PSL Match 29: MS vs IU Preview

We are now almost at the end of the league stage of PSL 2022. All the remaining matches are super important for the teams. Multan have already sealed the top position and will look to continue their good performance in this game. Islamabad have lost two games in a row and will be eyeing a comeback in this match. 

Multan Sultans are the best team of PSL 2022 till now. They have lost only one match after playing 9 and are at the top of the points table. All of their players are in good form and putting consistent performances in almost every game. Mohammad Rizwan and Shan Masood are the backbone of their batting while Tim David and Rilee Rossouw have been exceptional as well. Shahnawaz Dhanai, Imran Tahir, and Khushdil Shah have been excellent with the ball while David Willey who returned in the last game got back to business straightaway. Multan’s squad is very balanced and are playing some good cricket at the moment. 

Islamabad United, meanwhile, are going through a rough phase as they’ve lost their last two games and 3 in their last 5. They started off well but as the tournament progressed they lost their big players due to national duty or injuries and it has affected them a lot. Paul Stirling left for national duty while Alex Hales withdrew due to personal reasons. Shadab Khan and Colin Munro are injured. These are the core players of their side. Azam Khan, Asif Ali, Rahmanullah Gurbaz, Faheem Ashraf are the main players for them now. Shadab and Munro should be available for the play-offs. Islamabad are already in the play-offs but will look to win this game and get themselves back on track before the knockout games.

Probable Playing XI

You can expect a few changes in both sides for this match.

Multan Sultans: Shan Masood, Mohammad Rizwan (c & wk), Rilee Rossouw, Khushdil Shah, Tim David, Aamer Azmat, David Willey, Rumman Raees, Imran Tahir, Shahnawaz Dahani, Abbas Afridi

Islamabad United: Rahmanullah Gurbaz, Mubasir Khan, Mohammad Wasim Jr, Liam Dawson, Azam Khan (wk), Asif Ali(c), Faheem Ashraf, Danish Aziz, Marchant de Lange/Hasan Ali, Waqas Maqsood, Zahir Khan

Pitch Report

It will be an excellent pitch for batting as it has been throughout this PSL 2022. Scores of 200 have been scored twice in the last four matches and it was 197 in the last game. Pacers have enjoyed more success on this wicket due to the bounce and some swing initially with the new ball. Spinners have got some turn with the new ball as well. This game is expected to be very high scoring as well. Overall it’ll be a game dominated by the batters and teams will prefer chasing.

Head to Head

Overall: Both teams have 5 wins each
Last 5 matches: Multan leads 3-2
This Season: Multan won by 20 runs

Match Ups

Multan Sultans
Masood vs Faheem: 43 runs off 25 balls with 1 dismissal
Rossouw vs Faheem: 31 runs off 15 balls with no dismissals
Tim David vs De lange: 24 runs off 9 balls with no dismissals
Tim David vs Wasim jr: 29 runs off 16 balls with 1 dismissal

Islamabad United
Asif vs Tahir: 20 runs off 27 balls with 3 dismissals
Azam Khan vs Tahir: 19 runs off 15 balls with 2 dismissals
Azam Khan vs Muzabarani: 0 runs off 3 balls with 1 dismissal
Asif vs K Shah: 13 runs off 5 balls with 1 dismissal

Key Players

Multan Sultans

● Shan Masood: The southpaw has been in terrific touch in this tournament. He is second in the most runs tally with 453 runs in 9 games at an average of 50.33 and striking at 142.90. He scored 45 in the last match. 

● Mohammad Rizwan: Rizwan has been outstanding opening the innings for his side. He has led them from the front and is the third-highest run getter of PSL 2022. He has 428 runs to his name at an average of 61.14 and striking at 131.28. His last two scores are - 83 and 76. 

● Khushdil Shah: Khushdil is contributing with both bat and the ball for the Sultans. He is the second highest-wicket taker with 15 wickets in 9 matches and has been playing crucial cameos with the bat lower down the order. 

Islamabad United

● Faheem Ashraf: Faheem Ashraf has been excellent in the last two games for Islamabad. He has picked 3 wickets each in the last two games. Ashraf bowls in the power play and in the death as well and has picked a total of 8 wickets till now. He can tonk the ball in the last few overs and has a fifty as well in PSL 2022.

● Rahmanullah Gurbaz: The aggressive Afghan opener has given a lot of quick starts to his team. He has scored 30s of just 10-12 balls consistently but has failed to convert them. He will look to play a big knock in this game. Gurbaz has a strike rate of 180.51 and has scored 139 runs at an average of 27.80. 

● Azam Khan: Azam Khan is the best batter for his side at the moment. He has played a couple of brilliant knocks in the tournament. Azam has scored 220 runs at an average of 31.42 and his strike-rate has been 156.02. He scored 85 in the second last game.

Fantasy Tips

Top captain and vice-captain picks:

● Mohammad Rizwan
● Shan Masood
● Azam Khan
● Khushdil Shah
● Tim David (Batting First)
● Shahnawaz Dahani (Bowling Second) 

Dream11 Team