Match: Lahore Qalandars vs Multan Sultans, (MS vs LQ, Match 1, PSL 2023)
Date: February 13, 2023 – 8:30 PM IST
Venue: Multan Cricket Stadium
The eighth edition of the Pakistan Super League is all set to get underway from February 13th with the last year’s finalists Lahore Qalandars and Multan Sultans taking on each other. The season opener is scheduled to take place at Multan Cricket Stadium on Monday.
Lahore Qalandars put an end to their trophy drought last year, when they hammered Multan by 42 runs in the final. They had finished second in the group stage with six wins and four losses. Lahore then lost the Qualifier against Multan by 28 runs before beating Islamabad United by six runs in the Eliminator 2.
Multan Sultans were absolutely dominant in the group stage, winning nine out of 10 matches and topping the table. They cruised their way to the final. They were hot favourites to clinch their second title in a row but couldn’t chase down 181 in the final.
Lahore Qalandars will be captained by Shaheen Shah Afridi this season as well, having led them to glory last season. They have some top players in the side such as Haris Rauf, Fakhar Zaman, Rashid Khan and Sikandar Raza.
Mohammad Rizwan will continue to lead Multan Sultans. He will have the support of the likes of Tim David, Rilee Rossouw, Shan Masood and Adil Rashid in the tournament.
The two teams share a pretty competitive rivalry in the PSL and would be looking to get off to a winning start on Monday.
Pitch Report and Weather Forecast for MS vs LQ, Match 1, PSL 2023
The pitches at Multan Cricket Stadium are expected to favour the batters. Only three PSL matches have been hosted here, with the average first innings score of 169. The highest total recorded here was 199/5 by Multan Sultans.
The weather in Multan should be clear on Monday evening with not much humidity or rain threat. The temperature will range between 17-21°C during the evening.
Lahore Qalandars – Expected XI and Team News
Lahore Qalandars suffered a big blow ahead of the season with Harry Brook withdrawing from the tournament. Sikandar Raza and Liam Dawson are certainties to play this match but David Wiese and Jordan Cox are doubtful. Rashid Khan won’t be available for at least a week due to international duties.
Probable XI – Fakhar Zaman, Abdullah Shafique, Kamran Ghulam, Hussain Talat, Sikandar Raza, Sam Billings (wk), David Wiese, Liam Dawson, Shaheen Afridi (c), Haris Rauf, Zaman Khan
Multan Sultans – Expected XI and Team News
Multan Sultans also have some availability issues. Tom David won’t be available in the first half of the season while Rilee Rossouw, Joshua Little and Adil Rashid are doubtful for this game. Kieron Pollard, Akeal Hosein and David Miller are likely to feature on Monday.
Probable XI – Shan Masood, Mohammad Rizwan (c/wk), Usman Khan, David Miller, Khushdil Shah, Kieron Pollard, Akeal Hosein, Ihsanullah, Usama Mir, Shahnawaz Dahani, Sameen Gul
Head to Head of GG vs DV
Total Encounters – 13
Multan Sultans won – 7
Lahore Qalandars won – 6
Best Captaincy Picks for the MS vs LQ match
Fakhar Zaman: Batter, Lahore Qalandars
Fakhar Zaman is the third leading run-scorer in the PSL. He has scored 1939 runs in the league at an average of 31 while striking at 139. Zaman has smashed 16 fifties and a hundred here, making the opening batter a top captaincy choice.
Mohammad Rizwan: Wicket-keeper Batter, Multan Sultans
Since moving up the order, Mohammad Rizwan has been one of the most consistent batters in T20 cricket. He has amassed 1011 runs in the last two PSL editions, averaging 56 at a strike rate of 127. He has registered 10 fifties in the league and is a safe C/VC option.
Sikandar Raza: All-rounder, Lahore Qalandars
Sikandar Raza has been in incredible form in the last year or so, making an impact with both bat and ball. He scored 209 runs from eight innings in the ILT20 recently at an average of 52 and strike rate of 139 while picking three wickets at 7.60 rpo.
Top Differential Picks
David Miller: Batter, Multan Sultans
One of the best players in the world, David Miller has a stellar record in T20 cricket. He has scored over 9000 runs at an average of 36 and strike rate of 139. He’s much improved against spin and will be a good differential if he plays.
Akeal Hosein: All-rounder, Multan Sultans
Akeal Hosein has developed into a reliable star in T20 cricket with his all-round skill. He has picked 83 wickets in the format at an economy of 6.49 with two four-wicket hauls. He is an able hitter down the order and can be a good differential, having picked by only 22% of the teams.
MPL Fantasy XI
Where and what time to watch the match live in India
Sony Sports Network has the rights of the Pakistan Super League broadcast in India. You can watch the clash between Multan Sultans and Lahore Qalandars on Sony Sports 5 at 8:30 PM IST on Monday. You can also catch the action live on online streaming platform Sony LIV.
Note: The players recommended here need not be a part of the Playing 11 on game day. Users are advised to do their own research also and follow official sources and create their teams.
