The eighth edition of the Pakistan Super League (PSL) gets underway on Monday

The eighth edition of the Pakistan Super League (PSL) gets underway on Monday, with Multan Sultans taking on defending champions Lahore Qalandars in Multan.
We bring to you a team-wise break-up leading up to the start of another PSL season, with Karachi Kings and Peshawar Zalmi in the first of three previews ahead of the action.
Karachi Kings

Captain: Imad Wasim
Coach: Johan Botha
Batting Coach: Ravi Bopara
Assistant Coach: Michael Smith

Full squad: Imad Wasim, Haider Ali, Andrew Tye, Mohammad Amir, Imran Tahir, Matthew Wade, Shoaib Malik, Aamer Yamin, James Fuller,
James Vince, Mir Hamza, Mohammad Akhlaq, Irfan Khan Niazi, Qasim Akram, Mohammad Umar, Sharjeel Khan,
Tayyab Tahir, Tabraiz Shamsi, Ben Cutting, Musa Khan, Faisal Akram

Last season: sixth
Just because a calamity can be foretold doesn’t mean it can be prevented. Kings’ 2022 squad looked unbalanced and disjointed from the outset, and
that is exactly the way it played out across the season. Mohammad Amir was injured early, there were few good spin options, and almost no batting firepower to speak of.
All that combined for the worst win-loss record in the history of the PSL, as Kings won just one match and lost nine.

But it is Kings’ inability to adequately bolster their batting firepower that remains their biggest concern. James Vince will likely take Babar’s place as opener,
though his partial availability means Sharjeel Khan might need to provide most of the powerplay fireworks. In the middle order, Haider Ali and Ben Cutting, both of whom have
PSL pedigree but have since fallen out of form, will need to come good.

The partial unavailability of Tabraiz Shamsi, another key player, spells trouble for Kings, who are, once more, short of high-class spin options.
Joe Clarke has been replaced by Matthew Wade, who Kings showed enough faith in to pick in the Platinum Category. Shoaib Malik, too,
has returned to Kings from Zalmi, with Imran Tahir and Andrew Tye the other high-profile signings.

Overall, by some distance, Kings’ is the oldest squad in the league; there are five players aged 35 and over. The timeless Imran Tahir, now 43, will need to
shoulder much of the spin-bowling responsibility, and whether or not this season is a bridge too far for him might well determine how Kings go this season.

Key stat
There are only two men over the age of 40 playing the PSL this year. Both – Imran Tahir and Malik – belong to Kings. No other side has a player over the age of 38 in their squad.

NOTE: Babar Azam has moved over to Zalmi from Kings

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