Iftikhar Vs. Rossouw – Who Won Out of Multan Sultans and Quetta Gladiators?

Pakistan Super League (PSL) franchises Multan Sultans and Quetta Gladiators traded middle-order batters Iftikhar Ahmed and Rilee Rossouw, with Iftikhar heading towards Sultans and Rossouw re-joining Gladiators.

🔥🚨 Box-office Trade Alert 🚨🔥

🔁Iftikhar Ahmed joins Multan Sultans

🔁Rilee Rossouw joins Quetta Gladiators#HBLPSLDraft #HBLPSL9 @TeamQuetta @MultanSultans @IftiMania @Rileerr pic.twitter.com/VHobXp3LEu

— PakistanSuperLeague (@thePSLt20) November 30, 2023

Taking a look at their careers, both have enjoyed a lot of success in PSL, winning titles with different franchises.

Iftikhar Ahmed (PSL Career)

Matches	58
Innings	50
Average	19.92
Strike Rate	120.27
Century	0
Half-Century	4
Runs	777
Highest Score	71* (Not Out)
4s	51
6s	34

Iftikhar will represent his fifth PSL franchise when he steps foot inside the ground in the upcoming PSL; Lahore Qalandars is the only team he hasn’t represented.

Before the previous PSL, he hit Wahab Riaz (current national chief selector) for 6 sixes in an over while representing Quetta Gladiators in an exhibition match in Quetta. Iftikhar is known for his explosive exploits, thus the term ‘Iftimania’ is coined for him whenever he goes berserk.

2023 PSL

Matches	10
Innings	9
Runs	189
Highest Score	53
Average	23.62
Strike Rate	126.84
100	0
50	2
4s	12
6s	10

Iftikhar is a team-man who can chip in with a few overs of off-spin, so his utility is second to none in the domestic circuit. He even opened the bowling for Pakistan in the recently concluded ICC ODI World Cup in India.

Rilee Rossouw (PSL Career)

Matches	74
Innings	70
Runs	1867
Highest Score	121
Average	34.57
Strike Rate	146.54
100	2
50	10
4s	178
6s	76

Rilee Rossouw has a long history with Quetta Gladiators. He was with the franchise when the PSL was launched in 2016, and he has re-joined the team after spending a few seasons at Multan Sultans. He is a terrific top-order batter who can provide impetus if wickets fall at the top.

2023 PSL

Matches	11
Innings	11
Runs	453
Highest Score	121
Average	45.30
Strike Rate	171.59
100	1
50	3
4s	48
6s	21

His record in the previous edition of PSL was superior to his overall PSL record. He averaged over 45 while having a strike rate of 170+. He got to his third century in PSL history, along with the 3 half-centuries scored in the season.

Who Is The Winner?

In my opinion, Quetta Gladiators are the winners of this trade. They got the third-most successful batter of the previous season back in their team, along with the Silver category pick. Gladiators gave up their Platinum pick in order to re-sign Rossouw.

Iftikhar is an excellent 3D cricketer (batting, bowling & fielding) but Rilee Rossouw’s PSL batting statistics are out of this world. He can bowl a few overs and act as the sixth bowling option for Multan Sultans (similar to how Khushdil Shah was used by them), but Rossouw will be the x-factor in making big totals for Quetta Gladiators.

2023 PSL Batting Statistics

Name	Innings	Runs	Highest Score	Average	Strike Rate	100	50	6s
Mohammad Rizwan	12	550	110	55.00	142.86	1	4	14
Babar Azam	11	522	115	52.50	145.40	1	5	9
Rilee Rossouw	11	453	121	45.30	171.59	1	3	21
Fakhar Zaman	13	429	115	33.00	160.67	1	2	27
Imad Wasim	10	404	92	134.67	170.46	0	3	16