South African batsman Colin Ingram is confident the Karachi Kings can ‘go all the way this year’, after falling short in the Pakistan Super League finals in 2018.

Ingram will play for the Kings, who occupied second position after the round-robin stage of last year’s PSL, but ended third after the play-offs. Islamabad United later beat Peshawar Zalmi in the final.

‘It is a really organised team with a great ethos. Being on board is great. The strength of our squad is its really strong local base. We have some superstars who have been doing really well and kicking on in the Pakistan side,’ Ingram told the PSL’s official website.

‘I’m not saying there are weak bowling attacks out there, but coming to the PSL, every attack has strong seamers and wily spinners. In that, it’s really challenging as a batsman – you have to pitch up and be sharp, on your game. To see the standard of the hitting by some of the players, even the numbers 10 and 11, really impresses me.’

The Kings sport the services of several stars from abroad, including England’s Ravi Bopara, New Zealand’s Colin Munro and Australia’s Ben Dunk.

‘We have retained our core and brought in some new faces – a couple of young guys, too. Hopefully, with that core – and the extras – we can go all the way this year,’ added Ingram.

While the majority of the tournament was played in the United Arab Emirates, last year’s final was held in Karachi. This year, a substantial leg of the competition will also be hosted by Karachi – and Lahore.

‘It is not a tough decision for me. Being part of this tournament, you see the bigger goals, one of which is getting cricket back into Pakistan. I grew up in South Africa, where we have our own challenges – and you can see how it affects the community. For me to get on board and travel to Pakistan is a great experience,’ concluded Ingram.

‘I am looking forward to going with the Karachi Kings to Karachi – it will be important to perform in our home city.’

Photo: Getty