Karachi Kings vs Lahore Qalandars Betting Tips 17/06/2021

19:51, 16 Jun 2021

Senior Author

19:51, 16 Jun 2021

Zohaib Ahmed is a sports journalist whose profession is to report and edit but whose passion is to predict and bet. He’s been in the industry for more than a decade and has worked/written for various bookmakers/tipsters. His expertise is in cricket, football, MMA, boxing and basketball.

The 27th fixture of the Pakistan Super League sees archrivals Karachi Kings take on Lahore Qalandars at Sheikh Zayed Stadium in Abu Dhabi on June 17 (Thursday). The match is scheduled to begin at 11:30pm IST.

Teams Status

Karachi Kings

Karachi Kings entered the Abu Dhabi leg of PSL 2021 high on confidence and with the title of reigning champions resting proudly on their shoulders. But three straight defeats have deflated the air out of their title defence and at this point they are languishing in fifth place on the points table, outside of the playoffs spot and needing an instant turnaround in fortunes to keep their season alive.

While several of their players non named Babar Azam have not performed, the chief culprit is star pacer Mohammad Amir, who is wicketless since the PSL resumed and in those three defeats he has leaked 105 runs in 9.4 overs.

With the pace spearhead bowls this ordinarily, the rest of the unit does not stand a chance. Amir’s lethargy has rubbed on to last season’s find, Arshad Iqbal, too, as he is also wicketless like his experienced teammate.

The batsmen have done little better, and their contributions would look even ugly if Babar’s 85 and 81-run knocks are taken out of their three defeats.

It is not exactly a must-win for Karachi but if they don’t they will need miracles to keep themselves in the playoff hunt.

Lahore Qalandars

The start to the Qalandars’ campaign in Abu Dhabi was in complete contrast to Karachi’s. Two straight wins to open the tournament saw them soar to the top of the standings but then two straight defeats have brought them down to Earth as well.

What’s alarming is that both their defeats came in chase of modest totals, which a batting unit as talented as Lahore’s should have reached with ease. After all, 159 and 153 are hardly difficult targets in today’s T20 cricket.

Superstar batsman Mohammad Hafeez has been completely out-of-form during this entire run, scoring just 40 runs in four outings. Fakhar Zaman has fared little better, with his total production being a paltry 66 in four attempts.

The studded bowling unit has been doing its job but the batters are letting Lahore down. If both units click and Lahore get the win, they will seal their qualification to the playoffs.

What do the Sportsbook Say

Brand	Karachi Kings	Lahore Qalandars
	2.10	1.72
	1.984	1.82
	2.05	1.72

Lahore are the betting favourites. 22Bet has them priced at 1.82, Bet365 at 1.72 and Betway at 1.72. Meanwhile, Karachi are priced at 1.984 on 22Bet, 2.10 on Bet365 and 2.05 on Betway.

Tipster’s Angle

Tip: Karachi Kings to win @ 1.984

Karachi are in all kinds of trouble but they have one-size-fit-all solution for all such problems: his name is Babar Azam. The world’s premier T20 batsman was out on a first-ball duck in the last game and when that happens, he comes back with a controlled vengeance, of which opposition bowlers have no answer but just tip their hats. The bet here is for Babar to bail out Karachi.

Tip: Babar Azam Total Runs Over (30.5) @ 1.832

The second tip is just an extension of the first. The spread for Babar Azam is a very doable 30.5, and considering that his team is facing an almost elimination game, it is tough to see him not delivering big. You can also pound Babar scoring 50 or being the top scorer in the innings bets as he can very well do it and you can fetch much higher odds. This here though is the safest option.

Conclusion

Due to Karachi and Lahore’s rivalry, their games are mostly closely contested and even if one team is in bad form, it can easily raise its game in this particular fixture. Karachi need the win more here. They should get it.