Karachi take on Islamabad in bid to prove they are not another Lahore

Karachi Kings will attempt to prove that they are not another Lahore Qalandars and actually belong to the pack above when they take on Islamabad tonight at Rawalpindi Cricket Stadium.

The Kings have two points after three matches and the only thing that separates them from the bottom-dwelling Lahore is a slim win over Peshawar Zalmi in their opening game.

Since then they have lost two straight and neither of them was close. During this time the teams above have all notched multiple wins and created a distance between themselves and the two bottom teams: Karachi and Lahore.

Islamabad, meanwhile, have been brilliant as usual this year except for against their kryptonite: Quetta Gladiators. 

The two-time champions have played four, beaten Multan and Lahore (of course) but lost both their matches to Quetta albeit by slim margins. Their match against Peshawar last night was washed out at the same venue, which reminds us that that could also be a threat to the match tonight.

Head to head

Karachi have a woeful record against Islamabad, which is understandable as the latter are two-time champions while the former have never even made a final. 

Of the 12 matches played between the two, Islamabad have won a whopping eight and Karachi just four. 

That's not it. Islamabad have won all of their last four meetings, several by convincing margisn.

Keys to victory

If Karachi are to win, they will have to:

- get a better launching pad from their misfiring openers Sharjeel Khan and Babar Azam (yes two failures are a disaster in the world of Babar)

- plan better and make better use of Umer Khan. To play him as a spinner and not have him bowl a single ball against Multan shows that someone messed up

If Islamabad are to win, they will have to:

- just play casual. There is no need for a special plan. It's Karachi after all.

- try and not fall asleep because the match is at 7pm — almost bed-time in twin cities

Prediction

Backing Islamabad, in their own backyard, against a side that has only ever beaten them four times, is a no-brainer. Barring a Babar Azam masterclass or Sharjeel shellacking, Islamabad should win. Even of the pair does fire, Islamabad are contenders and just look a cut above. 

What Karachi are, they will have another shot to show tonight.

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