Multan Sultans will be up against Islamabad United in the 7th fixture of the 2023 Pakistan Super League season. The game will be played at the Multan Cricket Ground on Sunday.
Multan Sultans have got off to a decent start, having won one of their first two matches. Though they lost their first game against Lahore Qalandars, Mohammad Rizwan’s team made a comeback by beating Quetta Gladiators in their second game.
On the other hand, Islamabad United will also be confident coming into this fixture. The two-time champions will be aiming for a second consecutive win, as in their opening encounter, they handed Karachi Kings a four-wicket defeat.
What Have They Done So Far?
Multan Sultans started their season with a game against Lahore Qalandars, where they bowled first and conceded 175 runs. Openers Shan Masood and Rizwan got them off to a good start, but it was not enough as they fell just 1 run short of the target.
But in their second match against Quetta Gladiators, we saw the best version of the 2021 champions. The Sultans bowled out the opposition for just 110, as Ihsanullah took a five-wicket haul. They then chased the total in the 14th over, with Rilee Rossouw scoring an unbeaten 78.
Bowling first in their first match against Karachi Kings, Islamabad United restricted the opposition to 173 runs. Rumman Raees, Mohammad Wasim Jr. and Tom Curran picked up two wickets each, while Faheem Ashraf also got a wicket.
In the run chase, Shadab Khan’s team lost both openers early, but match-winning knocks from Colin Munro and Azam Khan helped them chase the total down with 10 balls to spare. While the Kiwi batter scored a 28-ball 58, wicket-keeper batter Azam chipped in with 44 runs.
Head to Head Record
There is not much to separate the two teams in terms of head-to-head records. Multan Sultans hold the upper hand by a narrow margin, as they have beaten Islamabad United on six occasions as compared to the five wins by Shadab’s team.
The last meeting, which took place in February of last year, saw the Sultans winning the game comfortably by six wickets. Rizwan’s side bowled first and restricted the opposition to only 105 runs, as Asif Afridi and Imran Tahir picked up two wickets each. In the second innings, Multan chased the total down in 17.2 overs, with the captain scoring a half-century.
Key Players
Ihsanullah (Multan Sultans): While the Sultans have a lot of world-class batters like Rizwan, Rossouw, and David Miller, their X factor is currently pacer Ihsanullah. Just 20 years of age, the lad from Khyber Agency is proving to be a real match-winner for the Sultans, having already picked up 7 wickets in just two matches.
Young pacer Ihsanullah picked five wickets in his last match
Ihsanullah dismissed Kamran Ghulam and Hussain Talat in the first match against the Qalandars, before taking five wickets against Quetta Gladiators. In that fixture, he got the crucial breakthroughs of Jason Roy, Sarfaraz Ahmed, Umar Akmal, Iftikhar Ahmed and Naseem Shah.
Colin Munro (Islamabad United): An experienced player in the franchise T20 circuit, Munro showed his class in his very first match of PSL 2023. By thrashing the Karachi bowlers to all corners of the park, he scored 58 runs in 28 deliveries which included 5 fours and 4 sixes.
Munro has played 366 T20 matches in his career, where he has scored 9253 runs at an average of 30+ and a strike rate of 141.15. He is coming into this competition on the back of a decent International League T20 campaign, where he scored 209 runs for his team at a strike rate of 124.40.
Predicted Playing XIs
Multan Sultans: Mohammad Rizwan ©, Shan Masood, Rilee Rossouw, David Miller, Kieron Pollard, Khushdil Shah, Akeal Hosein, Usama Mir, Sameen Gul, Abbas Afridi, Ihsanullah.
Islamabad United: Hassan Nawaz, Paul Stirling, Colin Munro, Rassie van der Dussen, Shadab Khan ©, Azam Khan, Asif Ali, Faheem Ashraf, Tom Curran, Mohammad Wasim Jr, Rumman Raees.
Prediction
Though Islamabad United has had a better start, Multan Sultans will be confident after beating Quetta Gladiators fairly easily in their last match. Given the favorable head-to-head records and home support, we have predicted Rizwan’s team to win this match.