PAKISTAN SUPER LEAGUE PREVIEW – KARACHI KINGS: After being dropped by Islamabad United, despite titles in 2016 and 2018, Dean Jones comes aboard to try and change the tide at the league's also-rans
Coach: Dean Jones
Captain: Imad Wasim
Last time: Fourth – lost first eliminator
Previous best: Third in 2017 and 2018
Imad Wasim: The Swansea-born allrounder had a PSL season to forget in 2019, captaining the Kings only as far as the middle of the table and claiming his five wickets at an average of 57.80. However, he retains the reins of an overhauled side and will work with Dean Jones, who replaced Mickey Arthur as head coach after being let go by two-time champions Islamabad United.
On the field, Wasim remains a massive threat despite his recent lull in form. An imposing 73-ball century for Pakistan in a tour game last summer served as a real reminder of his talent and potential with the bat, and his left-arm spin concedes just 6.85 per over in his extensive PSL career – bettered by only Shahid Afridi among local spinners with more than 10 wickets in the tournament.
A T20 Blast stint with Nottinghamshire proved even more miserly, with a wicket every 15 deliveries and an economy of 6.64, while October saw his captaincy secure a trophy as his Northern Areas XI – featuring Kings teammate Mohammad Amir – took home the National T20 Cup title.
Babar Azam: Karachi's kingpin currently sits on top of the ICC's T20 batting rankings, and with good reason. In 38 short-form games for Pakistan, he averages 50.72, with more runs, more fours, more fifties and more balls faced than any other batsman in the format since his 2016 debut.
Azam has also demonstrated his capabilities prolifically at domestic level, including being one of only four players with over 1,000 PSL runs to their name (1,043 at 32.59) and forming a T20 Blast opening partnership with Tom Banton at Somerset last summer that was the envy of counties and franchises alike.
The pair were the league's only batsmen with 500-plus runs, ultimately combining for 1,127 runs at a strike rate of 155.
The 25-year-old first captained Pakistan at junior level more than a decade ago, and was recently promoted to captain the country's world-leading T20 side ahead of the World Cup later this year. However, this PSL campaign will again see him focus solely on batting, and his reliable contributions will likely prove invaluable.
The Kings boast Babar Azam, the world's No.1 batsman in international T20 cricket
Alex Hales: After being unceremoniously culled from England's World Cup plans at the last minute thanks to a failed recreational drugs test at the start of last summer, the prolific Nottinghamshire opener remains on the outside looking into an international setup that could certainly do worse than recalling man of his prolific run-scoring ability.
In a piece exploring Hales' continued absence ahead of England's T20 series win in South Africa, Sam Morshead pointed out that only one AB de Villiers has more runs in domestic T20 cricket since the start of 2019, and that tally was heavily boosted by a prolific BBL campaign where the batsman finished as one of only two men across the 500 run marker.
A top three of Babar Azam, Alex Hales and Cameron Delport – the destructive latter pair recruited this year from Islamabad United, the highest-scoring and fastest-striking PSL team of 2019 – is the key feature of the Kings' XI, and a bowling lineup led by Mohammad Amir and Chris Jordan will be backed to defend totals more often than not.
While the Karachi franchise is yet to qualify for a PSL final through the league's first four seasons, the addition of Dean Jones as head coach after he marshalled trophy-winning efforts with Islamabad United in 2016 and 2018 is sure to provide the side with a huge boost, and equally raise the expectations of home fans.
The Kings' preparations took two big blows in the run-up to the opening game, with not one but two overseas signings ruled out for the entire campaign.
Dan Lawrence, the Essex batsman and increasingly handy allrounder, has been called away for England Lions duty, while compatriot Liam Plunkett will be replaced by sometime New Zealand seamer Mitch McClenaghan after injury forced his withdrawal.
McClenaghan and West Indies batsman Chadwick Walton both offer a wealth of experience as cover options, but a lack of squad depth in Karachi and reliance on all-star spearheads could well start causing problems over a gruelling PSL campaign.
Chris Jordan offers athletic fielding and coveted death bowling skills
Imad Wasim (c), Iftikhar Ahmed, Mohammad Amir, Umaid Asif, Babar Azam, Cameron Delport (SA), Alex Hales (ENG), Arshad Iqbal, Chris Jordan (ENG), Sharjeel Khan, Ali Khan (USA), Umer Khan, Mitch McClenaghan (NZ), Usama Mir, Mohammad Rizwan (wk), Chadwick Walton (WI), Aamir Yamin, Awais Zia
February 21: Karachi Kings vs Peshawar Zalmi (Karachi)
February 23: Karachi Kings vs Quetta Gladiators (Karachi)
February 28: Multan Sultans vs Karachi Kings (Multan)
March 1: Islamabad United vs Karachi Kings (Rawalpindi)
March 2: Peshawar Zalmi vs Karachi Kings (Rawalpindi)
March 6: Karachi Kings vs Multan Sultans (Lahore)
March 8: Lahore Qalandars vs Karachi Kings (Lahore)
March 12: Karachi Kings vs Lahore Qalandars (Karachi)
March 14: Karachi Kings vs Islamabad United (Karachi)
March 15: Quetta Gladiators vs Karachi Kings (Karachi)
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