Mohammad Hafeez, Shahid Afridi, PSL 2017, Karachi Kings, Peshawar Zalmi
IANS

Quetta Gladiators have reached the Pakistan Super League 2017 final after defeating Peshawar Zalmi in the last match. However, Zalmi still have a chance to make it to the PSL final as they face Karachi Kings in the second qualifier at Dubai International Cricket Stadium on Friday.

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Peshawar Zalmi topped the PSL table after group stages, which has given them a second crack for a place in the PSL final despite losing the first qualifier. Zalmi and Kings have been involved in two head-to-head clashes this season, with both teams winning one each.

If one looks at the current form, Karachi might have a slight edge over Zalmi as they have won four of their last five matches. All those matches in the closing stages were more or less like a must-win for Karachi, and they managed to win some close contests when it mattered most.

Karachi come into this clash with their heads held high after their stunning win over defending champions Islamabad United, who were all out for 82 runs while chasing 127 runs to win. Bowlers like Mohammad Amir, Imad Wasim and Usama Mir took three wickets each to win the match. With bowlers in fine form, and if their star batsmen like Chris Gayle, Babar Azam, Kumar Sangakkara and Shoaib Malik shine with the bat, Peshawar will be in all sorts of problems.

Had Zalmi held their nerve against Quetta in the final over of their last match, they would have been safely in the final. The Gladiators won the match by one run. Now, they will be more than hungry to play consistent cricket, and put in a solid performance against the in-form Kings.

Peshawar Zalmi's skipper Darren Sammy will need an all-round performance from his players in this clash against Karachi Kings. Big guns like Marlon Samuels, Shahid Afridi, Wahab Riaz, Kamran Akmal and Mohammad Hafeez need to perform if they are to progress into the PSL final.

They need to gather confidence from their performance in the round robin stages, where they looked a solid side, defeating teams with their players standing and delivering the goods. Peshawar will be keen to avoid a repeat of last season, where they finished top in the group stages, and failed to reach the final.

Where to watch live

The Pakistan Super League 2017 match between Karachi Kings vs Peshawar Zalmi 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.