PSL 2022 | Multan Sultans vs Islamabad United | Match 29 Preview, Predictions, Fantasy XI

The juggernaut of the seventh edition of the Pakistan Super League (PSL) rolls on, with the defending champions and table-toppers, Multan Sultans scheduled to battle for supremacy against Islamabad United at the Gaddafi Stadium on Sunday evening (February 20).

The defending champions Multan are sitting pretty at top of the table after having dropped just one game out of nine fixtures.

The Mohammad Rizwan-led unit flexed its muscles with absolute disdain in the last game as they obliterated Quetta Gladiators by a whopping 117 runs.

It was their power-packed batting that set the tone as the likes of Shan Masood (57 off 38 deliveries), Rizwan (83* off 54 deliveries), and Rilee Rossouw, who hammered a whirlwind 26-ball 71, smashed Quetta's bowling to all corners of the Gaddafi Stadium.

The target of 246 was always going to be tough to breach for Quetta but one expected them to have a real crack at it. Unfortunately, barring Umar Akmal, who hammered a 23-ball 50 and Jason Roy (38 off 19 deliveries), no other batter rose to the occasion thanks to a disciplined all-round bowling performance from Multan.

They will now face a beleaguered Islamabad United, who will come into this game after having suffered a demoralising 66-run defeat at the hands of Lahore Qalandars.

More than defeat, it's the margin that will hurt Islamabad the most. With just four wins in nine games, they will not only have to win their last group match against Multan, but they will also have to ensure they win by a comprehensive margin in order to stay afloat in the race for playoffs.

In the previous meeting between these two sides, Multan won by 20 runs after they successfully defended their total of 217.

Match Details 

Date: 20th February 2022

Time: 08:00 PM IST

Venue: Gaddafi Stadium, Lahore

Broadcast: Sony Six, Sony Six HD, SonyLiV app and website

Pitch Report: Win the toss, bat first and apply the choke with the ball in the second half seems to be the order of the day during the Lahore leg of PSL 7.

The average 1st innings score in the last 10 completed night games at the Gaddafi Stadium is 180, with chasing teams winning just three of them. 

Squads:

Multan Sultans: Mohammad Rizwan, Shan Masood Sohaib Maqsood, Rilee Rossouw, Tim David, Khushdil Shah, Anwar Ali, Abbas Afridi, Imran Tahir, Blessing Muzarabani, Shahnawaz Dahani, Asif Afridi, Aamer Azmat, Ihsanullah, Rizwan Hussain, Dominic Drakes, Rovman Powell, Odean Smith, Rumman Raees, Imran Khan, Johnson Charles.

Islamabad United: Shadab Khan (c), Asif Ali, Azam Khan (wk), Athar Mahmood, Marchant de Lange, Danish Aziz, Faheem Ashraf, Hasan Ali, Mohammad Huraira, Mohammad Wasim, Mubasir Khan, Muhammad Akhlaq (wk), Muhammad Musa, Rahmanullah Gurbaz (wk), Paul Stirling, Zafar Gohar, Zahir Khan, Zeeshan Zameer

Probable Playing XI:

Multan Sultans: Shan Masood, Mohammad Rizwan (C/WK), Rilee Rossouw, Tim David, Khushdil Shah, Aamer Azmat, Asif Afridi, Rumman Raees, David Willey, Imran Tahir, Shahnawaz Dahani

Islamabad United: Rahmanullah Gurbaz, Mubasir Khan, Danish Aziz, Liam Dawson, Azam Khan (WK), Asif Ali (C), Faheem Ashraf,  Waqas Maqsood, Muhammad Musa, Marchant de Lange, Zahir Khan.

CE Fantasy XI: Mohammad Rizwan (WK), Rahmanullah Gurbaz, Shan Masood (C), Rilee Rossouw (VC), Tim David, Khushdil Shah, Faheem Ashraf, Liam Dawson, Imran Tahir, Shahnawaz Dahani, Waqas Maqsood

Captain: Shan Masood

Vice-captain: Rilee Rossouw