Playing kit Karachi Kings (Urdu: کراچی کنگز; Sindhi: ڪراچي ڪنگز) (abbreviated as KK) is a Pakistani professional franchise Twenty20 cricket team that competes in the Pakistan Super League (PSL).
The team is based in Karachi, the provincial capital of Sindh,[1] and was formed in 2015 by the Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB).
[8] The Kings kicked off their campaign with an easy win against the Lahore Qalandars at the Dubai International Cricket Stadium, with Mohammad Amir getting a hat-trick.
Ravi Bopara replaced Shoaib Malik as the team captain ahead of the qualifier match against Islamabad United.
[11] Kumar Sangakkara and Babar Azam joined Karachi for the second season of the PSL whilst Azhar Mehmood signed on as a coach.
[12] During the 2017 PSL players draft, Karachi retained Shoaib Malik, Imad Wasim, Ravi Bopara, Mohammad Amir, Sohail Khan, Saifullah Bangash, and Shahzaib Hasan.
The team added nine players to the squad, including Kieron Pollard, Mahela Jayawardena and Ryan McLaren.
[13] In their first game, Karachi Kings lost to Peshawar Zalmi by 7 wickets in a one-sided affair that saw them post a target of just 118 runs in their 20 overs.
The match was closely fought and a partnership of 101 runs between veterans Kumar Sangakkara and Shoaib Malik almost won it for the Kings.
The win came through the Duckworth-Lewis method as the Kings were ahead of the par score by 8 runs when returning rain forced to abandon the already 13-over match.
[17] In their final game of the Sharjah leg, the Kings continued their winning streak to get past Peshawar Zalmi in a thrilling contest.
[18] As the tournament moved back to Dubai, the Kings couldn't continue their winning streak and lost to table-toppers, Quetta Gladiators, by 6 wickets.
[19] However, in the next game, which had become a must-win for both participating teams, the Kings managed to prevail over their rivals the Lahore Qalandars in a thrilling last-ball finish.
In their opening match of the 2018 season, Kings ended the two-season losing streak against Quetta Gladiators by beating them by 19 runs.
Batting first, the Kings posted the highest target in Sharjah that year - 154 runs - before failing to defend it and losing the match by 8 wickets.
The team faced defeat in nine out of the ten matches played, ultimately concluding the season at the bottom of the points table.
[41] Besides Bahria Town other sponsors were Summit Bank, The Arkadians, Oye Hoye, Pepsi, Brighto Paints and Shield Corporation Ltd. Their official main principle partner for the 2017 season was Naya Nazimabad.