FANTASY
Follow UsNOTE: Stats updated until 1 March 2021
Karachi Kings and Peshawar Zalmi will meet in the early game on Wednesday (March 3), in what will be the 13th match of Pakistan Super League 2021. Both teams find themselves in the playoff spots currently, but Zalmi are the side with the momentum at this moment, having won their last three matches and are at the top of the table now.
Karachi won both contests between these two sides in PSL 2020, but Peshawar have the upper hand when you consider overall head-to-head record. Zalmi have won two-thirds of their matches against the Kings until now.
PSL HEAD-TO-HEAD
Overall: Matches – 12 | Karachi Kings – 4 Wins | Peshawar Zalmi – 8 Wins
Last 5 Matches: Karachi Kings – 2 Wins | Peshawar Zalmi – 3 Wins
SUGGESTED TEAMS
GROUND DETAILS & TEAM COMBINATION
At the time of publishing this article, 11 matches have been completed in PSL 2021 – all at the National Stadium in Karachi. Teams winning the toss have opted to bowl first and gone on to win on each occasion. So, toss could play an important role in this game which will also take place at the same venue.
While spinners (8.4) might have a better economy rate than pacers (8.9) so far this season, it’s wickets that count most in fantasy cricket and, on that front, pacers stand out. The faster bowlers (18.6) have a much better strike rate when compared to spinners (39.1) and they have taken more than 80% of the wickets in PSL 2021 so far. That is why we’ve gone with a pace-heavy bowling line-up.
CAPTAIN SUGGESTION
Babar Azam has been one of the most consistent batsmen in T20 cricket in recent years and, after leading the run-scoring charts in PSL 2020, he has shown good form during the ongoing edition of the tournament as well. In four innings this season, the Kings skipper has scored 181 runs at an average of 60.3 in four innings, with two 50+ scores.
Our Criclytics player projector predicts Azam could score 18-41 runs in this match.
X-FACTORS
Daniel Christian has been one of the most prominent players in T20 cricket over the last decade, winning titles across the world. Christian’s great value, be it on the field or in fantasy cricket, lies in the fact that he can contribute with both bat and ball. In PSL 2021 so far, he has scored 39 runs in two innings while picking up three wickets in four innings.
Our Criclytics player projector predicts Christian could score 10-27 runs and could take 0-1 wickets in this match.
As of March 1, Saqib Mahmood is the leading wicket-taker in the tournament this season, having taken 10 wickets at an outstanding strike rate of 8.5. He has taken at least two wickets in each of Zalmi's matches in PSL 2021 so far and this consistency is why we have picked him as one of our x-factors for this game.
Our Criclytics player projector predicts Saqib could take 0-1 wickets in this match.
After impressive displays in the T10 league recently, Tom Kohler-Cadmore has made a good start to PSL 2021. In two of the three innings he has played so far in the tournament this season, he has made 40+ scores. Since 2019, he has scored 648 runs at an average of 49.9 in 17 T20 innings.
Our Criclytics player projector predicts Kohler-Cadmore could score 15-38 runs in this match.