Multan Sultans will take on Quetta Gladiators in Match 18 of the Pakistan Super League at the Gaddafi Stadium, Lahore, on April 29th.
Match Preview:
Multan Sultans are enduring a hard season. Except for one victory versus Lahore Qalandars at their home ground, they do not have much to show for this year. One after another, comprehensive defeat has endangered their chances of going through to the next stage. They have played the final of the last four editions and won the trophy in 2021. But their consistency seems to be taking a very deep dip this year, and realistically, they do not look very probable to reach the playoffs this time. Much of this has to do with how they have batted. Excluding their top three batters—Mohammad Rizwan, Yasir Khan, and Usman Khan—the remaining batters have hardly done a decent job at increasing Multan’s chances of winning. The bowlers have been equally disappointing, with only Ubaid Shah their bright spot in the abyss they are currently in.
Quetta Gladiators, on the other hand, look to have finally settled. They won both of their last games, and the recent one against Peshawar Zalmi by a huge margin. Finn Allen and Saud Shakeel have done decently at the top. While the middle order has lacked a bit, the problems with them aren’t too deep to be addressed. Quetta’s bowling lineup gives them extra strength to defend targets. Mohammad Amir, Mohammad Wasim Jr., and most of all Abrar Ahmed form a formidable bowling attack, one that has helped Quetta stay afloat.
Probable Playing XI:
Quetta Gladiators: Saud Shakeel (c), Finn Allen, Rilee Rossouw, Mark Chapman, Faheem Ashraf, Hasan Nawaz, Mohammad Wasim, Mohammad Amir, Khurram Shahzad, Abrar Ahmed
Multan Sultans: Yasir Khan, Mohammad Rizwan (c & wk), Usman Khan, Michael Bracewell, Shai Hope, Akif Javed, Kamran Ghulam, Mohammad Hasnain, Usama Mir, Josh Little, Ubaid Shah
Pitch and weather report:
On Tuesday, the weather in Lahore can be expected to remain mostly sunny, with clear skies in the daytime, and the temperature dipping to nearly 26 degrees Celsius. However, humidity is not expected to be too high, as a light breeze will continue flowing throughout the evening. While it won’t really be a comfortable temperature to play cricket, the teams will be happy with the absence of dew.
Gaddafi Stadium’s pitch is reputed to be mostly batting-friendly, with true bounce giving the batters enough to judge the ball. Average first-innings scores go around 184, and this could really be crossed in this game, with both teams having good batting potential on their day.
Head-to-Head Record:
Quetta and Multan have played 13 games against each other, with nine of them ending on Multan’s side, while four wins have been taken by Quetta.
Prediction:
Quetta are the favourites to win the game, but Multan also possesses a danger which will keep the former from taking them lightly.
Where to Watch:
Pakistan (TV): A Sports HD, PTV Sports
Pakistan (Live Streaming): tapmad, Tamasha, Daraz, myco, begin
UK: Sky Sports, Geo News (Sky 734)
North America: Willow
Africa: SuperSport
MENA Region: myco
Bangladesh: T Sports
India: Sports Central (YouTube)
Rest of the World: Sports Central (YouTube)
