The 27th match of the 2023 Pakistan Super League season will see Peshawar Zalmi taking on Multan Sultans at the Pindi Club Ground in Rawalpindi on Friday.
Peshawar Zalmi has had an on-and-off season so far, where they might not be the best team in the competition, but have done enough to be in the race to qualify for the playoffs. With four wins in seven matches and 8 points, they are placed fourth in the standings.
Multan Sultans also share a similar trajectory. They have blown hot and cold, and have won four of the eight matches they have played so far. While the 2021 champions also have 8 points to their name, a better net run rate sees them occupying the third position.
What Have They Done So Far?
Peshawar Zalmi had a mixed-bag start, where they won two of their first four matches. They secured wins against Karachi Kings and Quetta Gladiators but were defeated by Multan Sultans and Islamabad United.
They lost their next match against Lahore Qalandars, but the 2017 champions did well to win their next two matches on the trot. Zalmi defeated Karachi Kings and the Qalandars by 24 runs and 35 runs respectively.
Multan Sultans started their season with a narrow 1-run defeat against Lahore Qalandars but then won four consecutive matches. During this streak, Mohammad Rizwan’s team defeated Quetta Gladiators, Peshawar Zalmi, Islamabad United and Karachi Kings.
However, everything has gone downhill for the Sultans ever since. They will be coming into this match on the back of three back-to-back defeats – a 66-run loss against Karachi, a 21-run loss against Lahore and a two-wicket defeat against Islamabad.
Head to Head Record
The head-to-head records are massively inclined in favour of Multan Sultans. They have won nine matches against the 2017 champions, while Peshawar Zalmi has got the better of Rizwan’s team on only three occasions.
The last meeting, which took place back in February, saw Multan winning the match by 56 runs. Half-centuries from Rizwan and Rossouw helped them score 210 runs, while three-wicket hauls from Carlos Brathwaite and Usama Mir helped the side restrict Peshawar to only 154.
Key Players
Babar Azam (Peshawar Zalmi): Playing his first season for Peshawar Zalmi, Babar Azam is proving why he is regarded as among the best batters of his generation. The skipper is currently the leading run-scorer of his team, with 343 runs to his name at an average of almost 50.
Azam’s best performance came in the last match against Quetta Gladiators, where he scored 115 runs in only 65 balls, with the help of 15 fours and 3 sixes. Besides that, he has also scored three half-centuries – against Karachi Kings, Islamabad United and Lahore Qalandars.
Mohammad Rizwan (Multan Sultans): The fans will witness a great battle between two captains, as like Azam, his national team’s opening partner Rizwan is also having a great season with the bat. He has scored 421 runs at an average of 70.16 and a strike rate of 141.27.
Mohammad Rizwan has been in superb form with the bat for Multan Sultans
The wicket-keeper batter has struck one century this season, which came against Karachi Kings. Besides that, he has also scored half-centuries against Lahore Qalandars, Peshawar Zalmi and Islamabad United.
Predicted Playing XIs
Peshawar Zalmi: Saim Ayub, Babar Azam ©, Mohammad Haris, Tom Kohler-Cadmore, Rovman Powell, Haseebullah Khan, Aamer Jamal, Wahab Riaz, Mujeeb Ur Rahman, Azmatullah Omarzai, Arshad Iqbal.
Multan Sultans: Shan Masood, Mohammad Rizwan ©, Rilee Rossouw, David Miller, Kieron Pollard, Tim David, Anwar Ali, Usama Mir, Abbas Afridi, Mohammad Ilyas, Ihsanullah.
Prediction
Multan Sultans might enjoy the upper hand on head-to-head records, but they will be low in confidence ahead of this fixture, with their plans not working out in the last few matches. Hence, we have predicted Azam’s team to take all two points from this game.
