Lahore Crush Multan to Jump to 2nd on PSL Points Table

Lahore Qalandars became the first team to defeat Multan Sultans in the ongoing seventh edition of the Pakistan Super League (PSL). Lahore have now climbed up to the second spot in the PSL points table and look set to qualify for the PSL play-offs for the second time in their history. Meanwhile, Multan sit comfortably at the top of the table despite losing the encounter.

Lahore started the Lahore-leg in style as their batting continued a superb run of form. Opener Fakhar Zaman in particular was magnificent as usual as he scored his fourth half-century in the competition. Veteran middle-order batter Mohammad Hafeez provided the fireworks at the backend of the innings to help the Qalandars to post a challenging 182/4 on the board.

Meanwhile, Multan’s batting struggled for the first time this season. Shan Masood and Mohammad Rizwan went cheaply and the rest of the batters followed suit without troubling the Qalandars bowlers. Multan were ultimately bundled out for 130 as they lost the match by 52 runs.

Fakhar Zaman was named as player of the match for his innings of 60 off 37 balls.

Pre Match

Lahore Qalandars will face Multan Sultans in the 17th match of the PSL 2022 on Friday, 11 February. The match, scheduled at Lahore’s Gaddafi Stadium, will start at 7:30 pm PKT.

Match Preview

Multan Sultans have all but qualified for the PSL 7 playoffs after winning their first six matches of the season. Lahore Qalandars, on the other hand, have all to play for as they face the Janoobis in a high-octane clash in front of a roaring home crowd. A win for Lahore will take them ahead of Islamabad in the second position while they will stay at the third spot if Multan register their seventh consecutive victory in the competition.

Lahore have been one of the most exciting teams to watch in the tournament so far. Their explosive batting unit headlined by an in-form Fakhar Zaman and their world-class bowling unit of Rashid Khan, Shaheen Afridi, and Haris Rauf makes them one of the most dangerous sides in the competition. They will be determined to bounce back quickly after their disappointing loss against Quetta in their previous outing and they will be offered an added boost with playing in front of their home crowd.

Multan have been exceptional throughout the tournament and it does not look like they will ever lose a cricket match. They have been expertly led by Mohammad Rizwan and the whole team has contributed to their exceptional run over the past two seasons. They will look to test their bench strength in the upcoming matches and make sure they are prepared for the challenge in the play-offs.

Lahore will likely name an unchanged XI while Multan will make a few changes to their line-up. Asif Afridi, Rizwan Hussain, and Rumman Raees are likely to come into the team instead of Shahnawaz Dahani, Sohaib Maqsood, and Imran Tahir.

Match Details

• Date Friday, 11 February 2022
• Time 07:30 pm PKT
• Venue Gaddafi Stadium, Lahore
• Live Stream LINK

Check out the details of the match here.

Possible Playing XIs:

Multan Possible XI – Mohammad Rizwan (c)(wk), Shan Masood, Rizwan Hussain, Rilee Rossouw, Khushdil Shah, Tim David, Anwar Ali, Abbas Afridi, Asif Afridi, Blessing Muzarabani, Rumman Raees

Check out Multan’s full squad here

Lahore Possible XI – Shaheen Afridi (c), Abdullah Shafique, Fakhar Zaman, Phil Salt (wk), Kamran Ghulam, Mohammad Hafeez, Harry Brook, David Wiese, Rashid Khan, Haris Rauf, Zaman Khan

Check out Lahore’s full squad here

Head to Head

Overall, the two sides have come face to face 10 times in the tournament. Sultans have an upper hand as they have won 6 while Qalandars have won 4. They last played against each other in PSL 7 on 29 January 2022 at National Stadium Karachi. Multan won the match by 5 wickets.

X-Factor

Phil Salt has not been able to perform according to his usual standards so far in the tournament. Salt has the ability to hit big and score quickfire runs and with him playing lower down the order his innings can provide the extra impetus to Lahore’s total at the backend of the innings. If Salt can regain his form then Lahore’s batting unit becomes even more explosive.

Shan Masood is in the form of his life and he will be looking to continue his rich vein of form leading up to Pakistan’s Test series against Australia. First and foremost though, he will be determined to play a crucial role for Multan in the business end of the tournament and help them win their second PSL title.