The seventh edition of the Pakistan Super League is close to its finish. The first playoff match will be Qualifier, the winner of which goes to the finals, while the loser receives an extra chance in Eliminator 2.
While the place of Multan Sultans in this game was known in the middle of the group stage, Lahore’s way to it was tougher. The Qalandars could lose the ticket to Qualifier even in their last game of the regular season. With 12 points in the table, they could be overcome by Peshawar, who had 10 at that moment. Although Zalmi won that game in the Super Over after a tied 158 runs from both sides and also took 12 points, their NRR remained much lower. It means that Lahore now has another chance for a mistake in the Qualifier. Find out more cricket predictions as we always choose the most exciting matches for your attention.
Overall, both Lahore and Multan franchises had a good season, and their place in the playoffs was in safety during the group stage. The Sultans had nine victories from 10 games, losing only to the Qalandars. The latter finished the regular matches with six victories.
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What relates to the head to head matches, the first one was among the most resulting games of the group stage. At the end of January, Multan’s team had to chase solid 206 runs by Lahore. And they did it with two balls remaining, delivering 209 runs. Both sides then lost five wickets each. The second game wasn’t so great in terms of runs, especially for the Sultans. In their chase of moderate 182 by the Qalandars, the Sultans delivered only 120 runs, with all wickets lost before the end of the game.
Regarding the overall stats, Multan’s squad looks quite better in terms of individual performances. Thus, two out of three best bowlers are in the squad of the reigning champions: Tahir took 16 wickets, while Shah had 15, with both having economy below 7. However, the following 4th and 5th places belong to representatives of Lahore: Afridi has 15 wickets (ER 7.69), while Khan 14 (ER 8.23).
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The top three batters of the PSL at the moment are from the regarded teams. However, here the leadership is taken by Lahore’s Zaman with 523 runs (SR 156.59), while the following two are from Multan: Rizwan with 479 runs (SR 130.16) and Masood with 457 runs (SR 140.18). As the playoff games will be held in Lahore, the Qalandars have an additional advantage. Of course, the Sultans looked more confident during the season, but the Qalandars look really like the closest team that can beat them now. It promises to be an exciting game. Want more sports news and keep up to date with events? Subscribe to our portal updates.
