Multan Sultans were crowned the Pakistan Super League champions in the 2021 edition under the leadership of Mohammad Rizwan. The side reached the tournament final for the first time in four seasons and came out victorious over Peshawar Zalmi. In the upcoming 2022 Pakistan Super League, the Sultans will have a mega task of defending the title, something that hasn’t been done in the tournament yet by any side over the years.
Multan Sultans: Pakistan Super League Results with Captains
| Year | Captain | Result |
| 2018 | Shoaib Malik | 5th Place |
| 2019 | Shoaib Malik | 5th Place |
| 2020 | Shan Masood | Playoffs |
| 2021 | Mohammad Rizwan | Winners |
Multan Sultans were first introduced in the PSL in 2017 as the sixth team for the third edition of the tournament. The franchise rights were bought by a Dubai based firm Schön Properties for an eight-year contract. But the partnership came to an end in the next year after the company failed to pay the annual fee required by the Pakistan Cricket Board. Later a consortium formed by Alamgir Khan Tareen and Ali Khan Tareen won the rights for the franchise. In 2021, Alamgir Khan Tareen took over as the sole owner of the franchise.
Coming to the important on-field aspect of the team’s history, Multan Sultans were led by the veteran Shoaib Malik in their debut season in 2018. The franchise had high profile names in their support staff, with Tom Moody as the head coach and Wasim Akram as the director. The Sultans started well, beating the defending champions Peshawar Zalmi in the first game. But they could only win four matches and lost five as they finished fifth on the points table.
Ahead of the 2019 edition, Tom Moody withdrew from his role while Wasim Akram left the team to join Karachi Kings. Johan Botha, who was the assistant coach in the previous season, took over as the head coach. The team was bolstered with the signings of Andre Russell and Shahid Afridi. But their fortunes didn’t change much as they lost seven matches and managed only three victories. They finished fifth in the end but were the first team to be eliminated from the playoffs race.
The 2020 edition saw Multan Sultans rope in Andy Flower – someone who is known as a tactical genius – as the head coach. Shan Masood was appointed as the skipper for this edition. The Sultans were dominant in the league stage, reaching the playoffs for the first time. They topped the table with six victories and only two losses while the two games were abandoned. However, they lost the Qualifier and Eliminator 2 to crash out of the tournament.
Mohammad Rizwan was handed the leadership in the PSL 2021 and what followed was Multan Sultans’ most successful season. They won five matches in the league stage and lost as many. Four teams in the mid-table were tied on 10 points but the Sultans secured the second place on the back of their superior net run-rate. They defeated top-placed Islamabad United by 31 runs in the Qualifier and went on to smash Peshawar Zalmi by 47 runs in the final to claim their first ever PSL title.
Multan Sultans Squad for the PSL 2022
Batters: Mohammad Rizwan (captain/wk), Rilee Rossouw, Shan Masood, Sohaib Maqsood, Khushdil Shah, Johnson Charles, Aamer Azmet
All-rounders: Tim David, Dominic Drakes, Rovman Powell, Asif Afridi
Bowlers: Shahnawaz Dahani, Imran Tahir, Blessing Muzarabani, Imran Khan, Abbas Afridi, Anwar Ali, Rumman Raees
Having won the previous edition, Multan Sultans retained most of their squad for the PSL 2022 and have added a few quality players to make the squad even stronger. Their biggest signing for this season was promising young power-hitter Tim David. They also brought in the West Indian power-hitting all-rounders Rovman Powell and Odean Smith. But Odean Smith had to be replaced by Johnson Charles due to unavailability. Dominic Drakes will be the partial replacement for Powell.
The batting unit has a solid Pakistani core, comprising Mohammad Rizwan (who scored 500 runs in the last season), Shan Masood, Sohaib Maqsood and Khushdil Shah. Shahnawaz Dahani, who picked 20 scalps in the PSL 2021, will lead the bowling attack which also has the likes of Imran Tahir and Blessing Muzarabani. All-rounders will play a key role in balancing the side.
Multan Sultans: PSL 2022 Fixtures
| Date & Day | Fixture | Venue | Time (IST) |
| January 27, 2022, Thursday | Karachi Kings vs Multan Sultans | National Stadium, Karachi | 7:30 PM |
| January 29, 2022, Saturday | Multan Sultans vs Lahore Qalandars | National Stadium, Karachi | 2:30 PM |
| January 31, 2022, Monday | Quetta Gladiators vs Multan Sultans | National Stadium, Karachi | 7:30 PM |
| February 1, 2022, Tuesday | Islamabad United vs Multan Sultans | National Stadium, Karachi | 7:30 PM |
| February 5, 2022, Saturday | Peshawar Zalmi vs Multan Sultans | National Stadium, Karachi | 7:30 PM |
| February 10, 2022, Thursday | Multan Sultans vs Peshawar Zalmi | Gaddafi Stadium, Lahore | 7:30 PM |
| February 11, 2022, Friday | Lahore Qalandars vs Multan Sultans | Gaddafi Stadium, Lahore | 7:30 PM |
| February 16, 2022, Wednesday | Multan Sultans vs Karachi Kings | Gaddafi Stadium, Lahore | 7:30 PM |
| February 18, 2022, Friday | Multan Sultans vs Quetta Gladiators | Gaddafi Stadium, Lahore | 3:30 PM |
| February 20, 2022, Sunday | Multan Sultans vs Islamabad United | Gaddafi Stadium, Lahore | 7:30 PM |
Multan Sultans: Stats
Batting Stats
The hard-hitting middle order batter Sohaib Maqsood has the record for most runs for Multan Sultans. He has scored 632 runs for the franchise from 22 matches at an average of 39.5 while striking at 146. Rilee Rossouw holds the record for the highest individual score from a Multan Sultans player, for his 100* off 44 against Quetta Gladiators in 2020. Maqsood also has scored most fifties (6) for the Sultans. Mohammad Rizwan holds the tag for most runs in a season for the franchise, having amassed 500 last year.
Bowling Stats
The Pakistan-born South African T20 veteran Imran Tahir has by far the most wickets for the Sultans. He has snared 37 wickets from 27 matches at an economy of 7.18. Umar Gul holds the record for the best bowling figures in an innings, having claimed 6/24 against the Gladiators in 2018. The promising right arm pacer Shahnawaz Dahani has picked most wickets in a season for the Sultans – 20 in the PSL 2021.
Team Stats
Multan Sultans don’t have any pleasant or unpleasant records to their name. But they do have the highest score by a team in a PSL final – 206/4 against Peshawar Zalmi. They’re the only team to have crossed the 180-run mark in a PSL final.
Multan Sultans: Rivalries
| Opponent | Match Played | Won | Lost | Win Percentage (%) |
| Peshawar Zalmi | 9 | 6 | 3 | 67% |
| Karachi Kings | 9 | 2 | 5 | 29% |
| Lahore Qalandars | 9 | 5 | 4 | 55% |
Peshawar Zalmi
The Sultans have their best head to head record against Peshawar Zalmi. It is the team that they faced in their maiden PSL fixture and four years later defeated in their first ever final. The two teams have played nine matches against each other, with the Sultans winning six and losing three. The winning percentage of 67%.
Karachi Kings
Karachi Kings have proved to be a nemesis for the Sultans in the league. They have their worst win percentage of 29% against Karachi Kings. They have competed in nine matches, in which the Sultans have managed to win twice and have lost five games while two ended in no result.
Lahore Qalandars
Multan Sultans and Lahore Qalandars share a competitive rivalry. The two teams have battled each other in nine matches, where the Sultans have had a slight edge with five wins to four.
Multan Sultans: Challenge Awaits
The 2022 edition of the PSL will be a huge challenge for the Sultans as they look to defend their crown. They will kick start their campaign against their nemesis Karachi Kings at the National Stadium in Karachi on January 27.
The Sultans have a well-rounded squad with most of the bases covered and a really strong local core. Bowling is likely to be their weak link. But all in all, the Sultans look good enough to at least reach the playoffs.
Also Read: Highest Score in T20 Cricket
