Pakistan T20 League 2024

Match 15: KAR vs ISL 

Preview 

Karachi Kings (KAR) and Islamabad United (ISL) will lock horns in match number 15 of this season’s Pak T20 League on Wednesday (February 28) at the National Stadium, Karachi. Both sides have met each other on 20 occasions in the past, with ISL winning 14 of those fixtures. 

KAR are currently in third place in the league standings, with two wins and one loss. They have maintained a net run rate of -0.420. Their last win came against the Lahore Qalandars (LAH), and batters were the chief architects of that victory who finished the run chase off the very final ball.

In their most recent clash, 36 year old West Indian all rounder Kieron Pollard registered his 60th T20 fifty or more in the last game and rightly earned the ‘Player of the Match’ honours. 

With plenty of experience, all rounder Shoaib Malik has scored over 13,200 runs in his T20 career. He will be riding high on confidence after decent performance in each game, scoring between 29 and 53 in this edition of the tournament. 

Left arm pacer Mir Hamza has done well in the competition so far, picking up crucial wickets, including those of Jahandad Khan and Fakhar Zamand, during the win against LAH. 

Right arm speedster Hasan Ali went wicketless in the inaugural match of the season. However, he made a remarkable comeback in the following games, taking five wickets in two games. 

ISL began their campaign with a resounding win, but then lost consecutive games to Multan Sultans (MUL), Quetta Gladiators (QUE), and Peshawar Zalmi (PES). This match is of paramount importance for United, who are in desperate need of a turnaround. 

Colin Munro will hold the key for the visitors in this game. The southpaw smashed seven fours and one six in match 13 during his breezy knock of 71. Azam Khan will be the other batter to keep an eye on. Despite a quiet start with bat in hand to the tournament, the wicket keeper batter turned the tide with an outstanding display, bludgeoning 75 runs off 30 balls against PES on Monday. 

Skipper Shadab Khan has emerged as the top performing all rounder this season. He has been consistently performing well with both bat and ball and has maintained a splendid record of not going wicketless in any of the four games played so far. 

Right arm pace sensation Naseem Shah has made a mark in the competition. Shah is making a comeback to cricket and is slowly but surely improving with every game. 

Match Details 

Match: KAR vs ISL, 15th Match, Pakistan T20 League, 2024

Date: Wednesday, February 28, 2024

Time: 7:30 PM

Venue: National Stadium, Karachi

Pitch and Weather Report

The Karachi surface is believed to be hard. The venue’s pitches are known for their flat surfaces, favourable for batting. Moreover, the wickets offer consistent bounce, assisting fast bowlers during the initial passage of play and spinners as the match progresses. The average first innings total on this wicket is 174. 238/3 is the highest total posted here. The team batting first in this match, will be eyeing a total of 185 runs.

The temperature will hover between the range of 22-29 degrees. Clear sky and low humidity is the forecast throughout the day. 

KAR vs ISL Squads

KAR: Shan Masood (c), Muhammad Akhlaq (wk), James Vince, Shoaib Malik, Mohammad Nawaz, Kieron Pollard, Daniel Sams, Irfan Khan, Hasan Ali, Mir Hamza, Tabraiz Shamsi, Tim Seifert, Anwar Ali, Leus du Plooy, Blessing Muzarabani, Mohammad Aamir Khan, Zahid Mahmood, Sirajuddin, Arafat Minhas, Muhammad Rohid Khan, Saad Baig, Fawad Ali

ISL: Shadab Khan (c), Azam Khan (wk), Jordan Cox, Colin Munro, Agha Salman, Haider Ali, Faheem Ashraf, Imad Wasim, Hunain Shah, Naseem Shah, Tymal Mills, Alex Hales, Rumman Raees, Obed McCoy, Qasim Akram, Shamyl Hussain, Ubaid Shah, Shahab Khan, Martin Guptill

KAR vs ISL Probable Playing XIs  

KAR: Shan Masood (c), Muhammad Akhlaq (wk), James Vince, Shoaib Malik, Kieron Pollard, Mohammad Nawaz, Irfan Khan, Daniel Sams, Hasan Ali, Tabraiz Shamsi, Mir Hamza

ISL: Jordan Cox, Colin Munro, Shadab Khan (c), Agha Salman, Azam Khan (wk), Haider Ali, Faheem Ashraf, Imad Wasim, Hunain Shah, Naseem Shah, Runman Raees.

Match Prediction

Despite occupying fourth and fifth place respectively, both sides have plenty of opportunities to move up the table during the league stage. However, to do so, ISL must convert their close losses to wins. We believe they will suffer another disappointment when they face the in-form KAR. 

We predict KAR will win this match.  

Suggested Playing XI Real11 Fantasy Cricket

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