New rivalry lights up PSL

The contest between Zalmi and Kings was fierce and fans can’t wait to see what happens next

The eighth of the Pakistan Super League (PSL) was off to a flyer with two back-to-back thrillers in Multan and Karachi. In the opening game of the tournament, defending champions Lahore Qalandars defeated the home team Multan Sultans by just one run. Meanwhile, Babar Azam-led Peshawar Zalmi got the better of Karachi Kings on their home ground by two runs.

In the initial years of the PSL, there was one major rivalry between the Kings and Qalandars as citizens of both cities often fight over their city’s supremacy. On the other hand, there was a healthy competition between Quetta Gladiators and Peshawar Zalmi.

However, this year, the atmosphere was electrifying at the National Bank Cricket Arena during the game between the Yellow Storm and the Kings as they have been on each other’s nerves since Babar left the Men-in-Blue-and-Red to join Zalmi.

Pakistan captain played six seasons for Kings, but after a horrendous time last year in its first season as captain, where his team lost nine out of 10 games, the franchise traded him with Haider Ali and Shoaib Malik.

There were speculations that Babar Azam was unhappy with the management of the Kings and no longer wanted to play for the franchise. Consequently, Babar’s fans had already started rooting for Zalmi.

The situation worsened when Karachi Kings’ captain Imad Wasim, just days before the start of PSL, took a dig at his former teammate and said in a video that Kings had a better chance this time around as they had more match-winners in the line-up instead of selfish players.

Moreover, ahead of the Zalmi-Kings clash, the latter’s premier pacer Mohammad Amir in encrypted words compared the leading all-format batter to a tailender. “My job is to take wickets and win matches for my team, so facing Babar or a tailender batting at number 10 will be the same,” Amir said.

Meanwhile, Babar remained respectful throughout and had all the respect for his previous franchise and former teammates.

“Competition is always good for the league. Not only Karachi, but every team has good quality local bowlers. When I play against any quality bowler, I stick to my basics,” he said.

After all the build-up, the encounter in Karachi depicted that there were more fans of the star batter than the home side as the crowd loved and cheered for Babar when he played that elegant drive against Amir in the first over of the match.

Peshawar Zalmi’s captain Babar Azam (R) celebrates with teammtes after winning the Pakistan Super League (PSL) Twenty20 cricket match between Karachi Kings and Peshawar Zalmi at the National Stadium in Karachi on February 14, 2023. (Photo by Asif HASSAN / AFP) (Photo by ASIF HASSAN/AFP via Getty Images)

The fans were delighted to see the right-handed batter scoring 68 runs off 46 balls and leading their team to a big score.

In contrast, both Amir and Imad went for runs during the contest, conceding 42 runs each in four and three overs, respectively.

The veteran all-rounder Shoaib Malik opened up about the much-talked-about rivalry between Babar Azam and his teammates Imad Wasim and Mohammad Amir. While speaking in the post-match press conference, the all-rounder said that all three cricketers have great regard for each other as professionals.

“One thing should not be missing and that is respect. I have seen Babar, Amir and Imad respect each other when they meet,” Malik said. “The rivalry is healthy for the league. You should give your best when you are in the field. It is your responsibility how to motivate yourself. If something encourages you to get the best out of yourself, then you should definitely do that. The good thing is everyone respects each other and doesn’t cross the line.”

Cricket enthusiasts also celebrated this new rivalry and maintained that these kinds of matchups are great for the league.

“There was no rivalry between these two teams, but I saw that the players of both sides going after each,” said Asif Ahmed, a Karachi Kings fan. “Healthy rivalry must be a part of the PSL, and the element of respect should always be there.”

He added that Peshawar Zalmi have regained their lost popularity since Babar joined them as after the departure of Shahid Afridi from the former PSL champions’ ranks, the team did not have a superstar in the dressing room.

A supporter of Peshawar Zalmi, Aslam Wazir, enjoyed Babar’s silky drive against the left-arm pacer and his counter-attack against Imad.

“Babar driving the ball through covers off Amir and counter-attacking Imad was enjoyable and since we won the game, the second game will be more exciting and chances of Zalmi winning that game are even brighter,” he stated.

Meanwhile, another Zalmi fan disproved Amir’s statement against the top-ranked ODI batter, saying that no player should be disrespected.

“Amir should not have given this kind of statement for Babar Azam because he is Pakistan captain and a great player,” said Dilawar Khan. “Rivalry is a great thing, but demeaning a player is not right. Such statements can impact the team’s environment.”

“Mohammad Amir is a legendary bowler and he helped Pakistan in winning two ICC Trophies, T20 World Cup 2009 and Champions Trophy 2017. He also led the Kings with the ball in winning their first PSL trophy. He is also coming from a great BPL,” he added.

Furthermore, Farhat Abbasi, a Karachi Kings fan, took a rather neutral stance on whatever happened ahead of the star of PSL and maintained that such rivalries are healthy and exciting for the fans.

“We are enjoying his [Amir] rivalry against Babar as both are world-class players. Previously, Amir had matchups with Mohammad Hafeez, Misbah-ul-Haq and Azhar Ali, we enjoyed watching those too,” he said. “Karachi lost the first game but the way Imad played was exemplary. If Karachi continues to play like this, it doesn’t matter if they lose or win as long as they show fighting spirit. We will back our team and look forward to seeing Babar and Amir facing each other again in the upcoming game.”