Islamabad United will lock horns with the Multan Sultans in the quest to qualify for the top four considering a win today will solidify their place for the playoffs although they face a very tough task in Rawalpindi against M.Rizwan’s formidable side.
Multan Sultans sit at the top of the table with 12 points after eight games while Islamabad United stand in third place with 9 points after 9 games but with a much more healthy run-rate than Quetta Gladiators and Karachi Kings.
Shadab Khan’s men will look to seal the deal in their quest for the playoffs and they will be looking down their shoulders at Quetta Gladiators and Karachi Kings if they lose tonight, so there is much more at stake for United than Multan in this game.
The Sultans have already qualified and will clinch a berth in the top 2 places eventually to get a second bite at the cherry to qualify for the finals. Two chances to qualify for the final will poise the 2021 PSL champions in command.
M.Rizwan can make a few changes in the playing XI for this game and rest some key members while Islamabad United will go with an unchanged line up after their stellar victory against Karachi Kings by 5 wickets.
Pitch Report
Rawalpindi Cricket Stadium’s pitches have changed compared to PSL 8 and the average 1st innings total during PSL 8 at the venue was 209, but this time it has dropped to 166.
Teams batting second have won 40% of the matches, while the initial new ball overs have been hard to face and the ball has seen a lot of swing especially in the second innings under the lights which has helped the fast bowlers.
In recent matches the spinners have got some bounce as well from the surface which has helped in stopping the flow of runs.
Head-To-Head Record
You can check out the full PSL schedule here
| Team | Match | Win | Loss |
| Islamabad United | 14 | 6 | 8 |
| Multan Sultans | 14 | 8 | 6 |
Expected Playing XIs
Check out the PSL 9 squads here
Islamabad United:
| Colin Munro | Salman Ali Agha | Haider Ali | Faheem Ashraf | Naseem Shah | Tymal Mills |
| Alex Hales | Shadab Khan (c) | Azam Khan (wk) | Imad Wasim | Hunain Shah |
Multan Sultans:
| M. Rizwan (c)(wk) | Dawid Malan | Iftikhar Ahmed | David Willey | Usama Mir | Mohammad Ali |
| Usman Khan | Tayyab Tahir | Khushdil Shah | Chris Jordan | Shahnawaz Dahani |
Check out the PSL 9 Points Table here.
