PSL 7: Win-less Karachi Kings take on Peshawar Zalmi today

Karachi Kings, the champions of 2020, will be desperate for their first win when they face Peshawar Zalmi in their fourth match today in the Pakistan Super League's (PSL) seventh edition being played at the National Stadium Karachi.

The match starts at 07:30 PM (PST).

Kings will be under extreme pressure following three consecutive losses, and a huge blow after Mohammad Amir and Mohammad Ilyas have been ruled out of the ongoing PSL due to injuries.

Unlike Ilyas, Amir has not participated in any match this season.

Mohammad Amir, who was nursing a side strain for the past week or so, has aggravated his back injury during rehabilitation and will no longer be available to participate in the remainder of the PSL 7, a statement from the franchise said on Thursday.

Following a seven-wicket defeat to Multan Sultans in their opener, the Kings were thrashed by Quetta Gladiators by eight wickets and beaten by Lahore Qalandars by six wickets.

The Kings' players have been working out hard on the practise field and in the gym over the last few days.

Babar Azam, the Kings' off-colour skipper, is expected to shoulder the batting load. Babar produced a couple of decent scores over the last three games, but they fell short of his stature, as he is a world-class player and his team expects him to contribute more.

He is expected to get off to a solid start alongside the in-form Sharjeel Khan, who has already played two good innings. Sharjeel has shown excellent timing and will pose a serious threat to Zalmi's frontline pacemen, who have struggled throughout the tournament.

Kings will also expect Mohammad Nabi to show his class with the willow. Nabi has been a tough batsman, and his role in the middle order will be crucial in today's game.

Joe Clarke and Imad Wasim appear to be in fine form, but Kings require something phenomenal from them. Kings scored 124-5, 113 all out, and 170-7.

Meanwhile, Zalmi will continue to strive for improvement. Not only do Zalmi need to improve their fielding, but they are also falling short of expectations in both batting and bowling.

After defeating Quetta Gladiators by five wickets in their opener, Islamabad United defeated Zalmi by nine wickets and Lahore Qalandars by 29 runs. Yes, they have reintroduced their opening duo of Kamran Akmal and Hazratullah Zazai following their recovery from COVID.

While Zazai was dismissed for a duck against Lahore on Wednesday, Kamran looked classy and played an outstanding knock. It demonstrates that he is in excellent form, and it is expected that he will bat against the Kings' frontline bowlers on Friday.

Hussain Talat looked a little out of form against Lahore, but he is a superb all-rounder who has already delivered an outstanding knock in this tournament. Haider Ali also demonstrated his form on Wednesday, with some fine strokes before falling on 49.

Sherfane Rutherford is another outstanding batsman, and as is customary, his role with the bat will be critical for Zalmi. Rutherford has been a master of timing the ball, having already scored a fine fifty. Zalmi's key bowlers include skipper Wahab Riaz, Ben Cutting, and Usman Qadir. Zalmi should play Arshad Iqbal, who is a fantastic paceman who can significantly improve his team's performance. Arshad, who had tested positive for COVID-19, is now available for selection. The toss seems to be important, as the last three games have been won by teams that defended the totals.

Aleem Dar and Shozab Raza will be in charge of the match's supervision, while Iftikhar Ahmed will be the match referee.

Possible Playing XIs:

Karachi Kings: Babar Azam (c), Sharjeel Khan, Joe Clarke (wk), Mohammad Nabi, Sahibzada Farhan, Lewis Gregory, Aamer Yamin, Umaid Asif, Mohammad Taha, Imad Wasim, Mohammad Imran

Peshawar Zalmi: Kamran Akmal (wk), Hazratullah Zazai, Haider Ali, Hussain Talat, Shoaib Malik, Sherfane Rutherford, Usman Qadir, Ben Cutting, Wahab Riaz (c), Arish Ali Khan, Salman Irshad