MULTAN, FEB 29 (DNA) : The Multan Sultans will take on defending champions Quetta Gladiators in the first match of this weekend’s Pakistan Super League (PSL) doubleheader at the Multan Cricket Stadium.
Sitting on top of the points table, the Multan Sultans have turned things around this year after finishing at the bottom for the last two years. The Gladiators, on the other hand, who are the defending champions having lifted the title last year, are comfortable sitting on second spot with six points from four games.
The Sultans started the tournament on the right foot, winning their first game of the tournament by five wickets against Lahore Qalandars. However, they lost their next game to two-time winners Islamabad United by eight wickets, before winning their next two games — one by six wickets against Peshawar Zalmi and other by 52 runs against Karachi Kings.
Quetta also started on a high, winning their first match by three wickets against Islamabad United, but lost their second match by six wickets against Peshawar Zalmi. They then turned things around, winning their next two games by five wickets each against Karachi Kings and Islamabad United, respectively.
Led by Shan Masood, Sultans boast the star power of Shahid Afridi, who can still, on a good day, spin things around.
A strong batting line up consisting of Masood, James Vince, Moeen Ali and Rilee Rossouw might just give Multan the edge they need today against Gladiators.
The Sarfaraz Ahmed-led Quetta Gladiators have another strong squad with the likes of all-rounder Shane Watson, Jason Roy, Azam Khan, Mohammad Hasnain and Sohail Khan in their squad.
The match between Multan Sultans and Quetta Gladiators will begin at 2pm.
Squads
Multan Sultans: Shan Masood (captain), Shahid Afridi, Mohammad Irfan, James Vince, Junaid Khan, Moeen Ali, Rilee Rossouw, Zeeshan Ashraf, Ravi Bopara, Sohail Tanvir, Ali Shafiq, Khushdil Shah, Usman Qadir, Fabian Allen, Mohammad Ilyas, Rohail Nazir, Imran Tahir, Bilawal Bhatti, Wayne Madsen
Quetta Gladiators: Sarfaraz Ahmed (captain), Mohammad Nawaz, Shane Watson, Ahmed Shehzad, Mohammad Hasnain, Ahsan Ali, Naseem Shah, Jason Roy, Ben Cutting, Fawad Ahmed, Sohail Khan, Tymal Mills, Abdul Nasir, Arish Ali Khan, Azam Khan, Keemo Paul, Khurram Manzoor, Zahid Mehmood
