It’s a battle between two of the major teams in the ongoing tournament with both of them almost on the verge of making it to the playoffs. Lahore Qalandars is riding high on success by sitting at the top of the points table whereas Multan Sultans is in the second spot.
Lahore’s skipper Shaheen Afridi is having a tremendous tournament with the ball. Moreover, his captaincy too has been impressive. The Qalandars won their last match with a big margin of 110 runs against Islamabad United. Now, Afridi & Co. would look to continue their terrific form against Multan as well.
On the other hand, Multan Sultans may have lost their previous battle against Karachi Kings but their overall performance has been quite impressive with four victories in six games. The side led by Mohammad Rizwan would be looking to gain the top spot to make themselves safe going forward.
Let us take a look at the preview and prediction of the match:
What have they done so far?
Shaheen Afridi has led Lahore from the front in the tournament so far with 10 wickets
Shaheen Afridi’s Lahore Qalandars are in the first position so far with four victories out of five games. They have a net run rate of around 1.5 in positive which means they will almost be through to the playoffs if they win their match against Multan.
The last battle against Islamabad United was their biggest victory of the current season as they completely dismantled the opposition with their bowling. Before this, they won three other matches against Multan Sultans, Quetta Gladiators, and Peshawar Zalmi.
On the other hand, Multan Sultans lost their last match against Karachi Kings but they won four consecutive matches before this one. The first match against the same team, Lahore was a tight affair with the Sultans losing by just one run. Overall, they have been superb in the league and would look to take revenge for their previous defeat against Lahore.
Head to Head Record
It has been a tight affair between the duo as both of them have won seven games each to date. On one end where Shaheen’s Lahore would like to win this battle, Rizwan’s Sultans are equally better when it comes to record. This encounter would be a crucial one with the winner taking first place in the points table.
Key Players
Shaheen Afridi: Skipper Shaheen Afridi has been fabulous for his team so far and he would like to dominate in this upcoming game as well. Multan Sultans are not going to be an easy opponent for Afridi as they are almost well placed with them in the table.
The skipper of Lahore has taken 10 wickets in five games with an exceptional average of 15. His captaincy has been terrific in the tournament so far, however, the team would be hoping to repeat the same feat as the previous edition.
Mohammad Rizwan: Facing tough bowlers up the order won’t be easy for Mohammad Rizwan but the right-hander is experienced to handle them over the years. The likes of Shaheen Afridi and Haris Rauf would definitely try to keep Rizwan under pressure but the opener has to find ways to tackle them.
Mohammad Rizwan is the highest run-getter in the tournament so far
He has been a top scorer in the league so far with 358 runs in 6 matches. His average is almost 90 which is unbelievable in T20s. Even with the pressure of captaincy, Rizwan hasn’t lost his touch with the bat in the ongoing tournament. The wicketkeeper-batsman would want to put his team at the top in this encounter.
Predicted XIs
Lahore Qalandars: Fakhar Zaman, Mirza Tahir Baig, Abdullah Shafique, Sam Billings, Hussain Talat, Sikandar Raza, David Wiese, Rashid Khan, Shaheen Afridi ©, Haris Rauf, Zaman Khan
Multan Sultans: Shan Masood, Mohammad Rizwan ©, Rilee Rossouw, David Miller, Khushdil Shah, Carlos Brathwaite, Anwar Ali, Akeal Hosein, Usama Mir, Abbas Afridi, Ihsanullah
Prediction
It is tough to predict the winner of this much-awaited classic but Lahore Qalandars have the capability to beat the Sultans. The last victory by 110 runs was a remarkable feat for the side which would give them confidence in their battle against Multan.
On the other hand, Multan Sultans are in the second spot currently but lost their previous encounter badly. They lost their clash by 66 runs against Karachi Kings but the Sultans are a way better team than this result. For this game, Lahore Qalandars would be the favorites to win the match.