T20 series against Sri Lanka.
Are fans allowed in?
Yes, PSL 6 matches are operating at 20 per cent capacity in 2021, with stringent Covid-19 precautionary measures in place. Fans will have to wear a mask in the stands, and groups may only consist of members of one household, for example.
Who are the umpires?
Aleem Dar and Ahsan Raza (on-field umpires)
Rashid Riaz (third umpire)
Asif Yaqoob (fourth umpire)
Roshan Mahanama (match referee)
Full PSL umpire appointments - click here
Quetta Gladiators finished fifth in the 2020 PSL
What’s the prediction?
Quetta’s top three will have a big impact on this game, but Karachi Kings look very strong - and are capable both of setting a sizeable total and chasing a big score. Expect Karachi to get off to a winning start, but only just.
Teams that chase in T20s at Karachi's National Stadium have won nearly 62 per cent of matches over the past 10 years.
What are the odds?
You can get a best price of 9/13 on Karachi Kings for the victory. Quetta Gladiators are the outsiders with the bookmakers, and 6/5 is the best price available at the time of writing.
PSL TEAM GUIDES
Where can I watch the game?
Sky Sports will broadcast the tournament in the UK.
In Pakistan, the competition will be available on PTV Sports.
Sony Pictures Network have the rights in India.
Sony Pictures Network will also provide coverage throughout South Asia, including Sri Lanka and Bangladesh.
Sky Sport will televise the tournament in New Zealand while SuperSport hold the rights in South Africa and the sub-Saharan region.
Willow TV have all the action for viewers in the United States and Canada. In the Caribbean, PSL 6 will be available on Flow Sports.
Streaming service Tapmad TV have the rights in Australia, MENA (Middle East and North Africa) and the rest of the world with coverage available online and via the app.
What are the squads?
Quetta Gladiators: Anwar Ali, Azam Khan, Ben Cutting, Mohammad Hasnain, Mohammad Nawaz, Naseem Shah, Sarfaraz Ahmed, Zahid Mahmood, Chris Gayle, Dale Steyn, Tom Banton, Usman Khan Shinwari, Cameron Delport, Qais Ahmad, Abdul Nasir, Saim Ayub, Arish Ali Khan, Usman Khan, Faf du Plessis (partial replacement for Chris Gayle), Hassan Khan (partial replacement for Dale Steyn)
Karachi Kings: Amir Yamin, Arshad Iqbal, Babar Azam, Colin Ingram, Imad Wasim, Mohammad Amir, Sharjeel Khan, Waqas Maqsood, Mohammad Nabi, Dan Christian, Chadwick Walton, Joe Clarke, Noor Ahmad, Danish Aziz, Mohammad Ilyas, Zeeshan Malik, Qasim Akram
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