Last Updated on 4 months by Charbel Coorey

PSL 2021 Match 27: KAR vs LAH Dream11 Prediction Possible Playing 11 Pitch Report | KAR vs LAH Dream11 Prediction Today | Karachi Kings vs Lahore Qalandars Key Players | Abu Dhabi Pitch Report

With Lahore Qalandars fighting for a top-two finish and Karachi Kings desperate for a win to keep their play-off hopes alive, it is going to be a mouth-watering contest. As we enter the business end of league stages in PSL 2021, it’s time for a blockbuster contest between Karachi Kings and Lahore Qalandars in match no. 27 of the tournament. 

Karachi Kings have lost three matches in a row while the Lahore Qalandars have gone down in their last two fixtures after a bright start to the Abu Dhabi leg. Following their string of losses, Kings find themselves at No. 5 in the points table with three wins and five defeats from eight games. Lahore Qalandars are better placed at No. 3, with five victories and three losses.

So all the fans will be strictly eyeing on the match 27, which is to be played at Sheikh Zayed Stadium in Abu Dhabi today. 

Key Players to Watch/Key Stats

Karachi Kings:

• Babar Azam: The charismatic right-handed batsman had a rare failure in the previous contest against Peshawar Zalmi as he was dismissed for a golden duck. Kings suffered a dramatic collapse post that and it signifies the importance of Azam in the side. Having scored 424 runs in 8 matches so far, the Pakistan skipper will have to be at his absolute best in this all-important contest.
• Also, Babar has the most runs in KAR-LAH matches, with 333 at an average of 41.63.
• Imad Wasim: Karachi Kings’ captain Imad Wasim has had a mixed season in PSL 2021 so far. He has not been able to make too much of an impact with both bat and ball but has chipped in with some valuable contributions. Coming on the back of a good all-round performance where he scored 19 runs and had bowling figures of 2/2, Wasim will need to lead from the front against Qalandars.
• Mohammad Amir: KAR’s bowling seems to be very dependent on the left arm pacer Amir. The talisman brings a lot of variations through and he will be one of  the most important players in this business end of the tournament.
• Amir has the most wickets in KAR-LAH matches, with 11 scalps in 10 matches.

Lahore Qalandars:

• Fakhar Zaman: Fakhar Zaman has been brilliant in some of the games this season. But he needs not to repeat his mistakes. He will be looking forward to score big against KAR like he did the previous time when the respective teams faced. 
• Fakhar has scored 293 runs (second-most in KAR-LAH matches) at an average of 29.30.
• James Faulkner: LAH’s new signing James Faulkner has been on a roll since resumption of PSL 2021, having already taken 11 wickets in only 4 appearances for the franchise. The veteran Aussie all-rounder has completely bamboozled the batsmen with his slower ones and back-of-the-hand delivery and will be looking to continue his impressive run of form in this crucial match.
• Rashid Khan: Rashid Khan started the second leg of PSL 2021 with a couple of impressive spells. He also picked up a five-wicket haul against the Peshawar Zalmi. However, in the last two games, he has been taken for a few runs. Nevertheless, with an economy rate of 5.50, he is the most frugal bowler for the Qalandars. Not to forget that he can get handy runs lower down the order.
• Tim David: Tim David has managed to make quite an impression in the second half of the tournament. The powerful right-hander, who plays international cricket for Singapore, has so far smashed 136 runs in four innings at an average of 68 and a strike rate of 158.13. David has scores of 23*, 64*, 3 and 46 in this edition and has failed only once with the bat. 

Stats and Facts

• Head to head : Matches 12 ,Karachi Kings 7 , Lahore Qalandars 5
• Last 5 matches : Karachi 3 , Lahore 2.
• The Qalandars have now lost successive games and after another batting collapse, must consider making changes, with Australian batter Callum Ferguson surely in the frame to come into the side.
• Still Karachi can reach the eliminator match, although they will almost certainly need to win their last two games, so may need to look at switching the lineup up in a bid to turn their fortunes around.

Possible Playing 11

Karachi Kings: 1. Sharjeel Khan 2. Babar Azam 3. Martin Guptill 4. Chadwick Walton (wk), 5. Najibullah Zadran, 6. Imad Wasim (C), 7. Aamer Yamin, 8. Abbas Afridi, 9. Waqas Maqsood, 10. Mohammad Amir, 11. Noor Ahmad

Lahore Qalandars: 1. Fakhar Zaman, 2. Sohail Akhtar (C), 3. Zeeshan Ashraf, 4. Mohammad Hafeez, 5. Ben Dunk (wk), 6. Tim David, 7. Rashid Khan, 8.James Faulkner, 9. Ahmad Daniyal, 10. Shaheen Afridi, 11. Haris Rauf

Sheikh Zayed Abu Dhabi Pitch Report and Weather Report

With this being the second PSL 2021 game of the day, the pitch could be slower than usual, bringing the bowlers into play. Apart from getting some movements with the new ball, the pacers should also be able to extract extra bounce off the surface. Although the spinners will find it difficult to grip the ball, they will play a crucial role in the middle overs. 170 should be par at the venue, with dew likely to play a huge role in the proceedings.

Dream11 Prediction

Option 1:

Option 2:

Match Prediction

This is a duel between two misfiring batting units in recent matches with Karachi Kings in particular in must win territory following their horrible turn of form since the resumption of the Pakistan Super League. However, facing a bowling attack consisting of Afghanistan spin-bowling superstar Rashid Khan and Pakistan international fast bowler Shaheen Afridi doesn’t bode well for Imad Wasim’s side here. Providing Karachi opener Babar Azam is dismissed relatively early on and the batters of Lahore Qalandars play sensibly without suffering a collapse of wickets within a short time period, then Sohail Akhtar’s men should come out on top.

Written by Aditya Narsale. Follow Aditya on Twitter today.