PSL Qualifier 1: MS vs LQ Preview

The PSL 2022 play-offs are here. This will be the first qualifier game and it’ll be played between the Multan Sultans and the Lahore Qalandars. Multan has lost only one game in the tournament so far and it was against the Lahore Qalandars. 

Multan Sultans are the best team of PSL 2022 after 10 matches. They played 10 matches and lost only one till now. Their squad is very well balanced and everyone is sticking to their strengths and that's the main reason for their unbeaten performance. The opening duo of Mohammad Rizwan and Shan Masood have been brilliant as they are the second and third highest run-scorers of the tournament respectively. Multan has the likes of Rilee Rossouw and Tim David in the middle-order alongside David Willey and Khushdil Shah which makes them a very strong batting unit. Imran Tahir, Shahnawaz Dahani, Khushdil Shah, and David Willey are their main bowlers who have been exceptional with the ball. Overall, Multan have been brilliant as a team and will look to continue the same in this qualifier as well.

Lahore Qalandars too have played some good cricket till now and finished at the second position with 6 wins and 4 defeats in the tournament. They have some areas where they will look to improve before this crucial match. Lahore are over dependent on Fakhar Zaman to score the majority of the runs at the top of the order. The likes of Philip Salt, Kamran Ghumlan, etc will have to be more consistent as well. Mohammad Hafeez has shown good form in the last two games but the middle-order looks struggling apart from him. Sohal Akhtar will have to score some runs in the middle-order. 

Their bowling despite Rashid Khan’s unavailability looks very good as Fawad Ahmed did really well in the first game. Shaheen Afridi, Haris Rauf, and Zamaan Khan have been quite consistent with the ball. Lahore is the only side to defeat Multan and will look to repeat that in this game as well.

Probable Playing XI

Lahore Qalandars: Fakhar Zaman, Philip Salt (wk), Kamran Ghulam, Mohammad Hafeez, Harry Brook, Sohail Akhtar, David Wiese, Fawad Ahmed, Shaheen Afridi (c), Haris Rauf, Zaman Khan

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

Pitch Report

The pitch is expected to be a belter for batting. It was a little slower in the last two games but this will be a fresh pitch and a lot of runs will be scored here. Teams will look to win the toss and put in a good total in this game. The average first innings score at this venue in PSL 2022 is 180 runs.

Head to Head

Overall: Multan leads 6-5
Last 5 matches: Multan leads 3-2
This Season: Both won 1 game each
Average Runs: MS 162.4, LQ 158.2

Match Ups

Multan Sultans
Masood vs Shaheen: 20 runs off 23 balls with 2 dismissals
Rizwan vs Shaheen: 39 runs off 37 balls with 2 dismissals
Maqsood vs Shaheen: 33 runs off 30 balls with 2 dismissals
Masood vs H Rauf: 41 runs off 28 balls with no dismissals
Rizwan vs H Rauf: 53 runs off 37 balls with 2 dismissals
Rossouw vs H Rauf: 20 runs off 15 balls with 3 dismissals
Masood vs Wiese: 42 runs off 26 balls with 3 dismissals

Lahore Qalandars
Fakhar vs Tahir: 68 runs off 45 balls with 2 dismissals
Hafeez vs Tahir: 44 runs off 46 balls with 1 dismissal
Fakhar vs Muzabarani: 56 runs off 46 balls with 2 dismissals
Hafeez vs Muzabarani: 24 runs off 16 balls with 2 dismissals

Key Players

Lahore Qalandars

● Fakhar Zaman: Fakhar is averaging 52.10 with a strike rate of 157.40 and is the highest run scorer in the league with 521 runs in 10 games. He is in sublime form and has 6 fifties to his name.

● Harry Brook: Harry Brook has done really well in the middle-order for Lahore. He has scored 208 runs in 5 innings at an average of 69.33 and his strike-rate is 176.27.

● Shaheen Afridi: Skipper Shaheen Afridi is one of the best pacers in world cricket at the moment and has done really well. Shaheen has picked 15 wickets till now and will look to lead from the front in this match.
 

Multan Sultans

● Mohammad Rizwan: Rizwan is the second highest run-scorer of the tournament with 479 runs in 10 matches. He has scored 3 half-centuries in a row and is averaging 68.42 at a strike-rate of 130.16. Rizwan has led his team from the front and will look to continue the same.

● Shan Masood: Masood did really well but has struggled in the last couple of games. He is the third highest run scorer of PSL 2022 with 457 runs in 10 matches. He will be very crucial for Multan at the top alongside Rizwan.

● Imran Tahir: Tahir is amongst the best leg-spinners in franchise cricket at the moment. The 42-year-old is the second highest wicket-taker with 16 wickets till now. He has been brilliant as his economy has been 6.33 and has picked wickets as well.

Fantasy Tips

● Fakhar Zaman
● Shan Masood
● Shaeen Afridi
● Mohammad Rizwan

Dream 11 Team

Disclaimer:  These teams are based on the writer's understanding of the game and do not guarantee to win in fantasy cricket. Users are advised to create their own teams with the information provided.