Karachi Kings – A bad bet
To win title: 10/3
Last 2 years: 4-W
2021 Batting run rate rank: =2
2021 Bowling economy rank: 5
Boundary % rating: 3
New signings: Chris Jordan, Lewis Gregory, Umaid Asif, Rohail Nazir, Mohammad Imran, Qasim Akram, Faisal Akram, Talha Ahsan, Romario Shepherd, Ian Cockbain
Retained: Babar Azam, Imad Wasim, Mohammad Amir, Mohammad Nabi, Joe Clarke, Aamer Yamin, Sharjeel Khan, Mohammad Ilyas
Potential first XI: Babar (17), Sharjeel (22.3), Clarke (24.3), Imad (15.3), Nabi (15.8), Gregory (15.3), Yamin, Jordan, Umaid Asif, Amir, Ahsan
Verdict: The Kings needed to find some bowling nous after conceding the second highest run rate in the group section. Have they done it? Not really. Chris Jordan might give them some death options but there are far more versatile and canny bowling group than this one. Sure, they have terrific batting power but it would be a surprise if they were able to win the title excelling in one discipline only. They really are terrible favorites.
Peshawar Zalmi – Zalmi sluggish
To win title: 7/2
Last 2 years: R-4
2021 Batting run rate rank: 1
2021 Bowling economy rank: 4
Boundary % rating: 4
New signings: Hazratullah Zazai, Usman Qadir, Salman Irshad, Arshad Iqbal, Sameen Gul, Kamran Akmal, Sirajuddin, Mohammad Amir Khan, Ben Cutting and Mohammad Harris, Pat Brown, Matt Parkinson, Sohail Khan
Retained: Liam Livingstone, Wahab Riaz, Haider Ali, Sherfane Rutherford, Shoaib Malik, Hussain Talat, Saqib Mahmood, Tom Kohler-Cadmore
Potential first XI: Livingstone (17.9), Haider Ali (19.4), K Akmal (21.2), S Malik (15.6), Cutting (20.2), Talat (15.3), Rutherford, Wahab, MA Khan, S Mahmood, Arshad
Verdict: Zalmi’s charge to the final last season, where they were beaten by Sultans, was a surprise. Expect a slow star. With Liam Livingstone and Saqib Mahmood away with England they will only get stronger. Pat Brown and Matt Parkinson are cover signings. Brown’s addition suggests Zalmi is looking hard at the data, which is promising. Haider Ali could open and should be shorter than 16s. Sure, the competition is strong but he should get more games than Livingstone.
Best Bet: (0.5pts) Back Haider Ali top Zalmi bat 17.016/1
Lahore Qalandars – Hitting a worry
To win title: 4/1
Last 2 years: 5-R
2021 Batting run rate rank: 5
2021 Bowling economy rank:3
Boundary % rating: 5
New signings: Fakhar Zaman, Abdullah Shafique, Phil Salt, Harry Brook, Kamran Ghulam, Dean Foxcroft, Zaman Khan, Maaz Khan, Samit Patel and Syed Faridoun
Retained: Rashid Khan, Shaheen Shah Afridi, Haris Rauf, David Wiese, Mohammad Hafeez, Ahmed Daniyal, Sohail Akhtar and Zeeshan Ashraf
Possible XI: F Zaman (17.78), A Shafique (16.53), Salt (21.1), M Hafeez (17.1), D Wiese (16.3), Kamran Ghulam (19.7), S Patel, Rashid K, Daniyal, Afridi, Rauf
Verdict: Fakhar Zaman is a strong pick-up considering run rate was an issue last season. But others team can improve, too and it’s notable that in terms of boundary percentage they remain low down. The bowling group remains strong. As you would expect. Most teams have good resources in that regard so they’ve probably not done enough on batting power to be considered for a challenge.
Multan Sultans – Champions still strong
To win title: 4/1
Last 2 years: W-1
2021 Batting run rate rank: 4
2021 Bowling economy rank: 1
Boundary % rating: 2
New signings: Tim David, Odean Smith, Rumman Raees, Asif Afridi, Anwar Ali, Rovman Powell, Imran Khan Sr, Aamer Azmat, Abbas Afridi, Ihsanullah and Blessing Muzarabani
Retained: Mohammad Rizwan, Rilee Rossouw, Imran Tahir, Sohaib Maqsood, Khushdil Shah, Shahnawaz Dahani and Shan Masood. Possible XI: Rizwan (16.76), Masood (16.1), Maqsood (23.1), Rossouw (20.0), Khushdil (18.4), David (16.3), Smith, Abbas Afridi, Raees, Tahir, Dahani
Verdict: Here’s a team which has identified a weakness. They needed to tick up with the bat so Tim David, Rovman Powell and even Odean Smith provide impetus at the death. Of course we expect nothing less than a team obsessed with data. The champions will once again take some stopping as they have not stood still. Shan Masood, the skip, is hugely underrated for top tournament bat at 33s considering he could open.
Best bet: (0.25pts) Back Shan Masood top Multan bat @ 34.033/1
Islamabad United – United improved
To win title: 9/2
Last 2 years: 1-6
2021 Batting run rate rank: =2
2021 Bowling economy rank: 2
Boundary % rating: 1
New signings: Colin Munro, Marchant de Lange, Muhammad Akhlaq, Reece Topley, Danish Aziz, Zafar Gohar, Mubasir Khan, Zeeshan Zameer, Rahmanullah Gurbaz, Athar Mahmood
Retained: Asif Ali, Hasan Ali, Faheem Ashraf, Shadab Khan, Alex Hales, Azam Khan, Mohammad Wasim Jr, Paul Stirling Potential first XI: Stirling (20.8), Hales (25.5), Munro (16.9), Azam (21.4), Asif Ali (19.8), Shahdab (18.3), Faheem, Hasan Ali, Mohammad Wasim Jr, Muhammad Zeeshan, De Lange
Verdict: Islamabad won the group section last term but lost both play-offs. It was quite an implosion considering they failed to defend 177 in the eliminator against Zalmi. The core group remains, though. Look at that batting run rate, boundary percentage and bowling economy. New signings Marchant de Lange and Reece Topley give them extra pace options. Faheem Ashrafa should be shorter than 5/1 for top bowler. If he stays fit last term, he takes as many wickets as Hasan Ali.
Best bet: (1pt) Back Faheem Ashraf top Islamabad bowler @ 6.05/1
Quetta Gladiators – Quetta quitters
To win title: 9/2
Last 2 years: 6-5
2021 Batting run rate rank: 6
2021 Bowling economy rank: 6
Boundary % rating: 6
New signings: Jason Roy, James Faulkner, Umar Akmal, Sohail Tanvir, Ben Duckett, Naveen-ul-Haq, Khurram Shahzad, Abdul Wahid Bangalzai, Ashir Qureshi, Ahsan Ali, Noor Ahmed, Dan Lawrence
Retained: James Vince, Sarfaraz Ahmed, Iftikhar Ahmed, Mohammad Nawaz, Shahid Afridi, Mohammad Hasnain, Naseem Shah Potential first XI: Roy (19.2), Vince (18.8), Duckett (19.3), Iftikhar (18.4), Sarfaraz (15.8), Faulkner (16.3), Nawaz, Shahid Afridi, Tanvir, Hasnain, Bangalzai
Verdict: Their batting, bowling and boundary ranking is the sign of the devil. Perhaps one to swerve, then. Really they should have been trying to work out a way to stop leaking runs in the field. They were all over the shop. Instead they’ve signed more boundary hitters. They needed to do work there, too but the balance doesn’t seem right. James Faulkner has the best strike rate in the world in the last two years of bowlers who have 20 or more victims with a wicket every 13.1 balls so he is no 7/1 chance to beat Quetta’s mob.
Best bet: (1pt) Back James Faulkner top Quetta bowler @ 8.07/1
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