In the 28th match of the 2023 Pakistan Super League season, Quetta Gladiators will take on Multan Sultans at the Pindi Club Ground in Rawalpindi, on Saturday.
This will be an extremely important clash for both teams in terms of their chances for qualification for the playoffs. Quetta Gladiators are currently fifth in the standings with three wins and six points from nine matches, but they still are not out of the hunt.
On the other hand, Multan Sultans are placed third in the standings, with four wins in eight matches and eight points. While they remain a favourite to qualify for the next round, the Sultans’ main target now will be to not suffer a defeat by a big margin.
What Have They Done So Far?
Quetta Gladiators started their season with a defeat against Multan Sultans but then defeated Karachi Kings by six runs. But that victory was followed by a horrendous run, where Sarfaraz Ahmed’s team lost five matches on the trot.
During this streak, the Gladiators lost twice against Lahore Qalandars and Islamabad United, and once against Peshawar Zalmi. It seemed that their time in the competition had run out, but the 2019 champions gave themselves an outside chance with back-to-back wins against Karachi Kings and Peshawar Zalmi.
Multan Sultans started their campaign with a heartbreaking loss against Lahore Qalandars, but then had a superb run where they won four consecutive matches against Quetta Gladiators, Peshawar Zalmi, Islamabad United, and Karachi Kings.
They were looking increasingly likely to comfortably qualify for the next round, but Mohammad Rizwan’s team suffered multiple roadblocks as they will come into this match on the back of three consecutive defeats against Karachi Kings, Lahore Qalandars, and Islamabad United.
Head to Head Record
The head-to-head records are inclined in favour of the Sultans. They have beaten Quetta Gladiators on four occasions, while Ahmed’s team have got the better of Rizwan’s side on only four occasions.
The last meeting, which took place back in February, saw Multan Sultans securing a nine-wicket win. A five-wicket haul by Ihsanullah helped them bowl out Quetta for just 110 runs, and then a brilliant 78-run knock by Rilee Rossouw helped them chase the total down in 13.3 overs.
Key Players
Martin Guptill (Quetta Gladiators): Though a few Pakistani batters have not lived up to the expectations for Quetta Gladiators, Martin Guptill has been a reliable performer for the 2019 champions. He is currently leading the run-scoring list from his team, with 273 runs at an average of 39.
Martin Guptill is currently Quetta Gladiators’ leading run-scorer
The Kiwi opening batter had his best outing in the second match of his team, where he scored 117 runs against Karachi Kings. Besides that, he also scored a brilliant unbeaten 86 in the second-last match, which also was against Karachi Kings.
Mohammad Rizwan (Multan Sultans): Contrary to the Gladiators, Multan Sultans have been relying on their skipper Rizwan to score the majority of the runs. The wicket-keeper batter is the highest run-scorer for his team, having scored 421 runs at an average of 70.16.
Rizwan’s best knock came in the match against Karachi Kings, where he scored an unbeaten 110. Besides that, he has also scored three half-centuries – against Lahore Qalandars, Peshawar Zalmi and Islamabad United.
Predicted Playing XIs
Quetta Gladiators: Martin Guptill, Jason Roy, Will Smeed, Iftikhar Ahmed, Mohammad Hafeez, Umar Akmal, Mohammad Nawaz ©, Dwaine Pretorius, Mohammad Hasnain, Naseem Shah, Aimal Khan.
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 not be in a good rhythm currently, but they have had a better season as compared to their opponents while the head-to-head records are also favouring them. Hence, we have predicted Rizwan’s team to win this match.