Toss: Lahore Qalandars opt to bat vs Karachi Kings
Lahore Qalandars won the toss and opted to bat against Karachi Kings in the PSL final at the National Stadium. In the first final between the two historic rivals, Lahore captain Sohail Akhtar opted, for the first time since the playoffs began, to bat. "The way our momentum has been built up and the positive cricket we are playing means we're confident of putting up a good show," he said.
The pitch is the same as the one used for the eliminator between Lahore and Multan Sultans on Saturday, which might bring spin into the game more than has been in evidence in the playoffs. It didn't result in team changes for Lahore, who go in with an unchanged side as they bid to win their first PSL title.
Karachi Kings captain Imad Wasim admitted they would have liked to bat first too. "We'll just have to be at our best and hold our nerve. This is just cricket, not war, and we have to trust our process."
They made one change, with Umaid Asif coming in for Wayne Parnell, meaning they fielded just three overseas players for the first time in the league this year. Karachi haven't played since Saturday afternoon, when they booked their place in the final thanks to a Super Over win over Multan.
Lahore Qalandars: Fakhar Zaman, Tamim Iqbal, Sohail Akhtar (capt), Mohammad Hafeez, Ben Dunk (wk), David Wiese, Samit Patel, Mohammad Faizan, Dilbar Hussain, Haris Rauf, Shaheen Afridi
Karachi Kings: Babar Azam, Sharjeel Khan, Alex Hales, Chadwick Walton (wk), Iftikhar Ahmed, Sherfane Rutherford, Imad Wasim (capt), Mohammad Amir, Umaid Asif, Arshad Iqbal, Waqas Maqsood