Islamabad United, defending champions of the Pakistan Super League, are searching for back-to-back PSL titles, but they have a tough job in hand. Islamabad are set to face in-form Karachi Kings in PSL 2017 eliminator, and the match promises to full of excitement on Wednesday.
Pakistan Super League will not be the same again, says Javed Miandad
Karachi Kings will come into this eliminator in a confident mood as they have defeated Islamabad United on both instances in PSL 2017. Karachi will understand that it is a different ball game together in the Playoffs, and especially in this encounter as the losing team will be out of the competition.
The winning team, however, will directly not reach the final as they will have to meet the loser of the first qualifier, Quetta Gladiators, which is a virtual semifinal. So, the road to the finals does not look too easy, and consistent cricket is the need of the hour.
Karachi did not start the Pakistan Super League 2017 well, losing three matches on a trot, but they came back strong, winning four of the last five matches to book their playoffs spot. They are one of the in-form teams, and with players like Chris Gayle finally finding his touch with the bat, Karachi Kings will be a tough team to beat.
Besides Gayle, they have quality stars such as Kieron Pollard, Shoaib Malik, Mohammad Amir, Babar Azam and Kumar Sangakkara to make Islamabad sweat in the middle.
Islamabad, after losing their last two head-to-head encounters against Karachi, will be plotting revenge, and they have all the ammunitions to beat their opponent when it matters most. Islamabad United were rocked earlier in the competition, with some of their players involved in a spot-fixing controversy, but they have moved on from that.
Islamabad need their big guns to perform. Shane Watson, Brad Haddin, Misbah-ul-Haq needs to fire on all cylinders with the bat, while top bowlers like Saeed Ajmal, Mohammad Irfan and Mohammad Sami have to take crucial wickets.
Looking at quality players from both the camps, it could be anybody's game in the eliminator, and predicting a favourite is tough despite Karachi's recent run.
Where to watch live
The Pakistan Super League 2017 eliminator match between Islamabad United vs Karachi Kings is scheduled for 8 pm local time (9.30 pm IST, 9 pm PKT, 4 pm GMT) start. Here is the live streaming and TV option.
India: TV: No coverage.
Pakistan:TV: Ten Sports, PTV and Geo Super. Live streaming: PTV Sports Live.
UAE: TV: OSN Sports. Live streaming: OSN Play
UK: TV: Prime TV. Live streaming: Prime TV Online.
Bangladesh: TV: Gazi TV.
West Indies: TV: Flow TV.
