Karachi Kings captain David Warner has set his sights on a winning start to the HBL Pakistan Super League (PSL) Season 10 as the team prepares to face Multan Sultans in their tournament opener on Saturday at their home ground National Bank Stadium.
Speaking at the pre-match press conference on Friday, Warner expressed his excitement about leading the side and the team’s intention to build momentum, step by step, starting with their first game.
“First and foremost, I am excited to lead the team. But to come to a team of quality people—that’s what I am really looking forward to,” Warner said.
“Our goal for this year is to play and win as many games as we can and ultimately lift the trophy. Our immediate focus is to win the opening game. The team is shaping up well, and we’ve had productive training sessions despite the warm weather.”
David Warner, who is making his HBL PSL debut this season, noted that the conditions at Karachi’s National Bank Stadium reminded him of Australian pitches due to the grassy wicket.
“The weather is extremely warm here, but we are getting used to it. As you can see, the wicket here is nice and grassy, which is very similar to what we have in Australia. Hopefully, we are on the right side of it—we can score runs and we can take wickets,” he stated.
The Australian star also addressed his absence from the official pre-tournament captains’ press conference, explaining that his priority was to assess his squad and focus on preparations.
“Look, my priority was the training session. We had an intra-squad practice match and, coming straight from home, I wanted to have a look at the players that are part of our team,” Warner explained.
“For me, it was important to get the guys up and ready for tomorrow’s game. It was the first intra-squad game we had, so it was vital for me to speak to the bowlers, speak to the batters, and work on our game plans.
“We managed to send Has [Hasan Ali] to fulfill that duty. I apologize for not being there, but the priority was to get the guys ready and build an understanding of how we want to play our brand of cricket this tournament.”
When asked about outside noise and criticism, Warner remained unfazed, stating that his focus remains solely on cricket and making the most of the opportunity.
“I don’t care about negativity. For me, it’s all about playing cricket. This is an opportunity for me to come to the PSL. My international calendar didn’t allow me to play PSL before due to timings and scheduling,” he added.
“I’m fortunate enough to be playing the game I love, and it’s a great opportunity to come here for the PSL, compete, and captain Karachi Kings. Hopefully, we can lift the trophy in the end.”
David Warner shared that he intends to bring a positive team culture and a fun, competitive environment into the Karachi Kings dressing room.
“Look, I’ve had a great summer, but what’s most important for me is that I’ve been part of an environment—with staff and players—that I absolutely enjoyed. That’s what I want to bring here. I want to make sure that the whole environment is having fun, that we’re playing good cricket, and competing,” he further stated.
“We need to turn up with the right attitude every time we come to the ground, whether it’s for a match or a training session. We want to enjoy the tournament while staying focused on our goals.”
With a wealth of talent in the squad, Warner acknowledged that team selection could be a challenge, especially with changing pitch conditions.
“We’ve got a lot of talent in the team, and the hardest thing would be mixing and matching with the wicket. You can see there’s a lot of grass on the wicket for tomorrow’s game. The team will change throughout the tournament as we continue to adjust our playing XI based on match conditions and pitch behavior. That’s inevitable,” he concluded.
Karachi Kings will take on last season’s finalists, Multan Sultans, in what promises to be a thrilling contest under lights at the National Bank Stadium.
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