Key match-ups, squad lists, head-to-head record, weather forecast, prediction, odds, form guide and more ahead of the next game of the 2022 Pakistan Super League season
Multan Sultans take on Lahore Qalandars in the Pakistan Super League Final.
The game is set for Sunday, February 27. The first ball will be bowled at 7:30pm local time (2:30pm GMT).
The game will be held at the Gaddafi Stadium in Lahore.
Multan Sultans ran away with things during the league stage, winning a record nine games out of a possible 10 ahead of the playoffs. Their only loss, however, came against Lahore Qalandars, when they were skittled for 130 in response to Qalandars 182.
Sultans did make amends for that loss, though, closing out the group stage with a pair of impressive wins.
They smashed a monster 245 for 3 against Quetta in their penultimate group match, with Shan Masood (57 from 38) Mohammad Rizwan (83 from 54) and Rilee Rossouw (71 from 26) all making light work of the bowling attack.
The final will be a repeat of the Qualifier when a complete performance saw them overcome Qalandars. Rizwan (53 from 51) and Rossouw (65 from 42) were the main protagonists to see them through to the showcase.
Qalandars could have crashed out in Eliminator 2 but a small batting collapse from Islamabad United kept them in contention for the title. Lahore made 168 for 7, David Wiese smashing 27 off the final over of his side’s innings to haul them up to a respectable 168.
Islamabad looked in control until Alex Hales was dismissed in the 16th over, with 39 runs still needed. Lahore managed to keep the game tight beyond that point, and bowled Islamabad out with two balls to spare.
Rizwan and Masood have been imperious at the top of the order (Asif Hassan/AFP/Getty Images)
The sides are both blessed with elite batting line-ups and strong bowling cohorts, both of which will be key to winning the final.
Sultans opening pair of Rizwan and Masood have hit 532 and 459 runs respectively, and their partnership at the top of the order has been the catalyst for their run to the final.
The bowling ranks have also been key with spinners Khushdil Shah and Imran Tahir having both taken 16 wickets.
Young seamer Shahnawaz Dahani has a penchant for making big breakthroughs and has been crucial of late.
Lahore Qalandars have the most influential batter in the tournament in their side in Fakhar Zaman. The opening bat has hit 585 runs, including seven half-centuries and one century.
The pace attack has also been a big worry for sides facing Qalandars. Skipper Shaheen Shah Afridi has taken 17 wickets, young pacer Zaman Khan has 16, and Haris Rauf 15.
Matches played: 12
Multan Sultans wins: 7
Lahore Qalandars wins: 5
There is a slight chance of rain at the start of play, with temperatures at around 16 degrees Celsius.
Multan Sultans: Mohammad Rizwan, Rilee Rossouw, Sohaib Maqsood, Imran Tahir, Shan Masood, Khushdil Shah, Shahnawaz Dhani, Tim David, Odean Smith, Rumman Raees, Asif Afridi, Anwar Ali, Rovman Powell, Imran Khan Sr., Abbas Afridi, Amir Azmat, Blessing Muzarabani, Ihsanullah
Supplementary round: David Willey, Rizwan Hussain
Partial replacements: Johnson Charles, Dominic Drakes
Lahore Qalandars: Shaheen Shah Afridi, Rashid Khan, David Wiese, Haris Rauf, Mohammad Hafeez, Sohail Akhtar, Zeeshan Ashraf, Ahmed Daniyal, Fakhar Zaman, Phil Salt, Harry Brook, Abdullah Shafique, Kamran Ghulam, Dean Foxcroft, Zaman Khan, Maaz Khan, Samit Patel, Syed Faridoun
Supplementary round: Mohammad Imran Randhawa, Akif Javed
Partial replacement: Ben Dunk, Matthew Potts
Zaman Khan (Karim Jaafar/Getty Images)
Multan Sultans: Shan Masood, Mohammad Rizwan, Aamer Azmat, Rilee Rossouw, Johnson Charles, Khushdil Shah, David Willey, Asif Afridi, Rumman Raees, Imran Tahir, Shahnawaz Dahani
Lahore Qalandars: Fakhar Zaman, Phil Salt, Abdullah Shafique, Kamran Ghulam, Mohammad Hafeez, Harry Brook, Samit Patel, David Wiese, Shaheen Shah Afridi, Haris Rauf, Zaman Khan
Multan Sultans are favourites at 4/6. Lahore are given odds of 6/5 for the final.
The strength of Multan should see them able to overcome Lahore, and be crowned back-to-back champions.
In Pakistan, games will be on A Sports and Ten Sports.
In the UK games will be shown on Sky Sports Cricket (Sky 404, Virgin 504).
In Australia, the games will be shown on Foxtel, Fox Sports and Kayo.
In India, Sony Sports Network carries the broadcast rights.
In the Caribbean, Flow Sports hold the broadcast rights, with Willow TV showing the tournament in North America.
SuperSport will provide coverage in South Africa, while Sky Sport will show the matches in New Zealand.
The PCB has partnered with ICC TV and tapmad TV to broadcast PSL7 in: Andorra, Antarctica, Argentina, Armenia, Australia, Austria, Azerbaijan, Belarus, Belgium, Bolivia, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Bouvet Island, Bouvet Island, Brazil, British Indian Ocean Territory, Brunei, Bulgaria, Cambodia, Chile, China, Christmas Island, Cocos Island, Colombia, Croatia, Cyprus, Czech Republic, Denmark, East Timor, Ecuador, Estonia, Falkland Islands, Faroe islands, Finland, France, French Guiana, Georgia, Germany, Gibraltar, Greece, Guyana, Heard Island, Hong Kong, Hungary, Iceland, Indonesia, Israel, Italy, Japan, Kazakhstan, Kosovo, Kyrgystan, Laos, Latvia, Liechtenstein, Lithuania, Luxembourg, Macao, Macedonia, Malaysia, Malta, Micronesia, Moldova, Monaco, Mongolia, Montenegro, Myanmar, Netherlands, New Caledonia, North Korea, Norway, Paraguay, Peru, Philippines, Poland, Portugal, Romania, Russia, San Marino, Serbia, Singapore, Slovakia, Slovenia, South Korea, Spain, Suriname, Sweden, Switzerland, Taiwan, Tajikistan, Thailand, Turkey, Turkmenistan, Ukraine, Uruguay, Uzbekistan, Vatican City, Vietnam and Venezuela.
The commentary line-up includes Nick Knight, David Gower, Mike Haysman, Pommie Mbangwa, Danny Morrison, Bazid Khan, Waqar Younis, Urooj Mumtaz, Sana Mir, Marina Iqbal and Tariq Saeed. Erin Holland, Zainab Abbas and Sikandar Bakht will present the live coverage.
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