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 Quetta Gladiators in the Pakistan Super League.
The game is set for Monday, January 31. The first ball will be bowled at 7:30pm local time (2:30pm GMT).
The game will be held at the National Stadium in Karachi.
Multan Sultans are one of only two sides yet to be beaten in PSL7 despite the tournament being less than a week old.
The defending champions defeated Karachi Kings by seven wickets in their tournament opener before edging a high-scoring clash with Lahore Qalandars on Saturday, chasing down 206 with five wickets and two balls to spare.
Opening duo Shan Masood and Mohammad Rizwan have both started the tournament brightly. Masood blasted 83 runs off just 50 balls against Lahore Qalandars while Rizwan has scored back-to-back half-centuries. Veteran bowler Imran Tahir already has four wickets to his name.
Quetta Gladiators were defeated by Peshawar Zalmi in their opening match, failing to defend 190. However, they bounced back 24 hours later to cruise to an eight-wicket victory over Karachi Kings.
Naseem Shah collected career-best figures of 5 for 20 as the Kings were dismissed for just 113 runs, a total the in-form Ahsan Ali helped to chase down with 25 balls to spare.
Ahsan Ali [Asif Hassan/AFP via Getty Images]
The fortunes of the opening batters will likely decide this match.
For Multan Sultans, Mohammad Rizwan and Shan Masood have been in good touch. The former has posted back-to-back half-centuries in his opening two matches while the latter, who hit a match-winning 83 against Lahore Qalandars, is striking the ball at an electric 160.29.
For the Gladiators, meanwhile, Ahsan Ali and Will Smeed occupy the top two spots in the overall run standings. The pair shared an impressive 155-run opening stand off 15.3 overs against Peshawar Zalmi, with Smeed top-scoring for his side on 97 (62 balls). Ahsan Ali, like Rizwan, has back-to-back half-centuries to his name.
The question is, what happens when both openers (for either) are removed? Multan Sultans have showcased a handful of their other batters, with Sohaib Maqsood chipping in with a steady 50 runs and finisher Khushdil Shah demonstrating his talents against the Qalandars, blasting 18 runs off four balls.
Ben Duckett is the only other Gladiator to face more than 10 balls across their opening two matches (and he's only faced 11).
Matches played: 7
Quetta Gladiators wins: 4
Multan Sultans wins: 3
No rain is expected in Karachi on Monday night, with temperatures hovering around 21 degrees Celsius.
Quetta Gladiators: James Vince, Sarfaraz Ahmed, Iftikhar Ahmed, Mohammad Nawaz, Shahid Afridi, Mohammad Hasnain, Naseem Shah, Jason Roy, James Faulkner, Umar Akmal, Sohail Tanvir, Ben Duckett, Khurram Shehzad, Abdul Wahid Bangalzai, Muhammad Ashar Qureshi, Noor Ahmad, Ahsan Ali, Luke Wood
Supplementary round: Ghulam Mudassar, Dan Lawrence
Partial replacements: Will Smeed, Ali Imran, Shimron Hetmyer
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
Mohammad Rizwan [Asif Hassan/AFP via Getty Images]
Quetta Gladiators: Ahsan Ali, Will Smeed, Ben Duckett, Sarfaraz Ahmed, Iftikhar Ahmed, Mohammad Nawaz, Sohail Tanvir, James Faulkner, Ashar Qureshi, Mohammad Hasnain, Naseem Shah
Multan Sultans: Shan Masood, Mohammad Rizwan, Sohaib Maqsood, Rilee Rossouw, Tim David, Khushdil Shah, David Willey, Imran Tahir, Imran Khan, Shahnawaz Dahani, Ihsanullah
A high-scoring affair but one which Multan Sultans, with Mohammad Rizwan at the helm, should edge.
In Pakistan, games will be on A Super and PTV 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.
PSL GUIDES (open in external window in app)
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