Match preview: Multan Sultans set to face Lahore Qalandars in PSL opener

Arsalan Shehzad

February 13, 2023

Multan Sultans players celebrate the dismissal of Lahore Qalandars Zeeshan Ashraf during the PSL T20 final cricket match between Lahore Qalandars and Multan Sultans at the Gaddafi Cricket Stadium in Provincial Capital. — Online/File

The wait for the Pakistan Super League (PSL) is nearly over as the nationally-celebrated T20 cricket tournament begins on Monday (today) with previous season's finalists, Lahore Qalandars and Multan Sultans, taking on each other.

Multan Sultan eye revenge against Lahore Qalandars for the 2022 PSL final defeat, at the Multan Cricket Stadium, after the opening ceremony of PSL eighth edition on Monday.

Similarly, Lahore Qalandars are high-spirited to defend their title in PSL 2023 and, on the other hand, Multan Sultans want to start the tournament on a winning note.

Match preview: Multan Sultans set to face Lahore Qalandars in PSL opener

Pacer Shaheen Afridi will lead the Qalandars, meanwhile wicketkeeper-batter Mohammad Rizwan will be in charge of the Sultans.

Both teams are fully prepared for the opening encounter of the tournament after extensive training sessions.

Qalandars vs Sultans in PSL 7

In PSL 7, Qalandars suffered a defeat against Sultans in Qualifier but the former made a stunning comeback to beat the latter in the final.

Lahore Qalandars players celebrate after the dismissal of Multan Sultans Rilee Rossouw (unseen) during the PSL T20 final cricket match on February 27, 2022. — AFP — Lahore Qalandars' players celebrate after the dismissal of Multan Sultans' Rilee Rossouw (unseen) during the PSL T20 final cricket match on February 27, 2022. — AFP

Qalandars defeated Sultans by 42 runs convincingly to lift their maiden PSL trophy.

In the past, both sides' matches have been very interesting but Multan Sultans are slightly ahead of Lahore Qalandars on head-to-head.

Multan Sultans players celebrate the dismissal of Lahore Qalandars Zeeshan Ashraf (2R) during the PSL Twenty20 final cricket at the Gaddafi Cricket Stadium in Lahore on February 27, 2022. — AFP — Multan Sultans' players celebrate the dismissal of Lahore Qalandars' Zeeshan Ashraf (2R) during the PSL Twenty20 final cricket at the Gaddafi Cricket Stadium in Lahore on February 27, 2022. — AFP

Both sides met 13 times in PSL history with Sultans winning seven matches and Qalandars triumphing six times.

Key Players to Watch

Shaheen Afridi

All eyes will be on Shaheen's comeback as the talismanic pacer is set to return to T20 cricket for the first time, due to injury, since the final of the T20 World Cup. The leading wicket-taker in PSL will look to lead the pace attack with his fiery bowling.

Haris Rauf

After Shaheen, Lahore Qalandars' fast bowling is also dependent on Haris' shoulders. Rauf has played 40 matches and took 47 wickets while representing Qalandars, so far. The right-armer's bowling at the death is also critical for the Qalandars.

Fakhar Zaman

In the T20 format, a player who bats aggressively in the powerplay and hits long sixes is most in demand and all these qualities are possessed by Fakhar Zaman. His impact will be crucial if Qalandars want to post aa handsome total on the scoreboard.

Mohammad Rizwan

The wicketkeeper-batter Rizwan, who plays tremendously well in the T20 format, could be very dangerous in the PSL 2023. Rizwan never disappoints his side through his hard-hitting abilities in the shortest format of the game. The Sultans captain has scored 1446 runs in 59 matches of PSL, so far.

Shan Masood

The top-order batter Shan Masood is also among the leading run-scorers for Sultans side after having scored 1080 runs in 34 matches through his brilliant batting.

Rilee Rossouw

Rilee Rossouw is also one of the key players for Sultans. After performing consistently in the T20 format in different leagues, the batter made his comeback to the South Africa T20I side and represented the Proteas in the T20 World Cup 2022.