Pakistan Super League (PSL) 2024 caravan after the first 14 matches divided between Multan and Lahore has moved to Karachi with two games already being played at the National Stadium already. The second venue in the second leg will be Rawalpindi and the batters will surely enjoy the upcoming few matches. Lahore Qalandars will take on Peshawar Zalmi in the first game at the Pindi Stadium on Saturday, March 2 in a double-header, followed by the second match between Islamabad United and the Quetta Gladiators.
The Qalandars will be hoping for a change in fortunes with the change in venue with the defending champions having lost all six games so far and similarly for Karachi Kings, who have lost three out of their five games, including both their home games so far.
Pindi Cricket Stadium in Rawalpindi pitch report
Rawalpindi dishes out one of the flattest surfaces in the world, let alone Pakistan and this PSL will be no different. The Pindi Stadium with small boundaries and a belter of a surface has been a darling for the batters in the last couple of years with a relaid pitch and after a few high scores in the earlier games in Lahore and Multan, the batters will relish playing in Rawalpindi as well.
Since the first game is a day match, the team winning the toss might opt to bat first and take advantage of the fresh surface. But this is a difficult venue to defend and chasing has always been a safer option. The pitch is not going to change much as has been the case in Rawalpindi in the games in the PSL before and even in T20Is. The last T20I played at the venue was in April last year where New Zealand comfortably chased down 194 runs against Pakistan but if the team batting first gets a score in 210-220 range, chasing won't be easy.
