Peshawar Zalmi has already qualified for the playoffs of the Pakistan Super League, but the team, led by Shahid Afridi, will be eager to finish the round robin stages with a bang as they prepare to face Karachi Kings at Dubai International Stadium on Wednesday.
The match may not hold great importance to Peshawar, but the same cannot be said of Karachi, who has to win the penultimate match of the round robin stage in order to ensure a place in the knockout spots.
However, Karachi has an outside chance even if they lose. If Lahore Qalandars go down to Islamabad United in the last match of the PSL round robin stage, Karachi go through as they will have the same points (4) with a better head-to-head record
Karachi will not find it easy against Peshawar, who has been one of the strongest teams in the competition, alongside Quetta Gladiators. Peshawar has only lost two matches in the competition so far.
"Although we have qualified for playoffs, there is still a lot to play for. We want to finish the qualifying round on a winning note and not get complacent. We are trying to minimise the mistakes. T20 is a very killing format and sometimes one mistake can cost you the match," Afridi was quoted as saying by Khaleej Times.
What makes Peshawar a strong team is their impressive bowling unit, which comprises of Shaun Tait, Junaid Khan, Wahab Riaz and Afridi. Their batting lineup is also quite good with players such as Mohammad Hafeez, Tamim Iqbal and Kamran Akmal shouldering responsibility.
With Peshawar possessing such dangerous bowlers, the Karachi batsmen have to be on top of their game to book the playoff berth. Karachi will depend on their English batsmen -- Ravi Bopara and James Vince -- who are dangerous T20 players on their day.
Though Lendl Simmons has been out of form in the PSL after a great start, he is one of their most important players at the top. The West Indian can win matches on his own with the willow, so Karachi might turn a blind eye on his recent performances and play Simmons against Peshawar. Karachi bowlers Mohammad Amir and Sohail Tanvir need to bring all their experience and skills into play against Peshawar to win their last round robin match.
When these teams met a few days back, an entertaining game was witnessed with Peshawar emerging triumphant by three runs. Cricket fans will be expecting a similar level of excitement on Wednesday as well.
Teams: Peshawar Zalmi: Shahid Afridi, Wahab Riaz, Darren Sammy, Kamran Akmal, Mohammad Hafeez, Chris Jordan, Tamim Iqbal, Junaid Khan, James Allenby, Shaun Tait, Aamer Yamin, Dawid Malan, Imran Khan (jnr), Shahid Yousuf, Abdur Rehman, Musadiq Ahmed Ali, HasanAli, Mohammad Asghar, Brad Hodge, Israrullah, Taj Wali.
Karachi Kings: Shoaib Malik, Shakib Al Hasan, Sohail Tanvir, Imad Wasim, Ravi Bopara, Lendl Simmons, , Nauman Anwar, Sohail Khan, Mir Hamza, Saifullah Bangash Mushfiqur Rahim, Mohammad Amir, Bilawal Bhatti, James Vince, Iftikhar Ahmed Usama Mir, Tillakaratne Dilshan, Shahzaib Hasan, Fawad Alam.
Where to watch live
Game 10 of thePakistan Super League -- Peshawar Zalmi vs Karachi Kings -- is scheduled for 3pm local time (5pm IST, 4:30 pm PKT, 11:30am GMT) start. Unfortunately there is no live TV coverage in India.
Viewers in Pakistan can watch the -- Peshawar Zalmi vs Karachi Kings live on PTV Sports, Ten Sports and Geo Super with the live streaming online option on PTV Sports Live.
OSN will broadcast the Peshawar Zalmi vs Karachi Kings live in UAE,with the match can be live streamed on OSN Play.
UK viewers can watch the Peshawar Zalmi vs Karachi Kings on Prime TV with live streaming on Prime TV Online.
Viewers from around the world can also live stream the match on Cricketgateway.
