The Pakistan Super League 2021 trophy is on the line and two top teams in Multan Sultans and Peshawar Zalmi will battle it out in the final at the Sheikh Zayed Stadium in Abu Dhabi on 24th June.
After 33 matches spread over a period of more than 4 months courtesy of the Covid-19 bubble breach in the first half of the season, we have finally reached the biggest match of the season. The cricketing action was moved from Pakistan to Abu Dhabi to ensure the completion of the PSL in a safe and sound manner and it will all come to fruition on Thursday.
Route to the final
Multan Sultans beat Islamabad United by 31 runs in the PSL 2021 Qualifier after making it to the 2021 PSL Qualifier ahead of Peshawar Zalmi, Karachi Kings, and Lahore Qalandars on the basis of their superior net run rate.
In the qualifier against United, Multan lost three wickets in the first eight overs but Sohaib Maqsood kept the run flow continuous from one end ending up with 59 runs off 41 balls before getting out in the 17th over. Two quick-fire innings from Johnson Charles (41 off 21) and Khushdil Shah (42* off 22) helped the Sultans post a challenging total of 180 on the scoreboard.
Defending 181, the Multan Sultans bowler ensured wickets at regular intervals throughout the run-chase none of the Islamabad United batsmen except Usman Khawaja could cross the 25-run mark. Sohail Tanvir was the star of the Multan bowling attack with a brilliant spell of 3/17 complimented well by wickets in the lower order courtesy of Imran Tahir and Blessing Muzarabani.
Peshawar Zalmi knocked out Karachi Kings in the PSL 2021 Elminiator 1 as Hazratullah Zazai’s innings of 77 runs at the top proved to be more than enough for Imad Wasim’s side.
In Eliminator 2, the Islamabad United batting line-up didn’t impress their fans as no batsman could even hit a half-century on a batting-friendly track. Colin Munro contributed 44 runs off 29 balls before getting dismissed whilst Hasan Ali went beserk in the death overs and smashed 45 runs off just 16 balls.
Zalmi once again made light work of the run-chase as Afghanistan opener Zazai and Jonathan Wells stitched together a century-partnership that sailed the Peshawar ship to the shore safely booking a date with Multan Sultans for the grand finale.
Head to Head Record
Multan Sultans players celebrating a wicket taken by Imran Tahir
Multan Sultans and Peshawar Zalmi have contested a total of eight matches in the PSL with the Sultans holding the slight upper hand in the head-to-head record with 5 wins whilst Zalmi has been confined to only 3 wins.
In the PSL 2021 season, the Wahab Riaz-led side beat Multan Sultans at the National Stadium in Karachi. James Vince’s innings of 84 runs powered Multan to a total of 193 but a well-rounded team performance from Peshawar saw them chase down the target with an over to go.
In the second half of the season, Multan Sultans were on a winning run and they beat Peshawar Zalmi convincingly at the Sheikh Zayed Stadium in Abu Dhabi. Sherfane Rutherford’s half-century helped Peshawar post a respectable total of 166 on the scoreboard in the first innings. A 116-run stand between Sohaib Maqsood and skipper Mohammad Rizwan saw Multan chase the target down with 21 balls in hand.
Sohaib Maqsood is the top scorer in the contest with 203 runs whilst Sohail Tanvir is the star with the ball in hand with 11 wickets in clashes between Multan and Peshawar.
Predicted XIs
Multan Sultans: Shan Masood, Mohammed Rizwan © (Wk), Sohaib Maqsood, Johnson Charles, Rilee Rossouw, Khushdil Shah, Sohail Tanvir, Imran Tahir, Blessing Muzarabani, Imran Khan, Shahnawaz Dhani
Peshawar Zalmi: Hazratullah Zazai, Kamran Akmal (Wk), Jonathan Wells, Shoaib Malik, Amad Butt, Sherfane Rutherford, Rovman Powell, Wahab Riaz ©, Umaid Asif, Mohammad Imran, Mohammad Irfan
Prediction
A final is always tough to predict as things like form and head-to-head records matter the very least on big days and in nervy moments during the final. The batting depth and momentum of Peshawar Zalmi could shock Multan Sultans in the final whilst Sultans’ bowling attack could change the match on its head at any moment.
The 2017 PSL Champions Peshawar Zalmi could lift the trophy for the second time as per Parimatch’s prediction with Multan Sultans going empty-handed from their first-ever PSL final appearance.