PSL 2022 match preview: Karachi Kings v Quetta Gladiators

Key match-ups, squad lists, head-to-head record, weather forecast, prediction, odds, form guide and more ahead of the fourth game of the 2022 Pakistan Super League season

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What's the match?

Karachi Kings take on Quetta Gladiators in the Pakistan Super League.

When is it taking place?

The game is set for Saturday, January 29. The first ball will be bowled at 7:30pm local time (2:30pm GMT).

Where is the match being played?

The game will be held at the National Stadium in Karachi.

Who's got the form?

Karachi Kings struggled in 2021, finishing fourth in the group stage before being eliminated by eventual runners-up Peshawar Zalmi in the playoffs.

And their PSL7 campaign got off to a poor start, with the Kings losing to Multan Sultans by seven wickets. Babar Azam's side posted just 124 for 5 from their 20 overs, a total the Sultans chased down with 10 balls to spare.

Quetta Gladiators start their tournament against Peshawar Zalmi on January 28 but are not a side in form. They finished sixth in PSL6, their second season in the bottom two.

Both sides have been hindered in the run up to the tournament, Karachi’s Tom Abell and Romario Shepherd became unavailable and were replaced by Ian Cockbain, who has shown his class in the Big Bash League recently, and Tom Lammonby.

Quetta Gladiators are without big-hitters James Vince and Jason Roy for the first few rounds with the pair away on England duty.

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Joe Clarke (wicketkeeping) in action for Karachi Kings (Asif Hassan/AFP/Getty Images)

What's the key match-up?

Both sides have a host of quality players across the board, with the top-order batting ranks of either side particularly impressive. Pakistan captain and last year’s green cap winner Babar Azam is leading Karachi once again and made 554 runs at an average of 69.25 in 2021. 

He will be joined by Nottinghamshire bat Joe Clarke, who joins the PSL off the back of a top Big Bash campaign with Melbourne Stars, where he hit 419 runs, passing fifty on five occasions.

On the other side, Quetta are also boosted by an Englishman who had a good BBL, with Ben Duckett arriving in Pakistan off the back of an encouraging campaign with Brisbane Heat. He registered 302 runs in 12 innings, though concluded the campaign with a pair of single figures scores.

Duckett is an expert sweeper and reverse sweeper of the ball and his favourite shot will likely be out in force again in slightly slower, lower conditions.

Will Smeed, who scored 166 runs in the maiden season of the Hundred last summer, will be looking to showcase his power as he tries to stake a claim for future tournaments.

Head-to-head record 

Matches played: 12

Karachi Kings wins: 5

Quetta Gladiators wins: 7

What's the weather forecast?

There will be a limited chance of rain, with temperatures dipping to around 20 degrees Celsius for the start of play.

What are the squads?

 

Karachi Kings: Babar Azam, Imad Wasim, Mohammad Nabi, Mohammad Amir, Joe Clarke, Sharjeel Khan, Aamer Yamin, Mohammad Ilyas, Chris Jordan, Lewis Gregory, Umaid Asif, Tom Abell (injured, replaced by Ian Cockbain), Rohail Nazir, Muhammad Imran, Faisal Akram, Qasim Akram, Talha Ahsan, Romario Shepherd (unvailable, replaced by Tom Lammonby)

Supplementary round: Sahibzada Farhan, Jordan Thompson

Partial replacement: Mohammad Taha Khan

Quetta Gladiators: James Vince, Sarfaraz Ahmed, Iftikhar Ahmed, Mohammad Nawaz, Shahid Afridi, Mohammad Hasnain, Naseem Shah, Jason Roy, James Faulkner, Umar Akmal, Sohail Tanvir, Ben Duckett, Khurram Shehzad, Abdul Wahid Bangalzai, Muhammad Ashar Qureshi, Noor Ahmad, Ahsan Ali, Luke Wood

Supplementary round: Ghulam Mudassar, Dan Lawrence

Partial replacements: Will Smeed, Ali Imran, Shimron Hetmyer

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Ben Duckett (Quetta Gladiators) enjoyed a productive winter with Brisbane Heat in the Big Bash (Morgan Hancock/Getty Images)

What are the possible starting XIs?

Karachi Kings: Sharjeel Khan, Babar Azam, Joe Clarke, Mohammad Nabi, Tom Lammonby, Lewis Gregory, Aamer Yamin, Mohammad Imran, Mohammad Taha, Umaid Asif, Mohammad Ilyas

Quetta Gladiators: Sarfaraz Ahmed, Ben Duckett, Iftikhar Ahmed, Mohammad Nawaz, Will Smeed, Shimron Hetmyer, James Faulkner, Sohail Tanvir, Khurram Shehzad, Mohammad Hasnain, Naseem Shah

What are the odds?

Coming soon.

What's the prediction?

Karachi Kings will be looking to bounce back from their opening game loss, and with Quetta missing some key players, Karachi will likely take the spoils.

Where can I watch the game?

In Pakistan, games will be on A Super and PTV Sports.

In the UK games will be shown on Sky Sports Cricket (Sky 404, Virgin 504).

In Australia, the games will be shown on Foxtel, Fox Sports and Kayo.

In India, Sony Sports Network carries the broadcast rights.

In the Caribbean, Flow Sports hold the broadcast rights, with Willow TV showing the tournament in North America.

SuperSport will provide coverage in South Africa, while Sky Sport will show the matches in New Zealand.

The PCB has partnered with ICC TV and tapmad TV to broadcast PSL7 in: Andorra, Antarctica, Argentina, Armenia, Australia, Austria, Azerbaijan, Belarus, Belgium, Bolivia, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Bouvet Island, Bouvet Island, Brazil, British Indian Ocean Territory, Brunei, Bulgaria, Cambodia, Chile, China, Christmas Island, Cocos Island, Colombia, Croatia, Cyprus, Czech Republic, Denmark, East Timor, Ecuador, Estonia, Falkland Islands, Faroe islands, Finland, France, French Guiana, Georgia, Germany, Gibraltar, Greece, Guyana, Heard Island, Hong Kong, Hungary, Iceland, Indonesia, Israel, Italy, Japan, Kazakhstan, Kosovo, Kyrgystan, Laos, Latvia, Liechtenstein, Lithuania, Luxembourg, Macao, Macedonia, Malaysia, Malta, Micronesia, Moldova, Monaco, Mongolia, Montenegro, Myanmar, Netherlands, New Caledonia, North Korea, Norway, Paraguay, Peru, Philippines, Poland, Portugal, Romania, Russia, San Marino, Serbia, Singapore, Slovakia, Slovenia, South Korea, Spain, Suriname, Sweden, Switzerland, Taiwan, Tajikistan, Thailand, Turkey, Turkmenistan, Ukraine, Uruguay, Uzbekistan, Vatican City, Vietnam and Venezuela.

The commentary line-up includes Nick Knight, David Gower, Mike Haysman, Pommie Mbangwa, Danny Morrison, Bazid Khan, Waqar Younis, Urooj Mumtaz, Sana Mir, Marina Iqbal and Tariq Saeed. Erin Holland, Zainab Abbas and Sikandar Bakht will present the live coverage.

PSL GUIDES (open in external window in app)

Islamabad United

Karachi Kings

Lahore Qalandars

Multan Sultans

Peshawar Zalmi

Quetta Gladiators

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