Karachi Kings (KK) were stationed at the top of the Pakistan Super League (PSL) 2021 points table before its suspension earlier this March due to the rise in coronavirus cases inside the bio-secure bubble.
The Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) recently confirmed that the league will resume in Abu Dhabi from June 1 to avoid the coronavirus scare. In the wake of the news of recommencement, some of the key international players bid adieu to the 6th edition of the tournament owing to their national duties.
Kings signed New Zealand batsman Martin Guptill in the replacement draft a few days earlier to fill in for the gaps.
Taking cognizance of the same, Kings skipper Babar Azam expressed that he had shared the stage with the Kiwi opener during the Caribbean Premier League (CPL) and was keen to learn from him.
“I have played with Martin Guptill in the past in the Caribbean Premier League. We had a good bonding and it was nice to play with him. He is one of the best T20 batsmen [in the world] and when he is batting he can totally change the complexion of the game. His power-hitting skills are outstanding. I will try to learn from his experience because the learning process never stops,” Babar stated in an interview with Cricket Corner on Tuesday.
There were speculations among some fans that the inclusion of Guptill might hinder the playing chances of regular Kings opener Sharjeel Khan.
Babar further revealed that he had utmost hopes from Sharjeel, who could turn contests single-handedly and was happy to see the latter working on his fitness.
“We have high hopes from Sharjeel Khan. He struggled a bit at the start [of PSL 6] but then he hit an amazing century. Players like him can change the game single-handedly, I was really happy to see that he has worked really hard on his fitness as well,” the Lahore-born divulged.
Reflecting on his chances of defending the title, the Central Punjab cricketer enunciated that his side could win the coveted trophy for the second time if they maintain their consistency.
“We are hopeful [about defending title] and would like to continue our good form in this season as we are currently at the top of the table. There have been some changes in the team but the replacements have been equally good,” Babar concluded.
