Islamabad will take on defending champions in today’s only encounter in Abu Dhabi. Table-topper would look to seal the playoffs tonight, while Karachi will try to find the momentum back after the previous defeat.
Match Timings: June 14, 9:30 PM IST
Team Preview
Pak T20 League 2021’s this week is going to be a deciding week for playoffs and each match will be important for each side. Karachi will play against Islamabad after suffering a narrow defeat to Multan, while Islamabad ended Lahore’s winning streak and took the top spot in the points table.
Islamabad lost to Lahore in the first game in Abu Dhabi and later, won two back-to-back matches in style. The previous game was a roller coaster ride for fans with so many comebacks. Islamabad pulled off things in their favourites after losing 5 wickets on just 20. Iftikhar Ahmed and Asif Ali added 123 runs for the 6th wicket to set a total of 152. Asif Ali was in his prime and scored 75 off 43 and Iftikhar contributed 49. Islamabad delivered another comeback in 2nd innings when they picked Lahore’s last 8 wickets in the span of 38 runs. Even Lahore scored 56 in powerplay before losing the opening wicket. Two-times winner is in tremendous form and in the previous game, they showed their strength how they can turn things around from any situation.
Meanwhile, Karachi needs to fix out their own issues after the defeat to Multan. They have lost three matches out of six and previous defeat raises the question on their batting unit. Multan posted 176 on board and Karachi’s chase started on a slow boat. They scored only 31 in the powerplay and it hurt later when Babar scored his 2nd slowest fifty in Pak T20 League. Karachi have six points and it will be their first game after 3 days and this week is pretty hectic for this side. Some other batsmen have to take responsibility along with Babar and acceleration is important. Karachi is missing Nabi at the finishing end.
Pitch Report
Abu Dhabi’s surface is good to bat and teams will now go for batting first after winning the toss. Chasing would be tricky with a score of 160. Spinners will be crucial in middle-overs.
Possible XI
Islamabad
Usman Khawaja, Colin Munro, Hussain Talat, Rohail Nazir (wk), Shadab Khan (c), Iftikhar Ahmed, Asif Ali, Fawad Ahmed, Muhammad Musa, Ali Khan, Mohammad Wasim Jr
Karachi
Babar Azam, Sharjeel Khan, Najibullah Zadran, Thisara Perera, Martin Guptill, Chadwick Walton (wk), Imad Wasim (c), Qasim Akram, Waqas Maqsood, Mohammad Amir, Arshad Iqbal
Key Players
Islamabad
Colin Munro
Scored 90 off 36 in one game & he is a top hard-hitter in this side
Shadab Khan
Can bat in middle-order and would also be handy with his spin
Karachi
Babar Azam
343 runs in Pak T20 League 2021 at an SR of 137.75
Thisara Perera
Handy option with bat and ball, might be a good choice in place of Nabi
