Analysis for the match.

The resilient and this edition’s best team Lahore Qalandars are all set to lock horns against Mohammad Rizwan’s Multan Sultans in Match 20 of PSL 2023 at the Gaddafi Stadium in Lahore on Saturday. With both teams wanting to secure the top spot in the points table, let us take a detailed look at the probable playing XI, team news, weather report, toss prediction and much more for this mouth watering clash.

Lahore Qalandars have finally been able to justify their hype as they have won 4 consecutive games entering Match 20. Their latest win came against the Quetta Gladiators in Match 18 wherein the Qalandars won by 17 runs. They are currently on 10 points, at the numero uno spot in the points table.

The supremacy of Multan Sultans was unexpectedly halted by the depleted Karachi Kings in Match 14, wherein they lost by 65 runs after their batting order massively collapsed. However, this unit can still secure their claim at the top of the points table if they are able to beat the Qalandars in Match 20 on Saturday. Currently they are second in the standings with 8 points in 6 encounters.

Must see point.

1). It is a batting-friendly track and you can expect a big score from both teams on this pitch.

2). The batting of Sikandar Raza has been a huge plus for the Lahore team as it has increased the batting depth of their side.

2). How the competition leader Mohammad Rizwan will perform with the bat will have a massive impact on the fortunes of Multan Sultans.

Match Prediction: MLS to win the match.

1). If LHQ won the toss and opted to bowl first, MLS could score 160-180 runs.

2). If MLS won the toss and opted to bowl first, LHQ could score 150-170 runs.

Secondary Predictions.

1). Sikandar Raza total runs - over 19.5 runs.

The emergence of Sikandar Raza evidently increased the batting depth of Lahore Qalandars as he smashed 71 runs in the previous game, at a strike rate of 208.

2). Mohammad Rizwan total runs - Over 20.5 runs

Mohammad Rizwan has been the tournament’s leading run scorer as he smashed 358 runs in 6 games, playing at an average of over 89 runs. The dependency on the captain was evident as the Sultans collapsed against the Kings in Match 14 after Rizwan wasn’t able to get onto a solid start.

3). Haris Rauf total wickets - Over 1.5 wickets.

Pakistani pacer Haris Rauf finally came to life in PSL 2024 as he registered his best performance with the ball, taking 3 wickets for just 22 runs in his quota of 4 overs. We expect Rauf to be the leading wicket taker for LQ in Match 20 as well.

Match Preview.

No injuries or absenteeism are affecting the Lahore Qalandars outfit at the moment. It is quite likely that the Lahore management will field the same side that won the 18th game of the competition. One of the key players for Lahore is Sikandar Raza. This all-rounder established how valuable he was to the side with both bat and ball in the 18th game of the tournament. He is going into this match on the back of a superb 71-run effort but he will face a lot stiffer opposition in this game against Multan.

The Afghan international star Rashid Khan has already established his credentials as a leading bowler for his team, especially in the middle overs. In the last game, he played he picked up a couple of wickets and gave away just 14 runs in the process from his quota of 4 overs. Haris Rauf is an experienced bowler from the Lahore line-up. He has already picked up seven wickets in the competition and is likely to pick up more while handling the new ball. the top batters for Lahore in this game are Fakhar Zaman, Sikandar Raza, and Tahir Baig.

The Lahore Qalandars openers have established how valuable they are by setting the tone for the remaining players from the team, Fakhar Zaman is the second-leading run-getter in the competition. Raza is another crucial member of the team giving them a good end to their inning. In their last game, the Lahore all-rounder Sikandar Raza single-handedly took the Lahore score to a respectable one. They ended up getting 148 runs from their 20 overs. The Lahore bowlers led by Haris Rauf and Rashid Khan did an excellent restriction job on Quetta to ensure that the team crossed the line with plenty to spare.

After having lost their last match, the Multan Sultans will be keen to make some significant changes to their side. There is every chance that they might bring in Kieron Pollard in place of Carlos Brathwaite in the playing eleven. The Multan Sultans is led by Mohammad Rizwan who is the leading run-scorer in this year’s version of the Pakistan Super League. The Sultans' team management will be hoping that the skipper will be all geared up for a big performance in this game against Lahore.

Rilee Rossouw is without a doubt one of the more destructive T20 batters in the world. He has established this fact over some time. However, Rilee Rossouw was not able to contribute too much to his team's cause in the last match as he was dismissed cheaply for 7 runs. A fast bowler from the Multan team Insanullah is the find of the 2023 PSL season. He is not just a young and coming fast bowler but has a lot of variations that can make him an awkward customer in the modern 20-overs-a-side format. In the 14th game of the competition, he picked up a couple of wickets.

After winning 4 games in a row, the Multan Sultans crashed to a hefty defeat in their last encounter against Karachi Kings. This meant that they had to relinquish their top position in the points tally and make way for Lahore Qalandars, their opposition in this match. The top and most significant batters for Multan going into this game are Mohammad Rizwan, Shan Masood, and Rilee Rossouw. Out of these three, Rizwan and Rossouw are the leading run-getters for the Multan side while Masood has already displayed some glimpses of how dangerous he can be while opening the innings. 

Match details.

Time -  Mar 4th, 07:30 pm, IST.

Venue - Gaddafi Stadium - Lahore, Pakistan 

Pitch reports.

There is little to no chance of getting rain interruptions during this match. It is expected that we will get temperatures in the region of 26 to 34 degrees for this match. You can expect the relative humidity to be close to 55 degrees during the game. All-in-all you can expect good settings for a game of cricket.

This Lahore track is considered by many to be one of the better batting wickets in Pakistan for batting. You might even get a score of close to 200 runs while batting first on this pitch. Even then you can have the team chasing to hunt down a big total and record a win. There is an even bounce and a flat track at the Gaddafi Stadium making the job of the batters a lot easier.

Team News.

Lahore Qalandars>>

While no absentees or injuries are to affect the Qalandars Playing XI at the moment, they are most likely to feature the same combination that secured a dominating win in Match 18.The Lahore Qalandars have performed to the best of their abilities despite getting a delayed chance to shine. Being on the back of four consecutive wins, the Qalandars will be itching to extend their lead at the top.

Possible XI - Fakhar Zaman, Mirza Tahir Baig, Sam Billings(w), Abdullah Shafique, Hussain Talat, Sikandar Raza, Rashid Khan, David Wiese, Shaheen Afridi(c), Haris Rauf, Zaman Khan

Karachi Kings>>

After losing their previous game, the Sultans could opt to make a like-for-like change by replacing Carlos Brathwaite for Kieron Pollard in their starting XI.After winning four consecutive games, Multan Sultans failed to secure a win against the Karachi Kings. Eventually losing their top spot in the points table and falling down to the second berth.

Possible XI - Shan Masood, Mohammad Rizwan(w/c), Rilee Rossouw, David Miller, Khushdil Shah, Carlos Brathwaite, Anwar Ali, Akeal Hosein, Usama Mir, Abbas Afridi, Ihsanullah