March 8: Lahore Qalanders v Karachi Kings, Lahore

Our XI: Ben Dunk, Chris Lynn, Babar Azam, Sharjeel Khan, Alex Hales, Imad Wasim, Samit Patel, Shaheen Afridi, Salman Irshad/Dilbar Hussain, Umer Khan, Mohammad Amir

Captain: Alex Hales

Hales has scored 101 runs at a strike rate of 177.19 in his last two innings. He has scored the most number of runs (1678) as an opener in the T20 format since 2019 at a strike rate of 145.40.

Vice-captain: Chris Lynn

Lynn has scored 107 runs in five innings at a strike-rate of 162.12 in the tournament so far. Probably not the best of tournaments for him yet, but the big hitter can never be written off. Since 2019, in all T20s, Lynn has faced 864 balls and has scored a four or a six once every five balls. Do keep in mind though, that Lynn missed Lahore Qalandars' last game, against Quetta Gladiators, with sickness.

Hot picks

Babar Azam: Azam has scored two fifties in the tournament so far and Karachi have won on both those occasions. Karachi will be looking for another big score from him in this game. He has scored 187 runs at a strike rate of 124.67 in PSL 2020.

Sharjeel Khan: Sharjeel had gotten off to a few starts in the tournament but failed to convert those starts into significant scores. His 20-ball 38 against Islamabad is proof that he can score quickly and score big. His strike rate in the powerplay in this edition of the PSL is 158.

Ben Dunk: Dunk has scored at a strike rate of 205.40 in the middle overs this PSL, the best in the tournament. His strike rate against spin in T20s is 141.93 while his strike rate against pace is 126.09.

Value picks

Imad Wasim: Imad has an economy of 7.16 in the powerplay in the PSL since 2018. That is the third highest amongst all spinners who have bowled 100 or more balls. He picked up 2 for 14 in the abandoned game against Multan Sultans on Friday.

Umer Khan: The 20-year-old left-arm spinner has picked up a wicket in each of the three games he has bowled in so far in the tournament. He has a good economy of 7.30 as well in the format.

Points to note

• The pitch at the Gadaffi Stadium has been much better to bat on than expected this year so consider having an extra batsman or an all-rounder in place of a bowler.

• Chris Lynn's availability is uncertain. If he is fit, he's a shoo-in, but if not, consider picking another top order batsman.